BAMLIFE
Putting Bamboo Baselayers through their paces: A BAM running review.
We put our BAM running kit to the test at Kendal Mountain Festival’s rather hilly 10k trail run and it passed with flying colours.
Although advertised as 10k the route is actually closer to 11k, starting on the high street the first turn revealed an intimidating incline and this was only a taste of what was to come. The tarmac quickly turned to trail as we continued towards what felt like the never-ending journey to the highest point of the race. After the first 5k, bottlenecks and styes were certainly a welcomed break! Distracted by epic views of the hills in the distance and even a quick dance past a steel band, my jelly legs were soon forgotten.
Meanwhile, Gemma our garment technologist was fighting it out at the front of the race for a podium finish. After spending most of the race comfortably as first female, her shoes let her down in the last 100m leaving her with a still very impressive 2nd place.
Although it was a challenging race from start to finish, with a variety of terrains to keep us on our toes, we loved every second and hope to be back next year to take the gold! Also, a big shout out to our amazing BAM ambassador Danny Bent who ran with us.
The Kit
Liz wore: Enduro Bamboo Long Sport Shorts – Black with Balance Long Sleeved Bamboo Top – Fig/Jasper.
Having worn the long enduro shorts for a half marathon and multiple other 10k+ distances I can safely say that they are my absolute favourite running shorts. I like to run in a crop top but often find that traditional running shorts are low rise which feels quite exposed. The high waist covers my belly button, feeling supportive but not constricting.
This was my first time running in the seamless balance top, I tend to opt for short sleeved tops or vests as I have difficulty regulating my body temperature, but I found it comfortable and not too warm (even when struggling up the hills!). The cropped length was perfect especially when paired with the enduro shorts, and I love the colour.
Gemma wore: Tregarrick Bamboo Base Layer – Purple Dahlia Trace Print, Enduro Bamboo Sport Shorts – Black and Challenge Bamboo Crop Top – Black.
Having previously raced in synthetic crop tops and knickers I thought that I would try out the Enduro Bamboo Sports Shorts and Bamboo Crop Top, one to represent BAM and two to see how I would feel racing in Bamboo (natural fibres).
Being a semi-professional runner, you find that all club kits and sponsored running clothing is made from polyester, and I think most athletes I know do not think anything of what their clothes are made from! However, it is something that I think we need to be made more aware of and running in the Bamboo at Kendal felt extremely comfortable, and chafe free so could this be the future of sports kit?
I really liked the high waisted fit on the Enduro Bamboo Sports Shorts and the leg length is great for most females. In an ideal world I would wear short shorts, but this is not something that many women feel comfortable in. The amazing thing about BAM is that customer feed-back is so important, and we use this feed-back to improve the fit and quality of the clothing.
Bamboo has amazing breathability, natural fibres have their limitations like all things, but I would honestly say that I have been finding this wonderful fibre very comfortable to run in.
At BAM we will continue to wearer trial our new innovations to make sure they are fit for purpose.
This brings me onto the Tregarrick Base Layer which I wore on my warmup and cool down pre and post 10k whilst combining this with a wearer trial I am doing for this style. Again, I find the base layers at BAM extremely comforting, and I wear them a lot to the gym or for easy recovery runs in the cold. Our base layers take some time to dry but this is an innovation project which we are working on at BAM so watch this space as we continue to improve our beautiful product.
