Gear Review: Title Nine Stand-Out SWB

I'm a little biased since T9 pays my bills, but I just have to mention this new running skort that I am in love with! At T9 we calls skorts "SWB's" or "Skirts With Benefits." The benefits are many in the Stand-Out SWB including a great print, perfect length, comfortable waistband, lightweight shorties, a roomy zippered pocket, and a concealed waistband pocket. I was slow to warm up to the idea of running in a skirt, but this one isn't too girly. Here's the deets.

Let's start with the print: It's awesome and has pretty much every color imaginable in it besides pink and purple. Perfect - matches everything I own. The hem of the skirt is a gray mesh fabric that weighs it down just a little so that it doesn't flip up on the run. The gray shorts underneath are definitely short. Some people have complained about them bunching a little. I don't really care about this, though, because no one sees the shorts underneath anyway since the skirt stays down so well. And I don't get any chafing from the shorts. That said, if you are a woman that has inner-thigh chafage and/or you are worried about your toddler pulling up your skirt, then check out this longer SWB.

Next up: Pockets! A lack of pockets can make a pair of shorts a no-go for me. When I do a long run or a race and I'm not wearing a vest, then I need enough pocket space for my food. I've been seeing more shorts with pockets the size of gel packets, but lately I've been using Clif Shot Bloks which come in a bigger package (two gels worth of calories per pack). In a race situation I need a pocket to hold ATLEAST 400 calories (or two Shot Blok packs). This SWB has a large zippered pocket that can hold even more than 400 calories! I like that the pocket is zippered so that I can also store a key or something without worrying about it falling out. I was worried that the contents of the pocket would rub against my skin, but it hasn't bothered me so far.

Deserving of it's own section: The Waistband. If you look at the reviews of this skirt, you will see that most people complain about the waistband. When people first put it on, they love the feel and how soft it is. Many women have exclaimed that it makes their muffin top disappear. I don't have any muffin top, but I do appreciate that it doesn't dig into my skin. The problem I have is that it starts to fall down as I run, especially when I'm cruising downhill. The other day when I was coming down Mt. Falcon I literally had to hold my skirt up for the last 4 miles. This problem was easily solved in two minutes by adding in a drawstring. I like my drawstring on the outside so that it doesn't dig into my skin, so I just cut two small hole and easily strung a tie through. The waistband channel is seam-free on the inside and so it literally took 60 seconds to string it through. Now the skirt is perfect! The waistband does pill a little bit, but I don't care. I'm running, not getting dinner at a country club.

My added drawstring

Overall I would say this is my ideal running bottom. And I'm a pretty tough consumer to please. With a few adjustments, this sucker is ready to wear to a race. You can buy this pretty little thing here.