Race gear and draw prizes can be very distinctive. The lions share of my wardrobe came from a race packet. My fashion-conscious Mom might argue that this is not a good thing, but that doesn't bother me because I am a fashion trend-setter rather than a follower.
Take my favorite running gloves, for example. I got them in a race packet for the Western States 100-mile run in 1994. They are true classics. To my knowledge, there were only 180 made and those specifically for race participants and maybe a few race volunteers.
While they may be worth a lot of money on eBay, I will never sell these gloves because they have sentimental value.
I'm not sure what they are made of. It might be a secret. It's not cotton. It's not polypropoline. It is some kind of plastic wool stuff that is fairly loosely woven. This is good because they are warm, but not too warm and you can get them as wet as you want but they don't shrink.
These gloves are functional and practical. First, they keep my hands warm on a cold morning. They can be used to wipe rocks and dirt from road rash and sweat from your brow. People in cars take notice of these gloves, so they are practical to wear if you run on roads. I've not had occasion to use them when lost in the woods, but I suspect they could be seen from a passing helicopter or even jet airliner.
I have forgotten these gloves at the gym and nobody stole them. I have forgotten them at a run and had them returned to me because someone noticed me running with them. While I am not positive of this, I think a friend's dog ate one of these gloves. I got it back and the glove was still intact and as fluorescent orange as the day I got it at packet pickup. My sox were not so lucky.
I don't think you can buy gloves like this anywhere, but I am going to recommend they be offered up at the Club Fat Ass store because I'm sure everyone who sees them wants them. If you see me on the trails with them on, give a holler and I will let you wear them for a while.
