Running Skirt Review: “GymGirl” from SkirtSports.com
A month or so ago I read about running skirts in one of the groups over at Ravelry and decided I’d give ’em a try. I ended up ordering a GymGirl from SkirtSports.com (mostly because they were on clearance and they’d ship to Australia). The skirt came on Friday, so I wore it out for my “long” run today. While I’m definitely sold on the idea of a running skirt, I’d only rate this particular one a 7 out of 10. Read on to see the pros and cons.First, the pros: The fabric was really great at wicking away sweat, and I felt like I was much cooler than I usually am (in normal gym shorts). There was no bunching between my legs – which rules – and definitely no chafing. My bum looked very cute, if I do say so myself.
Now, the negatives: I pretty much hated the waistband. It’s wide and flat, which is fine if you’ve got a nice flat stomach. Me, my belly sticks out a bit. It looks great when you’re standing in front of the mirror, but as soon as you actually start to move, the waistband promptly rolls up and heads towards your hips like a cheap pair of pantyhose. (And I HATE pantyhose.) I kept trying to either hike it up over my belly (in which case the shorts and skirt didn’t offer a lot of, ahem, coverage) or trying to get it to sit below my belly (in which case I felt like it was going to roll even farther and expose my bumcrack). The waistband issue also meant that the skirt rode up in front, so I was tugging on it fairly frequently throughout the run. The only other problem I had was the single pocket, which I carried my iPod in. Somehow part of the stitching on the side came undone and I now have a hole in my pocket. I’ll have to re-stitch it once I’ve washed it.
So overall, I’ve decided that while I definitely like the idea of a running skirt, this particular one isn’t a perfect match for me. (Luckily I bought it on clearance so I don’t feel too bad about it.)
6 responses
how long are the shorts on this? Being a girl over-endowed with inner thigh wobble I suffer from The Evil Thigh chafe. so I never wear short skirts or shorts (the one leg bunching up higher than the other leg drives me to distraction). I would love to find some clothes to work out in which actually look and feel good (comments above not withstanding).
Even we lanky types suffer from the dreaded inner thigh chafe- I use a product called BodyGlide on chafe and blister prone areas (feet and thighs and along the waistband my shorts). It looks like a stick of deoderant that you rub on your skin before running/hiking/exercizing. It is a Godsend!
Thanks for the running skirt review. I’ve been curious about them as well. I’m surprised that it’s cooler than shorts; I would think the extra fabric would make the skirt hotter.
Eileen beat me to the BodyGlide comment. I don’t know how I ran without it (painfully). I primarily use it where my running bra rubs.
They’re not terribly long, Rachel; at least, not on my long legs. I had to resist the urge to try to tug the shorts lower (because then the crotch would’ve been hanging low). I think I’d prefer a short that extends closer to my knee.
The shorts are made out of a really light material, not a thick spandex. In fact, I think when I looked at them closely I could see little air weave holes. The skirt is made out of a light bathing suit type material. Just in terms of actual weight, it’s lighter than the shorts I normally wear.
I should also point out that the shorts I normally wear aren’t running shorts; they’re more like basketball shorts. Not cotton, but not fancy light-weight futuristic fabric either. So the skirt might not be any cooler than “real” running shorts…
interesting timing on your review – i just ordered one of these running skirts in black this afternoon. mine has built in bike short things, which i’m hoping will be long enough to combat the inner thigh chub rub. (body glide is good, but for me, some well placed fabric is still better for a long run)