Runderwear review: Comfort on the move

‘Don’t Run Commando’. That was the message staring back at me when preparing to put a pair of men’s Runderwear briefs to the test. Wow, I thought, these pants speak sense.

The dynamic relationship between a man and the pants he wears for sport should never be underestimated. These must be pants he can rely on to keep matters in order. And this is where this Runderwear review comes in.

A man?s most favoured briefs are often a ‘no frills’ type. They’re not always the smartest ever worn and your other half will almost certainly hate them. But running underwear is a much-loved, essential part of the sportsman?s kit.

Nobody wants to be uncomfortable during a run and indeed the only discomfort you should really experience should come from pushing your limits as you seek to improve performance, not from anything you are wearing.

Quickly mistakenly named by my parents, as: ‘Snug-a-runathon’ and ‘Wonderwear’, those pantmakers at Runderwear are no doubt well aware that for the UK’s increasing number of running fanatics, comfort is key.

And as the company proclaims its product to be: ‘Seamless underwear for committed athletes’ – as a regular runner, it was time for a live Runderwear review out in the field.

Runderwear review – Fit, comfort and performance tested

First off I chose to start light and debut Runderwear in a gym session. During a pretty standard session I incorporated a three-mile treadmill run with a range of tempos and varying inclines.

What is immediately noticeable about the briefs is their excellent fit.

The ideal for any sports performance clothing is for the item to be nicely streamlined so your movements can remain natural and unaffected and the Runderwear briefs certainly meet these requirements.

They are robust and the stretchy elastane material proves perfect in allowing an ease of movement while exercising.

The designs also pleasingly feature polyamide, the technical fabric which wicks sweat away from the body as you run.

What’s more the fit inspires confidence so don’t be surprised if you develop a strut of self-worth while wearing them! Although it’s up to you if you want to parade them in the fashion of the Runderwear models pictured above.

Stretching out

A few days later (and yes thanks, I did give them a wash …) came a 1.5-mile warm-up jog followed by a spell of half-mile reps. As I pounded the pavements, this was a useful test of variations in pace and increased exertion. Often there can be some discomfort as you push for that extra bit of pace. But once more the Runderwear briefs stayed the course extremely well and afforded the necessary flexibility.

A further trial came as I wore them for my local parkrun. The three-mile course I run on provides a challenging mix of steady climbs and down hill stretches.

The shorter distance requires you to really push your boundaries and at nine in the morning it’s always a testing way to wake-up on a Saturday.

I tended to find hill running the best test of the Runderwear briefs. Going uphill, style and speed changes, but comfort remained consistent and there were no issues as I steadily powered on.

Although the briefs can’t claim to being the sole reason, I’d say the way I was able to enjoy their relaxed and effortless fit did probably aid the personal best time I achieved.

But if briefs aren?t your bag, Runderwear also offer boxers for men. And female runners are catered for too with a selection of items that could go some way to improving performance.

With prices starting at ?16 for the briefs they’re obviously not the cheapest pair you’ll buy. But for smoothness of fit and overall running comfort they are undoubtedly an impressive range of performance clothing.