The singlet has an image problem. It reads as a declaration — of fitness, of seriousness, of belonging to a category of runner that most people do not feel they have earned membership of. It sits in the drawer while the t-shirt goes out again.
It is also, above about 22°C, straightforwardly the best thing you can wear.
Why it works
Heat leaves your body through the skin, and the fastest route is uncovered skin with air moving across it. A singlet exposes the shoulders and upper back, which is where a surprising proportion of your cooling happens. It also eliminates the two places a t-shirt reliably causes problems: the sleeve hem rubbing on a long effort, and the fabric across the shoulders that stays soaked.
There is less of it, so there is less to get wet, less to weigh, less to chafe. The difference on a humid day is not marginal — it is the difference between finishing comfortable and finishing wrung out.
On the social part
Nobody is looking. This is almost always true and particularly true here — the people you imagine are assessing your arms are the same people wondering whether their own shorts are too short. Wear it for a week and the self-consciousness evaporates, in our experience somewhere around day three. Start on an early run if that helps.
Getting the fit right
A singlet should sit close without clinging. Too loose and the armholes gape and rub; too tight and it stops air moving, which defeats the point. The hem wants to sit at the top of the hip, long enough to stay put when you lift your arms. Check the armhole by swinging your arms properly rather than standing still in front of a mirror.
One practical note
More exposed skin means more sun. Shoulders and the back of the neck burn first and are the easiest to forget, and a singlet plus a cap leaves a surprising amount of you uncovered. Sunscreen before you leave, not when you notice.
Our range is in Singlets & Tanks.
