Why you should pay attention to what your running kit is made of so as to avoid jogger’s nipple

A lot of people new to running dig out some old cotton T-shirts and use them to run in, or maybe have a cotton shirt printed up with a name or slogan.  Cotton is good, as it’s natural, right? Wrong.

They may be fine for short distance runs but a run of any length wearing a cotton shirt can result in rubbing and chafing or worse still “jogger’s nipple”.  Jogger’s nipple is a common sight at the finish line of a marathon where men have mistakenly worn cotton shirts.

joggers nipple is unsightly, and painful

This problem tends to afflict men more often than women due to women usually wearing bras.  The problem occurs when the shirt becomes heavy with sweat and chafes the nipples over the marathon distance.  This can cause the runner  to lose the surface skin from their nipples. The red blood stains covering the front of their shirts aren’t a pretty sight, and it is definitely painful.

You can avoid all of this unnecessary suffering by investing in some running shirts which are made of “technical fabric” which wicks-away sweat.  This wicking has many benefits:

Firstly, the shirt doesn’t get heavy with sweat.  Secondly, the wearer remains cooler as the wicking of the sweat reduces the skin temperature.  Thirdly, provided the shirt is a comfortable fit (neither too tight nor too loose), you should not suffer from chafing or rubbing.

The same rules of course apply to shorts.  Try to buy shorts made of a technical wicking fabric and chafing and rubbing need not be a worry.

 

There's a Lot More Where That Came From…

This article is a condensed snippet taken from Nick Mitchell’s information-packed manual How to Run a Marathon. Your essential manual to enable you to run a successful marathon includes training schedules, advice on everything you can think of and lots you probably haven’t even thought of! You need this manual if you want to cross the marathon finish line with energy to spare, in a personal best finishing time and with a big smile on your face. More details here: VirtualHealthClub.com/marathon