Harry Styles’ marathon kit is so good it makes this 50% off Black Friday deal feel illegal
Having tackled a 27.6°C Berlin marathon in a long-sleeve running tee, and wearing this exact jacket for the entirety of a 20°C Tokyo Marathon, it’s obvious that Harry Styles’ internal thermostat is set somewhere near “Arctic”. By contrast, I have historically leant firmly in the opposite direction, preferring as few layers as possible and deeming anything more liable to make me spontaneously combust, even in the dead of winter.
But the Nike Stride Repel UV is quickly becoming my go-to as colder mornings take hold. Does it make me faster? Maybe. Does it make me look faster? Absolutely. It’s one of those rare jackets that balances real-world functionality with effortless cool. On the run, it performs; off the run, it feels like you’ve already crossed the finish line in style.
A cult classic with Ivy League energy
Tracksmith
Van Cortlandt Shorts
Tracksmith’s Van Cortlandt shorts are already a favourite among runners who like their tempo sessions served with a side of New England nostalgia.
On first wear, I got it. The ultra-lightweight fabric, the signature hare logo, the “I could casually PR or read The Secret History in a park” energy – it’s potent.
Fit-wise, they’re on the shorter end of my running lineup – short enough to feel a little exposed on the train home. After a few runs, though, anything beyond a five-inch inseam started to feel like it was suffocating my thighs. On the slutty spectrum of men’s running shorts, they feel like the gateway drug to the no-holds-barred world of compression.
During a humid threshold run, they dried fast, stayed put and didn’t chafe – an unsexy but essential metric. They’re the kind of shorts you forget you’re wearing until someone wolf whistles at you in the coffee queue, which happened more than once. (Loyal Harries? Or just tasteful runners? Either way, we move.)
Oh, and the shoes
If you’ve ever paid attention to the most coveted marathon shoes for PBs, you’ll know the Nike Alphaflys are very much up there. We didn’t test them as part of the outfit as they’re pretty impossible to get your hands on, but they now have up to 40% off in the Nike Black Friday sales, and given Harry has tested them himself, we felt it would only be right to shout about such a deal.
So, did I run like Harry?
No jacket, shorts or sunglasses can replicate the years of hardcore training, discipline and immaculate playlists that fuel a Harry Styles marathon.
What this kit does supply, though, is mood. The kind that turns an ordinary run into something slightly cinematic. The kind that reminds you that performance doesn’t have to come at the expense of style or self-expression. The kind that, even in the wettest weather, murmurs, “why not run like it actually matters?”
Practically speaking, there were some measurable upsides. Wearing Styles’ trusty short shorts, jacket and shades, I finally broke the elusive sub-20-minute barrier on my 5K – a feat that had stubbornly evaded me on every Parkrun to date – and, days later, even set a 10K personal best (Strava link here for Kudos, thx). On slower days, the kit still delivered comfort and ease across easy and tempo sessions.
Crucially, I never felt like a try-hard cosplaying a celebrity – just a runner who genuinely cared about their gear. If your aim is to channel a global superstar and maintain peak function, congratulations: you’ve found your Holy Trinity. This kit isn’t about shouting; it’s about quiet confidence, premium feel, and letting performance subtly back up aesthetic ambition.
Will it get you to a 2:59 marathon in Berlin? Not on its own. But it will make your weekend long run feel like it deserves its own tour documentary. And honestly, sometimes that’s all the motivation you need.
