On Running Pants are comfy as hell, uber-practical, and runner chic
As a tights person for 99% of runs that are conducted in below freezing temperatures, the idea of running pants is sort of weird to me… But after a summer involving buggy hikes where mosquitoes went directly through my tights, a fall that has a lot more mountain running combined with hiking and being sweaty and also cold, and starting to coach cross-country at the high school, which involves going to meets and spending the day alternating between sprinting around and standing around, running pants seem like a brilliant idea. On Running Pants caught my eye pretty much the second that I saw them (mountain runner and skier Julian Carr told me about them) partially because, like Julian, I am obsessed with neutral colors and they were black and gray, partially because of the SICK mesh paneling in the knees, and partially because they looked like my ideal blend of sporty and comfy.
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So, I grabbed a pair, and I have been in love ever since. They’re super comfortable, basically like wearing sweatpants, so long bus rides with the high school XC team are comfy but I still look legit, and when running, they don’t sag like a normal sweatpant would. They’re tailored for running, and with the mesh and loose fabric, they’re also ideal for bug-infested hikes. No mosquito bites in these!
Note the mesh knees, which are my personal favorite touch from a fashion and function perspective:
The mesh knees mean they move a lot easier, and you don’t end up with that super obnoxious puffed out section of fabric on the knee from constant bending. (Weird thing to hate but that’s a major pet peeve of mine.)
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Julian told me he wears his pulled up like capris, and I’ve been doing the same when it warms up. They have zips at the ankle that loosen the bottom of the pants enough to pull them off over shoes (including On Running’s Cloudventure Peaks that I’m also wearing here… but wait on the review for them, as I want to get a few more miles logged!). Unzipping them also gives you just enough space to pull them over your calves and bunch them under your knees — and yes, they stay in place there when you run!
These are 100% my new Fall weather go-tos for runs up and down Blue Mountain here in Collingwood, plus any active hangouts that I’m doing. I still <3 leggings for a lot of longer runs, but these are absolutely in rotation for when there’s a blend of hiking and running, or when I know I’ll need to be hanging around and standing — and for when I need a zip pocket! (It’s SO GOOD for stashing your phone when you’re running around at a race… I’d also definitely wear these pre-race over shorts and take them off at the start line — and thanks to the zips and zipper pocket, that’s an easy thing to do!)
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They aren’t cheap ($170) but they’ve been holding up to my rough treatment amazingly, and between that and their super functional + fashionable qualities, I think they’re well worth the $$$.
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