Hello! Howโs it going? Today Iโm getting excited for my upcoming races and trying to decide between two costumes. Iโm probably going to go with the easier to wear one. Itโs not very exciting, but at least Iโm playing along, right?ย Right.
Iโve dressed up for a lot of races at this point in my running / eating / blogging life. And Iโve learned a lot of lessons along the way. So today Iโm sharing some tips on choosing a good running costume for a race. Or I guess you could use these tips if you like to dress up just to run around the block. (Just donโt blame me when your neighbors call the police.)

Tips for Picking a Good Running Costumeโฆ
1. Make sure you can actually RUN in it. Check your stride and make sure your legs and arms can move appropriately. Thatโs part of the reason I wonโt be wearing the pink crayon costume โ I canโt really open up my legs to stride. It would be more like a waddle run situation.

2. Make sure you can SEE in it. The only thing worse than wearing a mask while running is FALLING while wearing a mask and running.
I usually vote for โsafety thirdโ but in this situation make sure your vision isnโt blocked and your peripheral vision is open too. When youโre racing there are people coming up on each side of you, security giving instruction on which way to go and/or other safety precautions that make it important to be able to see clearly.
3. Make sure you can BREATHE. Along the same lines as #2 make sure nothingย is obstructing your breathing.
It might not be the best idea to wear a corset or costume from your third grade Halloween party if itโs too tight to allow for your lungs to expand like normal.
Damn. I guess my kindergarten cheerleading costume is out.

4. Consider how it will feel at mile 7.
Are you going to hate yourself for wearing thick footed pajamas and holding a huge baby bottle? Is your mummy costume going to unravel and leave you half nekkid? Do you have to hold a giant pitchfork as part of the costume?
Think about running in your costume for xx amount of miles realistically.
I was actually going to be a lady bug at first but then decided I didnโt want to run with wings this time around. (Iโve done it before as Tinkerbelle and it wasnโt that bad as long as you pin them to your top too, but Iโm not feeling it this weekend.)
Plus, Vegas really hated the costume for some reason and kept batting at itโฆ

Tip: Consider what running gear you can incorporate into the costume. SkinnyRunner actually spray painted an old pair of her running shoes yellow for this Minnie costume. This way she didnโt have to swap out her usual kicks for mouse slippers.

5. Who cares. Have fun.
As much as I am giving you tips for running in costume, I LOVE seeing fun costumes at races so my final vote is to just go for it so I can enjoy the parade.

For more check outโฆ
Halloween Running Costumes via Womenโs Running
Worst Running Costumes via Buzzfeed (for a preview see below)
20 Awesome Running Costumes via Active

I’ve never run in costume but I’d definitely be tempted! I’m pacing some friends through Christmas runs so I may dress up festively ๐
Running my first Halloween Half this year! I’ve never dressed up for a race before and excited to try it out. Thanks for the tips!
truth on all of this…but add make sure its not see through, no one needs that ๐
Great tips in this post! Interestingly enough, I saw someone wear that exact crayon costume to a Halloween 5k several years ago and it looked like she was having the same problem you describe here.
Lifestyle by Joules