Tips for running a race in costume

I had the joy of running the 15K at A Midsummer Night’s Run in Toronto on Saturday night.  I love this event. Since I am a lousy evening runner, I don’t take it overly seriously and can take full advantage of the festive atmosphere – from the beer garden and barbecue, to the Shakespearean theme and costume contest – which brings me to my point.

Last year I went with the classic “woodland fairy” type of costume – very appropriate for a race that is themed after A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  There were tons of other fairies there, and even a couple of donkeys. Now, I love a simple theme where you can make a costume rather than having to buy one, so that outfit was made out of old curtains, fake flowers, coat hangers, pantyhose and spray paint.

This year I decided that I had to look dramatically different if I wanted a shot at winning the costume contest – clearly there were some others who felt this way as this year there were a lot of things besides fairies, from superheroes to Peter Pan.  Anyway, my costume was called “If Jules Verne had written A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”  My costume was still homemade, but included some premade pieces; for example, I started with a taffeta skirt, shirt and waist cincher from the second hand shop, made some metal accessories from parts acquired at a hobby shop, and topped it off with a fascinator.  Not to abandon a longstanding tradition of making costumes out of window treatments, I made airship sail wings out of an old Roman shade with some coat hangers and wooden dowels, then hung a solar lantern from the back and threaded some glow sticks along the hangers.

Here’s the thing: unlike last year, when my costume was nearly perfect for running in, I made a few serious errors in judgment when I put it all together.  First of all, taffeta is a heavy, yet fragile fabric.  That meant that every stitch used to bustle it up either broke, or tore through the fabric – and since taffeta skirts tend to be floor length, I had to carry the bottom of the skirt over my arm for a good portion of the run, meaning I couldn’t swing that arm, and couldn’t breathe properly.

Secondly, there was a serious design flaw with the wings, and while Roman shades don’t seem all that heavy, but they’re significantly heavier than pantyhose, let me tell you.  Without getting into great detail, let’s just say I have a lovely bruise and a bunch of missing skin in the middle of my back.  In retrospect, I should have anticipated that based on the design, but you know what they say about hindsight.

Oh, and the glow sticks? The first one worked its way out of place before I’d even reached the 1K marker; I ended up carrying three and have no idea what happened to the other three – sorry for littering, Tommy Thompson Park!

Despite all of that, however, I have to say that it is always a lot of fun to run in a costume. Spectators and the police seem very entertained by it, not to mention that a good wingspan gets you some personal space right from the start.

Sadly, I was down at the finish line cheering and missed the awards, so I have no idea who won the costume contest – or what standard was set for next year!

Tips for designing a costume for a race:

• Less is more: you’ll be happier if you make it lightweight and breathable!
• Make sure it’s secure: accessories are awesome, but if you’re worried about losing them, they’re a huge distraction. Just make sure you clip, sew, or stick them on securely, or wear them for the pictures then remove them for the race.
• Watch your designs: look for things that can poke, rub, bounce, or otherwise cause damage to your body – if they are a tiny bit annoying standing still or running a few practice steps, multiply that by about a scrillion to determine how it will feel by the end of your race – then remove said irritant. Trust me.
• Watch the masks: there is a definite safety concern here. If you wear a mask, make sure it doesn’t interfere with your vision or you could really get hurt.

Have you run a costumed race before? What was your costume? What are your tips, and did you learn any of them the hard way?