Forget aerodynamics: run the marathon in style

As 7 a.m. approached on Sunday morning, a crowd of runners gloomily stumbled off the Staten Island Ferry in fleece blankets and body glitter. The blankets were for warmth, and the body glistened for morale to get them through the 26.2 miles that lay ahead.

With energy gels and bodega coffee in hand, the crowd headed to Fort Wadsworth, where thousands of runners gather annually before running the New York City Marathon.

Speed ​​demons wearing Nike Vaporflys and short shorts mingled with casual runners shouting “Monsters, Inc.” wore. rompers. Some used their clothing to make political statements (flags were plentiful) or to make personal statements, such as “It’s my birthday,” which was scrawled in rainbow colors on the T-shirt of a newly minted 27-year-old. Runners tossed extra layers into donation bins as the morning warmed.

Alexi Pappas, the filmmaker and former Olympian, said she was cheered to see the self-expression on display in a sport that could sometimes feel “very polished and progressive.” Red and blue bows flowed past a tattoo of the Olympic rings on her bicep. “I believe that joy and achievement are not mutually exclusive,” she said.

Below, take a look at some of the best looks at the starting line.

Adam Tjolle, 53; and Simon Waterhouse, 53

Edinburgh, Scotland, and Newmarket, England

Where did the hats come from? AT: We studied veterinary medicine together and just got together here to run the marathon. We thought it would be nice to have some veterinary references.

How did you decide who would be the horse and who would be the cow? SW: I am an equine veterinarian.

Are you going to keep them on for the entire race? AT: Yes.

SW: I’ve been in a Spider-Man outfit and a Buzz Lightyear outfit. So the hat is easy.

Do you think you are the fastest runner today, dressed as a cow? AT: I hope so. That’s the record I’m going for.

SW: It’s a small field.

Malina Roberts, 38

Brooklyn

Tell me about your nails. Since I started doing marathons, me and one of my friends started doing nail tributes. We usually visit New York City and report how many miles we travel. When I did the Tokyo Marathon, I put Tokyo on my nails. And I did Berlin too.

How many marathons have you done? This will be my seventh. And my fourth in New York.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen someone wear while running a marathon? It’s more about what they’re not wearing. I see a lot of people who don’t wear shoes. I wonder what that’s about. It’s like they have a little relationship with the earth.

Stephen Zachensky, 32

Westchester, NY

How did you choose your outfit? The jorts are just because I’m ready to party.

Are they made of denim? Absolutely not. I thought about running in jeans, but then I compromised with these bad boys.

Have you done training rounds with it? No. These are like a tuxedo. You only hand them out for the big occasion.

Tucson, Ariz. and Ogden, Utah

Tell me what you’re wearing today. MF: We are part of the Indigenous women run team. Our ribbon skirts represent who we are. Each of us has a different color. We represent our families and our different tribes.

MS: They’re usually longer, but for our run we made them a little shorter.

Do you often wear this necklace while running? MF: In the Tohono O’odham Nation, the shell necklace is what we wear while running. It reminds us that our men used to run to the ocean to bring back shells. The shells also remind us what the ocean sounds like as we run.

Masashi Kondo, 55

Japan

Do you usually run dressed as Pikachu? Yes. I wore a suit for the first time 19 years ago when I ran, and I got a lot of applause.

Are you going to wear this all the time? I take it off while running. If there is a child, I will give it to them.

What do you do with the Pikachu hand puppet? Give high fives.

Alexi Pappas, 33

Los Angeles

Has the way you dressed for races changed during your running career? Even when I was competing really hard at the Olympic level, the way I chose makeup and my clothes felt like a way to stay on my own team. I wore glitter on my face for the first time three New York City marathons ago when I came back from very serious hamstring surgery. I wanted people to know I was doing well, and I wanted to remind myself to have fun.

Where did you get a shirt with so many bows? It’s from a brand that also makes dresses for lizards. To me it means that you can do your best, but still have a sense of humor and have fun. And feel fantastic.

Mark Aaron Polger, 49

Manhattan

Why did you choose tie-dye for the marathon? I wear this every day. It’s not a marathon thing.

Oh! What about tie dye? I’ve suffered a lot of loss in my life, and tie-dye makes me happy. Same with running. Running is therapeutic, even if I run very, very slowly.

For clarity, the interviews have been edited and condensed.