By Adam Luban

The saying may go that the clothes make the man, but the race t-shirts definitely make the runner.

Race t-shirts allow sponsors to get noticed and runners to notice each other. Runners can wear their shirts to show off races they’ve done. Just like there are all different types of races, there are all different types of shirts from races.

Some races give out shirts just for registering. These shirts are great, and they are unquestionably the bread and butter of a runner’s wardrobe. They show that you have been around the racing scene. If you are lucky you might even get a technical tee instead of plain old cotton.

Typical race t-shirts are cool, but shirts from my high school races are a lot more special to me. At most invitationals, shirts are sold. However, no one really wants to have to buy a shirt. Everyone wants to win a shirt by placing in the top 10. I’m not sure where it started, the tradition is ubiquitous: as the top 10 runners come through the finish chute, a t-shirt is given to each one. Obviously, earning a shirt is much more memorable than just buying one. I have a couple drawers full of race shirts, and I could instantly tell you which ones I won and which ones I bought. I look at the ones I’ve won with pride, while the other ones are more forgettable.

Show me any shirt I’ve earned, and I’ll be able to tell you the entire story of the race, from start to finish. Show me a shirt I’ve bought, and I’ll be lucky to recall anything about the race. I can think of the massive hill I ran up twice to earn one shirt, or the mud I slipped through to earn another shirt.

My favorite running shirt has to be the Section 3 Singlet I got for States this year. No matter how many times it gets washed, I can still see how mud covered it during the race.