Yup, you read it right. REEBOK is finally coming out with a Zigtech line of running apparel. About three weeks ago, Royal Sporting House contacted me and asked me if I could do a review on one of their upcoming products. Upcoming means that this product is yet to be released locally and interestingly, upon inquiry I found out that this product is yet to be released globally! If you check out the website of REEBOK, you won’t find this shirt available for purchase. Not even in Amazon. That was three weeks back though, as they expect this to hit the stores around the world by end of the month or end of the first quarter of the year. So here in the Philippines, there are three individuals who are blessed to have this new shirt for review — Titanium Runner, Estan Cabigas Photography [it's his birthday yesterday guys, so if you have a Facebook account, drop by his wall and say Happy Birthday!] and The Running Enthusiast, whom I’ve read in based in Cebu for the time being due to his work. In celebration of his birthday, we went out to do a photo shoot of one of the running places around Metro Manila. This is one of the projects I have for my blog, aside from the fact that I also needed decent pictures for this article!
Wearing the REEBOK ReeZig PlayDry shirt, photo taken at the Ayala Stock Exchange, Makati City
So what exactly does one have to look for in a running shirt? Personally, these are the things that I look into:
1. Machine Washable.
Not all fabrics are created equal. So when purchasing running apparel, always check the labels inside the shirt, pants or shorts. Find out if the fabric is machine washable. For not all clothes are machine washable. And even if it is written as machine washable, I have experienced seeing my sports attire damaged at the laundry. So at the end of the day, sports clothes are actually more difficult to maintain and clean. They sure soak up sweat and get rid of sweat more easily these days, but the dirt that settles in the clothes are actually much more difficult to get rid of. That’s the biggest challenge for me. So is this ReeZig shirt machine washable? According to the label, it is a resounding YES.
Lacing up for a short run around the Ayala Triangle Gardens
2. Dries Quickly.
REEBOK has what they call Play Dry Technology. According to the tag on the shirt, when on continues to perspire the sweat is quickly brought out of the shirt so that one does not feel the heaviness and stickiness of the sweat. And it does dry up VERY QUICKLY compared to other dry fit shirts that I’ve worn to date. There are similar brands that I have that boasts of the same technology too. And this is a must for running because sometimes, one does not have a lot of options for a change of clothes. So for those looking to maximizing bring running clothes to the office and wearing it going home without smelling like sweat inside the MRT, this would actually help. For the smell of sweat really builds up INSIDE a shirt, and it is what really stinks when it is kept in confinement.
Doing some stretching at the Ayala Triangle Gardens
3. Reflectors.
Sadly, this Dry fit shirt have limited reflectors. It is a REEBOK reflector on one of the armbands. Then there’s also the word REE the the front print that vehicles could easily read from afar when driving, but when you see it from behind, there’s nothing that could aid a runner to be identified with. So if you are running at night, I would recommend that you go for the Lime Green color. Better yet, make sure you have a blinker when running at night and wear a pair of running shoes with adequate reflectors.
Running with the ReeZig Zigtech shirt with the REEBOK Zigtech Sonic. It's their latest Zigtech running shoes meant for long runs and the one I am going to use for my BDM160.
4. Anti-Chaffing
One of the benchmark of testing the quality of a dry fit shirt is wearing it during races that go beyond the distance and does not cause chaffing. Chaffing is when a person experiences excessive rubbing of the skin to the clothe causing redness and in some cases, it also causes the bleeding of the skin as it peels off during too much moisture and softening of the skin and the persistent rubbing of it against fabric. I’ve tried this for a 21k half marathon, a full marathon and also during a recent BDM Test Run ultramarathon. For short distance runners doing a 10k to a 16k race, chaffing is not much of an issue but it is for those who go the distance. And most people advice using Petroleum Jelly to slather it on the nipples, underarms and even the groin areas of the legs to prevent chaffing. Some put tape in these areas to prevent chaffing. And all I can say is this — I did not need to put petroleum jelly in the short, middle and ultra long distance runs that I used it. Of course, other factors might have come into play but overall, this shirt delivers the goods.
Literally running in circles is mentally stressful! So here I am taking a breather under a lamp post at the Ayala Triangle Gardens
5. Fabric.
Since the fabric is made of polyester, I really don’t have much to say here. The shirt feels light though. I mean, it actually does not feel like it is a shirt. It feels more like a race singlet in the weight department.
Another profile shot of Titanium Runner weaing the REEZig Zigtech shirt
6. Functional Fit.
Since this is a test product shirt, I got the Medium sizes shirt and so here I would inject a tip when buying sports shirts. Always ensure that the shirt is either just right or a little roomy. One, just right is good because it has less draft with the extra space that helps circulation. Two, a little roomy is also good because there are cases that even chemically treated fiber such as materials for dryfit shirts sometimes tend to shrink down in size. There are rare cases though that the opposite takes place. This is why I have coined the term “Functional Fit” because it should look great on you and at the same time be functional enough to make you run freely and not run like a stiff.
Running around the Ayala Triangle. Last night was really humid! A perfect night to test the shirt and what it boasts of! I'm also wearing another color of the REEBOK Zigtech
7. Design.
I like the design of the ReeZig PlayDry shirt. I like simplicity and I really like minimalism. Which is why I like the design of this dryfit shirt because it is in its bare essentials. Furthermore, I like the fact that the colors of the shirts are monotone — there’s just the Sky Blue, the Lime Green and the Maroon for this product that is yet to come out of the market. I like the Sky Blue one that Estan Cabigas got actually! Still, I settled for the maroon edition since the colors of my alma mater reflect it, in addition to the colors of Team Ungas which I am part of and finally, something to bring spice to my sports wardrobe too.
Overall, this is one shirt that is good for running short distances, middle and long distances. It dries off quickly and has three colors to choose from. I like the design and the overall look and feel. I just wish that I got a Small edition of the shirt since the one I am wearing is the Medium one, hence it looks TOO BIG for me in the pictures. Which is why when this product comes out, I will get one for myself in the right size for me.
EXCITED NA AKO!
Estan Cabigas, take photos of me — please!!