Race Expo Fashion

There's a scene in one of the various bad-boy fraternity house movies (read: Animal House knockoffs) -- this one called "Politically Correct University" -- in which the cool fraternity brother says to the fraternity dufus, "What's this? You're wearing the shirt of the band you're going to see? Don't be that guy."

I'm always embarrassed to catch myself sorting through the t-shirts to decide what to wear to a race expo, but I do it nonetheless. Do I wear the shirt from last year's running of this race? The shirt from another race -- maybe a higher profile one? If I had one, would I wear my "Boston Marathon" t-shirt? How about wearing _any_ marathon t-shirt when signing up for a 10K?

And for the rest of the wardrobe: there are those who show up in full running regalia -- spandex and running shoes. There are those who come in the classic outdoorsy dress -- Birkenstocks and rag wool. Then there is the team gear, of which there are three primary types: local road running club (e.g., DC Road Runners, Annapolis Striders). semi-elite or elite club (e.g., Oregon Track Club), and national team.

I have a few personal rules: no shirts from longer races; no shirts from last year's running of this race. (If I ever repeated a race more than two years later, I'd be OK with an older shirt.) No running garb, except for the worn-out shoes that have become walking shoes. I'm not a member of a team, but I could see wearing a runningprofs shirt if I had one. My current favorite is a blue shirt from the Bulldog 5K, run every May in Chevy Chase, DC. The shirt has a picture of a bulldog wearing running shoes on the front.