hat - stops my head getting burnt in hot races

sunglasses - stops me from screwing up my face

yes in an IM in a sprint I won't have either

My eyes are a bit light sensitive. I can't really be outside without sunglasses even if it's cloudy. I tend to race with a visor though instead of a hat. I find it to be cooler, but I still get some sun protection on my face, and it acts as a decent sweat band.

I can only speak for myself, but in a race I wear sunglasses on the bike, rain or shine, partly because they're prescription, and partly because they keep the rain out of my eyes. They're also not an overly dark tint, but they are polarized, so I feel better wearing them.

If I'm in a stand alone running race I won't wear a hat or visor, but those races are also usually at 7 or 8 am, so the heat isn't an issue. In a triathlon (or afternoon training run) I wear a visor, but it's for the integrated sweat band. I'd go with Frodo's sweatband look, but I figure the shade provided by the visor probably helps more than it hinders.

I agree with glasses on the bike. I almost always wear them on the bike to stop bugs and other debris flying into my eyes, although I'm considering getting a helmet with a visor to race with as the sunglasses gradually get blurred with sweat and grime.

But running, I never wear a hat or glasses in training. I do find in training that sweat runs into my eyes but it's fairly easy to wipe away. Or hold onto a sponge from an aid station.

To add to this, I don't understand why track athletes where sunglasses in a track race other than them being prescription sunglasses. This is why I wear mine....it's my prescription. A hat is only useful if there is a ton of sun and heat. If not, it is additional weight when it is wet. Every gram adds up. I don't even like wearing clothing that gets heavy when wet. I literally compare the fabrics of the race outfits when wet go go with the minimalistic ones and try to keep all water off my feet. I used to train in XC skiing with a guy who ran 2:12 marathon and was on the 1980 Olympic marathon team (never got to go due to boycott). When you train with someone like that they are obsessive about minimizing carrying anything you don't need to.

Interesting re the weight issue. I hadn't thought of that, but if you add up the weight of water logged hat, clothes, socks, shoes, some gels, I bet it would end up being a huge difference.

to get a feel for it, take all your water logged clothing off and stick it in a bag immediately after a race and pick it up. It's pretty heavy vs the dry version. It's "not much" but it adds up to more effort in time. It's all about small savings in a 1000 places over 140.6. Or another way, it's a matter of how well one athlete manages Ironmman death by 1000 small cuts vs the other guy. Give away 1000 places where you can do it "a bit better" and it can add up over the entire day. When you ski train/race in a technical sport with a former 2:12 marathon guy, he brings this mindset to every workout and drives it into your head. It's not that one small thing makes a huge difference. Its that a bunch of tiny things over 180 steps per minute over 120 minutes+ minutes (or say 600 minutes over a 10 hour IM) really add up to many minutes. Now imagine how much training time it takes to get an IM swim down from 63 minutes to 60 minutes. That is 180 minutes or around 4+ second per 100m. Go see how hard it is to improve your swim by 4 second per 100m and then guys piss away all those months of training with a 3 minute slower transition....and this mentality goes on and on and on, like wearing hats on cool days that get wet and add one cut to the 1000 cuts that you can avoid.

I was a Rudy athlete back in the day for 1 or 2 years, other than that I often will ditch either the visor or sunglasses. 30 grams for the sunglasses 50 grams for the dry hat. I will wear a visor if I think it will keep me cooler than what the weight is worth. Races like Kona and Louisville (aug) were always a yes.

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Sunglasses to cover my eyes showing the misery

Probably 125 grams for wet hat? (can we squeeze 75mL of water into a wet hat)

Ice in the hat when it's hot. Sunglasses are cool at the beginning but as they start to get dirty and I start to suffer I take them off... So not essential.
I don't wear either for a sprint or Olympic.

Ice in the Hat, or you take your visor and turn it upside down and put ice in that when it's hot.

On Sprint's and Olympics I don't use a hat or visor. Longer races I do.

I always use sunglasses, because I find that if I don't, I tend to squint and the muscles in my face tighten up. Sunglasses on, my face is relaxed which tends to mean my shoulders are more relaxed too for some reason. I know there's not much logic to that, but that's just how I am.

actually the question is why do Kenyans and others NOT wear them, why would you want to be outside for the two hours as a marathon pro for 3 - 4 as an IM age grouper and not have your eyes protected? the hat keeps you cooler too, assuming its a running hat. You might as well ask why people wear sunglasses at all if you dont understand why they wear them when they run. I would have assumed most people know this, but the sun causes discomfort when its in your eyes because your body is telling you if you dont protect your eyes in some way the sun is going to damage them.

I shave my head. No hat equals sunburn plus immediate and constant sweat in the eyes. I dont wear a visor because the tan line would look ridiculous. I never wear sunglasses to run though.

On the bike, always wear glasses. I've caught a rock on the cheek thrown up by the tire of the guy in front of me before. Would have been really bad if it hit my eye at those speeds.

I make a point of steering clear of those helpful people who want to hose you down from their front yard on the run. My feet get wet I am lifting up alot of weight repeatably and easier to blister with waterlogged socks. Changing socks half way through IM marathon is something I have done its a nice psychological boost.

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Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

You all convinced me. Clothing weight is so 2017. I am doing all of my next races barefoot and naked.

I wear a visor to keep my hair and sweat out of my eyes. Sunglasses I use to hide my painface from my competitors. I believe in that mental edge when you're racing for a top spot. Passing someone with a pokerface can break their will to pursue.

In that case make sure you turn your bib number to the front for the run. :-)

I keep my hair really short so no hat equals a tremendous sunburn.

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1) they are rx and i do not like contacts

2) very light sensitive after nearly a decade in the desert

3) protection from bugs, dirt, debris

Even if i had lasik on tge bike i would still wear them for point 3

I wear sun glasses from the time i rise till sunset if i am outside. I have a 90% tint and its still frequently inadequate

Actually Kenny Souza perfected it in 1988!

I wear them during a race so I look better in photos. suffer well but hide the suffer-face.

For most major marathons, the elites are starting around 6:30 or 7:00 and are done by 9:30. Major marathons also usually take place in fairly cool temperatures in the spring or fall. In those circumstances, there's little need for a hat or glasses to protect you from the sun. In hot marathons, or races that start later in the day, larger numbers of elites wear hats and/or glasses.

Look at this photo from the Rio Olympic Marathon for example:

https://media.aws.iaaf.org/...bda1d.jpg?v=91129355

If you look closely, you'll see that both the gold and bronze medalists were wearing hats.

   
I don't wear a hat, but I'll wear sunglasses on a sunny day.

But why do some football players put black mascara on their cheek bones on a gray winter's day and when they're playing inside a stadium with a roof?

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