Credit must be given yet another great gear critique by 2:18 marathoner and The Running Company Ballarat’s very own Julian ‘Moose’ Spence.
Historically, running gear is pretty uncool. The functionality of a running specific product has always driven the design and this tends to end up with unfortunate aesthetic appeal. But the times, they are a changing. The fashion of wearing activewear all day has forced companies to clean up the look of their technical products so we can impress at the café, supermarket or even the pub! One of the brands leading the charge in helping us runners look amazing on the trails is a Canadian company called Ciele. The idea behind the founding of the company was to make the best possible running cap that was different to others on the market. “Fashionable yet also functional” is how the owner describes their hats. And boy, haven’t the fashionistas in the sport eaten it up! These caps and beanies are found littered throughout the Instagram influencer world, inner city run ‘crews’ and are creeping into the winding rabbit hole of the trail scene. Although they keep things simple, there are a few different styles in their range. The GoCap is the most popular and fits the most amount of different head shapes. It’s styled in the 5-panel design that the private school boys love but the real kicker is a soft peak that ‘pops’ up. Kind of like a cycling cap or Wesley Snipes on White Men Can’t Jump. The popped peak always has a cool little design underneath that adds a nice extra flavour. The cap is made of Coolwick, a lightweight breathable material that keeps the melon cool on the warmer days. On fresh winter mornings, a thicker front panel helps to take the chill off the forehead without overheating! Ciele have also jumped onboard the trucker cap trend that first started in triathlon and has now flooded the trail scene. I was dumbfounded when I first saw the tri guys wearing heavy cotton hats on the hot ironman courses. Seriously, these guys wanted to look so hip that they totally ignored the fact that their head needs to let heat escape. With Ciele’s GoTrl cap, the mesh over back and top of the hat allows for maximum airflow as well as contributing to the lightweight feel. All the models have a plastic clip on the rear rather than Velcro which tends to degrade quickly. The excess length of the strap is tucked into a little pouch which keeps things neat and tidy. No nerdy straps hanging out the back. Perhaps the most relevant option in their range for Victorians at this type of year is their beanie. Made of a breathable and wicking wool called MerinoWick, they’re perfect for running at temperatures below ~10 degrees or for styling on your way to workouts. No longer do you have to wear the skull cap options from running brands that make you look like you’ve got a condom on your head! They have 2 beanie options – one with a cuff to warm the ears and a non cuff with tassel on top that is lighter on the head. Given Ciele is a Canadian company with no distributor in Australia, they are rare as hen’s teeth. The Running Company Ballarat have imported a large range of GoCap, TrlCap and Beanies for their store. Check out the photo below and if any take your fancy, they’ll chuck one in the mail and you’ll be turning heads on the trails within no time!
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