I was looking through an old chest last week to see what was inside. I found some surprising items that showed me the value of old things. One was a letter sweater from my dad’s high school days. I am guessing it to be from 1926-1927. The sweater is in good condition for being just under 100years old. Included were my high school letter sweater (1954) and my college letter sweater (1957). They were in relatively good condition and good enough to wear. I don’t think the practice of giving athletes letter sweaters is still around but at one time it was an athlete’s way of showing he was on a sports team. Even Cheerleaders got them.
Thinking how old items can be important made me look back on my racing days. Looking back at some of the tee shirts that every runner received that entered a run made me wonder what makes a tee shirt that a runner will wear for many years? What makes your race shirt better than another race tee shirt that a runner likes better? I still have the first (as far as I know) race shirt from here in San Marcos. The Cinco De Mayo 10 Kilo race in 1979 out at the Civic Center. The newspaper Hays County Citizen – 75 years of service – was the sponsor. The shirt has outlasted the sponsor. Most tee shirts in the 80’s were cotton. Basically, two types of cotton. One was heavier and held its shape and color and the other less expensive lost its shape and color after a couple of washings. Then the 50-50 blend shirt became popular as it kept its shape and lasted many years. The nylon shirt and “hi-tech” shirt became the standard for most race organizers. They were more costly and entry fees went from$12 to $20 or so. The hi-tech shirts were a longlasting shirt and held its color after many washings.
Since most tee shirts are the same, what can a race organizer do to make their shirt stand out and be worn more than the others? If it is a tee shirt the two things that can change is the color and the design. I tried a fluorescent orange and a fluorescent green around 2012 that were popular. The green was popular and it wasn’t long before I saw other race shirts and even softball uniform shirts in that color. The orange was popular because of the high visibility if they were running on a road. Even bikers wanted that shirt when they went riding on the road. For the final “Moe’s Better Half Marathon” I provided the runners a quarter zip long sleeved hi-tech shirt with the major design on the back with the sponsors. The front had the race name on the left chest and nothing else. I don’t expect to see any runner wearing it until it gets cold and even then, because of the zipper in the neck area it might not be a popular shirt to run in. It looks more suitable for going out to eat or shopping. This last year the Kiwanis 5K Pumpkin Dash had a hooded long sleeve hitech shirt that was popular with runners as I don’t recall any other race offering that style shirt. It was always a challenge to come up with something different from other races that would entice runners to enter my race. Designs vary from a modern art work to a cartoon image of a runner. The key is to not make it too big in the front as then it doesn’t breathe and becomes hot during a race. One year I gave a runner’s nylon jacket instead of the typical shirt. I’ll have to wait for cold weather to see if any of the runners still wear the jacket. I still wear mine.
The letter sweaters made me think of why always a cotton or hi-tech shirt. Why not offer a different fabric as a race shirt. Maybe a light weight fleece shirt or a tricot material, or even a sweatshirt. There are many types of nice material to use that runners will like. Anything to make your race standout from the other races. And if it is worn frequently the sponsors will appreciate it also. Tell sponsors this shirt will promote your business for over 10 years or more.
