I’ve been debating this for a few weeks now, but I figured I’d reach out to those of you who have more experience.
I’ve got my first 70.3 coming up next week in Boulder, and I’m trying to figure out if I should wear a hat or headband during the run leg. as of now, ive only ran in a hat, however, every time I do, my head sweats like a mother and I can’t keep the sweat out of my eyes (I do have a running hat), I’ve decided to buy a headband, one of those stretch type ones, haven’t used it yet, but I figured it would be good to keep the sweat out of my face.
Any thoughts, or recommendations?
I’m ultimately just trying to keep the sweat out of my face. (My hair is not long, maybe comparable to Chris Pratt’s hair… not sure if that makes a difference.)
I started wearing it in Tremblant 3 years ago when it was very hot. I now wear it on all races - it’s became a trademark, in a sense. Since I’m a decently fast runner, I’ve now been labeled as that crazy guy with the safari hat in local races.
Which is not true though. I wear my Tilley hat on safaris.
I always felt like a hat was holding in heat and not letting my head breath, so moved to a sweatband awhile back and haven’t looked back. They are also great for the trainer.
I always felt like a hat was holding in heat and not letting my head breath, so moved to a sweatband awhile back and haven’t looked back. They are also great for the trainer.
That’s why they have trucker hats. I know people around here want to rip on trucker hats but I like it primarily because of the air flow it provides. I don’t care for visors that much but the trucker hat is a nice option.
“Oversized” trucker hat has saved me in Boulder and St. George. Can load it up with ice and it vents well. The “running” hats just seem to retain sweat and heat for me.
“Oversized” trucker hat has saved me in Boulder and St. George. Can load it up with ice and it vents well. The “running” hats just seem to retain sweat and heat for me.
100% this for me, too. I like that a hat keeps the sun off the top of my head, and holds ice in place. Truckers have good ventilation and I used a big trucker for both these races, too.
I’ve also used a cooling head wrap that covers your dome and cools it when wetted. Works if you can keep it wet enough but ultimately I prefer a brim to create my “run cave.”
+1 foam front trucker. Works great for triathlon needs (light, absorbs sweat, ventilation, head cover), and as a bonus half the people out there seem to hate trucker hats in triathlon so you can smile and wave as AG McToughnuts judges your choice of head gear.
I to have recently had the same internal conflicts that you speak of. I have always been in the hat wearing camp through several 70.3’s and one full and sweat in the eyes never seemed to bother me to much as I have kept my hair pretty short. Now I have grown my hair out some and after many weeks of sweat getting in my eyes while running I had enough and decided embracing my inner “Bro” and used a ripped sleeve from an old shirt I was going to get rid of as a headband. I have it cover a significant part of my forehead and covers the front part of my hair. Let me tell you what, I don’t think I will ever wear a hat running ever again, the thing just works.
If you think about it, its the most affordable route. Just cut the sleeves off of some of your old stinky shirts you have gotten from past races.
Guys, we are forgetting about the wind tunnel data. Visor, Headband, Hat, Trucker hat? Surely there is better headgear with a tail on the back to help with reconvergence?
I have a Sweat Gutr and love it. Not so great for the bike, because you’re facing down, but awesome for the run! Not expensive. Get one and give it a shot.
Light colored hat so you can put ice in it. Be sure to move it to the back as it can be painful in the front. As the ice melts, cool water trickles down your back. This is the best practice IMO and I’ve done a LOT of hot races.
