This weekend I went to pick up my race packet for Corktown and the shirt, as usual, was too big. It's worth noting that Spike, knowing my shirt issues, ordered me a youth size large in hopes that the shirt would fit a little better since they didn't have women's cut shirts. The result:
Not terrible, but def not very flattering either.
2010 Gasparilla Marathon & 2010 Grand Rapids Half MarathonThese were spared the donation pile only because I had so few long sleeved shirts when I first moved to Michigan.
I can’t tell you how many shirts that have gone straight to the donation pile because they were too large to even train in. One in particular that I was especially sad about was my BAA 5k shirt from 2010. They only had unisex shirts with a minimal amount of smaller sizes and most people had swapped down to the next size leaving almost everyone I know that ran the race with a shirt that was way too big for them because they had run out of the smaller shirts by the time we made it to packet pickup.
Sad Panda.
Now I know that the gentlemen runners out there still make up more than half of the foot race population but isn't anyone noticing that women are creeping up behind them in the ranks?!?! Not only that but don't race directors want their race promoted on the fronts of all runners; big, small, men and women alike? How often do you wear your race shirts that fit compared to those that don't? I think it's safe to assume that most of your fitted shirts see more daylight hours then those larger, ill-fitting ones that don't, so why are race directors passing up the opportunity for this free advertising by insisting on giving us ill-fitting shirts we won't/can't wear?
Actually, this gives me an idea!!!
I want to see YOUR best fitting and worst fitting tech race shirts.
You can either send them to me via email (for those of you that don't blog) or post them on your own blog. If you post on your blog please let me know and also link back to this post. I'll compile a list of everyone that participated as well as compile all of those that sent via email and post again about this on Friday. Let's put the deadline for participation as end of day Thursday, March 8th. My email is: redheadrunning (@) gmail.com and I am armed with Photoshop for those of you who wish to participate but would like to remain anonymous. Also, use #onesizedoesnotfitall or #sizematters when tweeting!
Together we can make a difference! Just think, we women running bloggers out-blog male running bloggers easily so if everyone posts just once about this maybe, just maybe, we can catch a headline on Runner's World or over on Active.com and race directors will take note. It can't hurt to try and if nothing else, we'll at least know which races DO have women's fitted race shirts!
Can I please get a shirt that fits?!?!
49 comments:
I am 100% in the same boat. I've mentioned here and there on my blog that shirts hardly ever fit. The one that's been the best now was my tech longsleeve from my half in November. It actually does fit!
The next best is two YL cotton shirts I have but with the way the designs are... UGH... not really something I wear out in public!
I agree there are a lot more female racers out there today and I don't understand why our needs are not being met.
My other other guess is it's a money issue and more expensive to offer more or better options.
YL is still a treat when I see it on a form. Many races do not even offer that.
My cotton too big shirts are going to made into a quilt. Too big tech Ts going to Goodwill.
Sorry so long. End rant.
Wow, I'm surprised that the guns aren't exploding through that Corktown shirt! Woman, I remember when it was cotton with ironed on decals and we used to get chased by dinosaurs!!!!!
It really is comical - it's almost a game to see how bad the next one will be. My very favorite is also my chicago marathon shirt! But my Grandma's marathon shirt (also women's cut) in the same size is so freaking tiny that I can't even breathe in it. Very sad face, since it was my favorite race to date...
I bet I have a shirt or two that would "fit" the bill (sorry - bad pun).
I actually wear my 2010 GR 1/2 Marathon shirt all the time, even though it's too big, because I have so few long-sleeved shirts. My 2011 GR Marathon shirt fits great, but they went to short sleeve last year - which is really dumb considering we're in MICHIGAN and it's a FALL marathon.
Thank you so much for this post! My bf is constantly hearing me complain about this on race day. To make it worse, the few times that I have tried to adjust down, it's come back to bite me in the butt. And instead has been too small. Arg! One of my favorites is a long sleeved one from the Napa Marathon. It shrunk and so is little short, but at least it's not down to my knees!
I do not have a photo but I can tell you the WORST fitting shirt is a tie between the 2011 Trail Marathon & Half marathon shirt and the 2008 Detroit Marathon/half marathon shirt. The best fitting shirt I've ever received is also a tie between 2010 Chicago Marathon and 2011 Bayshore Marathon.
I love this idea! I have a lot of ill-fitting race shirts. My first half marathon only came in men's sizes and were still even comically large. I held onto it strictly for nostalgic reasons, but never wear it! :(
This has given me an idea and I think after taking some photos, I'll probably do a post about this!
I just wish the sizing was fairly consistent, even for the guys. Some races I do an XL, and it's like a small tent. So then I'll do a Large, and it looks like 'Fat Guy in a Little Coat' from Tommy Boy (worth a YouTube if you don't get the reference - gotta love Farley). Sucks to put in all that work, run the marathon, and then have to give the shirt to my 12 year old son because it's too small. If that's the worst of my problems, however, I'm doing pretty well.
