I’ve seen it ever since I started tris in 2011. Fashion statement like trucker hats or kris kross sagging and wear jeans backwards on the early 90s

Pretty sure it all started because belts worked their way up during the run. It was annoying to me when I wore a 2-piece suit since it worked its way into the muffin top area and chaffed. When I switched to a 1-piece suit it ended up mid-stomach. So...putting the belt below the keister was the solution.

I started doing them in 2007 and we were doing it then. With a tri suit they can ride up on you so it prevents this. And why not we’re already wearing spandex, not exactly fashionable.

I think this is so that the bib number hides potential camel toe or camel knuckles. Or If you have a white bottoms in the frontwhich should never be the case

I started wearing mine low for the same reasons as the others who posted butt:

I just wear mine really loose, turn the number to the back and let it hang low. I could easily push it past my hips and let it fall down but the weight of the paper bib itself holds that side down enough for the rest of the belt to stay up above my hips. It's really comfortable to wear that way.

Been a thing in European racing for a very long time, 20+ yrs.

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Ever since we started cutting out our underwear elastic and pinned our numbers to it.Sometime during the late '90s.

I've been doing it since forever... I guess I'm an OG. I'm lean, no belly, and first few races I did the race belt would ride up to my mid-waist towards my chest, so I started putting it under, figuring my running would hold it there. It did.

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Ha that is funny! I have wondered about that SO many times, because i really cant see how it is comfortable to have it there, but i guess you dont feel it? Just dont make sense for me, but the elastic band running up during the run it a good reason, i have though never personally experienced it, i just put it on and it sits right there for the whole run. Looks incredible stupid, but if it works it works i guess :D

I wear mine at the skinniest part of my torso = right under bust line, where it stays relatively in place. This works well for me whether in 1 or 2 piece kit.

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To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

Or allows one to pee while running a bit more discreetly

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
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I saw this in Nice and thought people didn't adjust their race belts correctly. Personally I couldn't stand that - I hate the feeling of my pants or anything on my waste being too loose and constantly riding low.

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Strava

Faris Al-Sutan

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

I am just waiting for someone to talk about they ‘run’ their race number.

Adding some modesty to his mankini

The belts are stiff and do chaffe--healing wounds from one both sides now. If they had a soft edged belt that would be nice.
They can have a pad to run over & before the finish line for the announcer and puts it on the screen for them and others to see who is finishing--otherwise no need for a run race number (just numbers on the arms/timing chip so they match up to keep the cheating down by chip-swapping). Doesn't solve that issue but helps reduce it.

My Zoot race belt is stretchy elastic and has never chafed, even in a full marathon. Like others, I wear it low to prevent it from riding high and moving all around. It sounds like that would also have prevented me from being stopped by the French bib police. You hardly notice it and it certainly doesn't make running harder.

Mine ends up there, like it or not! I did read of someone recently who sewed snaps onto her belt so she could fix it at the hip level, which didn't seem like a bad idea.

the goddam effing trucker hats

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<eye roll>. I could not agree with you more. Wasn't a fan in the 70's. Still not a fan today.

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To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

Sort of. Even if someone can't see the growing yellow spot, no number belt placement will hide the obvious waddle that accompanies a wee while running.

For people not concerned about covering up sponsors, aka most people, why not have a side-zip suit or do something with the zip so that you could run the equivalent of a TT "speed pocket" on the front of your suit?

I notice these seem to clip your number to some kind of belt. Are you allowed to pre-apply one side of velcro to your number then have the corresponding velcro on your suit?

Just seems like a pretty inelegant solution. Hmmmm.

I know I talked with a company that thought about incorporating a race number "fixing" mechanism or snaps or something when I was looking for kit makers in the past. I just can't recall which one or if they ever did end up building it into the clothing.

'90s? Try the '80s.

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