I hate being complainy-joe but it bugs me when they don't tell you the cut of the shirt - i.e. I have a wicked long sleeve tech shirt from a race but it is a 'unisex' cut meaning mens and it is ginormous on me. Sad.
White race tees bug me as well...that means see through in my books.
I'm a shirt horder ... even though I actually wear about 20% of them. Yes, I've got some rocking' shirts (Houston - AWESOME) and some very roomy selections. I'll post some shots.
We are lucky around here that MOST races offer women's cut and I can usually count on the medium fitting me okay, but I still feel for you! I have definitely had my share of giant, boxy shirts. I recently donated a bunch but let me see what I can dig up. :)
Um, I have the exact opposite problem, where the shirt is too small and not long enough to cover my belly. So some of a my run shirts fit me like Winnie the Pooh. Oh bother...
Preach it sister!!! My favorite shirts are my two Houston marathon shirts - Women's cut, high quality Underarmor. LOVE.
But I have SO many saggy, baggy race shirts that come mo where near fitting!
I realize they have to order for a broad range of sizes, and maybe the theory is that women can wear a baggy shirt but a man can't wear a tight one...but yes, getting a race shirt I'll never wear, major sad panda.
and it looks like we have found a voice for the people!!!
i have a few that are just HUGE. i have had pretty good luck with the tri's for some reason. i think b/c it's a smaller field of people so they know to order more smalls and mediums.
i'm gonna let you post my photo. lol! i'll send it tonight.
Like Vaudiophile, I also tend to have the opposite problem. I ran the Great Bay Half in NH last spring which had women's cut tech long-sleeves. I got the largest size they had, and the shirt is still short in the torso and the sleeves are 3/4 length on me. My petite friend who also ran has a similar problem with her shirt. The sleeves bug me the most-do they think women have little, short, T-Rex arms?
I am on the opposite end of this issue, too big for shirts offered at races. Many races don't offer 2x shirts, and I have at times requested a shirt in my wife's size when it was a nice Tech shirt. At least that way, someone get's some use out of it. However, most of my shirts go right to the donation pile or I just tell them to keep it.
For me it is not too much of an issue because it adds motivation to loose weight. Also there is no greater feeling than keeping a tech shit in the back of drawer because it is too tight only to find that it fits six months later (Tar Heel 10 miler shirt, you're my new favorite)!
But, if I were a woman on the other side of things, I could see how this would get frustrating, it's not like you want to gain weight or you're suddenly going to go through a growth spurt. And, honestly, I am sure that women spend more money on running apperal, so for a company to donate some nice fitting women's shirts is just good business.
bank of america who does the chicago marathon and the shuffle use Nike for their stuff and I've never had a problem with sizing. Though I thought last years marathon shirt was really thin compared to the previous year. I have a whole post on XL shirts that I bought from the marathon expo and none of them are true XL's!
it really bothers me when races only have unisex shirts. are't there enough female runners these days to consitute ordering us shirts that will fit and not look like tents?
HOLY AMAZING POST! This is soo soo true and so annoying. I tend to just stick it out and rock the boxy shirt only because legit good running stuff is $$$ ... but when I get a shirt that actually fits, I am sooo happy.
I totally agree - maybe I'll mail you some of mine that are too small. I hate the size that I am b/c I never know what to order! sometimes small is like XXS and sometimes it's bigger than my mediums!!!! WHAT?
I am going to be hosting a virtual race soon (post sometime this week) where the prize is a tech T :D hopefully if you enter it'll fit you! lol
oh i am so with you here. i only have a few race shirts that fit well, including my chicago 2010 and my surf city from this year. my constant race gripe is shirts that don't fit small framed women. ir is sad and frustrating. because small girls run too!!
we need a club. first world problems ;)
Amen. I am not as petite as you, and I still have a problem. I was sharing this weekend that my tech tee from RnR Chicago 2010 - a small, mind you - was so ill fitting that I could wear it when I was eight months pregnant. I was so excited that they had women's sizes for tech tees this weekend in New Orleans!
Yeah, a few years ago I stopped buying the race shirt unless it was included with the entry fee bc they are usually hideous and ill fitting. I do appreciate though when races have a women's and men's cut.
There is a trail organization by us called Brazen Racing -- I love their shirts because a) they have men's, women's, & youth sizes (and the women's are cut differently), and b) I've run their events often enough that I now know which size to order with confidence. My shirts from their races are definitely my favorites.
However, while it's slightly annoying, I don't *really* care all that much if a shirt is a little big or ill fitting, because I figure I don't actually look very cute when I'm running anyway and a well-fitting shirt is not going to do a lot about that.
The shirt I was most annoyed about was my San Jose Rock N Roll shirt -- unisex (ie, men's cut) shirts only. My instinct was to order an XS, but that's burned me before. In the end I ordered a small ONLY because the order form specified that shirts that didn't fit could be exchanged after the race. Guess what they were out of after the race. (Though I have to say, it was an ugly-ass shirt to begin with.) :P
I love that chicago marathon shirt too!! It fits so well :)
You were a year too early for Grand Rapids :( They started offering women's cut in 2011. The River Bank Run has women's cut this year as well! (at least for the 25k, you might want to double check the 10k)
I have had less of a problem, but my pet peeve is not knowing the sizing of the shirt ahead of time. Sometimes I'm a large, sometimes a medium. It depends on the type of shirt. No one likes getting screwed out of a good shirt.
This definitely is a big pet peeve of mine. I understand that small races are often limited in budget, but I don't understand why there are large races that still don't offer women's cut shirts.
I think the situation is definitely getting better, but there are still improvements to be made.
I'm a lady with boobs — it's a red-letter day when I get a race shirt that fits. The Nike Women's shirt was great (thank goodness, you know?) and the new RockNRoll Brooks women's fit shirts are fine, but my RnR San Jose shirt is an amazing disaster. I couldn't get the girls into anything but a large, but then the "shoulder" seams came almost to my elbows. I think I already gave it away, or I'd definitely be sending in a picture.
i'm about twice your size and i still can't find one that fits. arms too long!
I have that Chicago Shirt! I love it and wear it all the time because IT FITS! I am short so I am used to most shirts not fitting but I expect a small to not be hanging on me the same way the larges do
Love this post. You are so right. Rarely do we get a women's cut shirt. Just a smaller man's size. I have a few shirts that fit and a lot that I tolerate being baggy.
If I ever get caught up I will share my sad shirt sizing via a post.
There are drawbacks when you are a petite flower!
This is hilarious and something Karen will certainly agree with. For me I don't have these issues but then again I am male....I just checked.
can i send an ms paint rendition of my worst? i already donated it... people wouldn't want to see it in real life anyway. scary.
the corktown one isn't that bad to me. i have some that are REAL boxy.
and your hair is so long!! or maybe the only times i've seen you it was up. haha.
I definitely have some race shirts that never get worn but I don't have the heart to throw out because I loved the race. If the hips fit, the waist is huge, and vice versa. Or they are just huge, and I'm not a small-framed woman. Alas, I'd love to participate in your photo call, but well, me + human-sized clothing = not happening! :)
Size matters!!!
I've been pretty lucky I guess, most of my races have a women's tech shirt option and I always choose that one, so they fit like a glove.
There was that one exception where I got a cotton t-shirt that was three sizes too big for me....nice pajama shit....
Love, love, love this idea. I have moments when I order mediums and the shirt runs too big. And then I try to go for small and then they are too small. I can't catch a break! I was extremely saddened when this happened with my 2010 Chicago Marathon shirt!! :(
I forgot to mention I am running in the Sarasota Half this weekend and the race director there finally caught on and is offering male/female specific tech shirts! :)
Umm total sidenote - your hair is getting LONG!
I think it's totally ridiculous if a race runs out of a shirt size that they don't get your name and send you one that DOES fit. I know some races do so but someone like Boston should have done that...how much money did you spend there at their race?!?!
I dump all my too big shirts on my 6'11" running son...sometimes I even order shirts in his size at my races (if they're ugly :)) because I just have WAY TOO MANY.
The green Cowtown isn't too bad...maybea good jammie shirt :).
Here is my race shirt post:
http://barklesstrimore.blogspot.com/2012/03/race-shirts.html
So I picked up my Corktown shirt & bib the other day and had registered for a women's size small thinking I could wear it after the baby is born. Guess what? it fits now! Um, hello. How should a size small top fit someone almost 27 weeks pregnant??!! it shouldn't!
Hey Morgan - I blogged!!
http://www.livelaughrunbreathe.com/2012/03/onesizedoesnotfitall-sizematters.html
As a big girl I still end up with issues. Often the woman's XL doesn't work with my boobs or ends up being way too short. The only shirt I have that absolutely fits to a women's XL is my pineland farms trail race shirts.
Sometimes I go with a Large mens' (for the length), but then I often still end up with a tight shirt at the boobs). Wish I was a tiny petite thing :)
AMEN! I have a race this weekend that is giving unisex shirts so was excited they offered an XS as a size choice - hoping that might actually fit. I think I have one decent race shirt out of about 30+. So sad...
So true! If a race doesn't offer an XS women's cut, I'm screwed. The only shirts I have that fit me are this year's New York Marathon (thank god they got on board!) Disney's Princess half, and Diva's half marathon. Notice how 2/3 of those races are races geared towards women
Would someone please post the manufacturer and exact style of the women's shirts that do fit?
Idea #2: would anyone tolerate ordering a shirt at the race--after seeing what the sizes look like--and receiving it afterward? Up to a few weeks afterward?
@R Carter - I would gladly pay a few bucks extra to get a women's cut shirt! As for manufacturer; it seems like the big winners are Nike as making the best fitting race shirts but it your event doesn't have the kind of budget to go with Nike I would assume just having the women's cut option would be preferable to a men's cut any day of the week!
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