One of the most important items when running a Marathon or Half Marathon is your running shirt. Besides that it should be comfortable, moisture wicking an breathable, it should also represent you and why you are running. It can be a huge psychological factor for your race because it can make you proud and confident. A customized t-shirt that you can design and customize yourself will benefit you and your race. *This blogpost was written in cooperation with Unique Sports Time, a German start-up that makes customizing your t-shirt super easy and convenient. Therefore this post has to be marked as advertising, even though the content my opinion was not influenced by them. Once I have convinced you that you need a personalized t-shirt make sure to check them out here www.unique-sportstime.de and use the discount code AERIAL SPARTAN to get 5€ off.

Me in my customized running shirt from Unique Sports Time

Let me give you five very specific situations why you should get a personalized t-shirt:

You are running in a team

There are a lot of stituationswhen  you want to be part of a running team. Like business runs, that are getting more and more popular around the globe. A company specific team t-shirt can serve the marketing purpose of the company, and it can give the employees a sense of belonging.
Another situation where you want to run in a team shirt is if have joined a running club. Then you and your teammates can show all the other running clubs out there who is really the best club oin the world. Or which club at least has the best customized t-shirts.
Even if you are just running a race with a group of friends or with your family you can get customized t-shirts. I would have loved one for my Dad at NYC Marathon saying “My daughter forced me to do this!”

You are running for charity

One of the best things I’ve ever done was linking my running to raising money for charity. In 2018 I ran 12 Marathons in 12 months to raise money for a charity, which gave my running a completely new purpose.
No matter if you are raising money for a small or big charity, you want to show the world out there that you are not only running for your ego, but also because you want to do good. That’s why you should definitly wear a customized charity t-shirt for your race. A lot of the big charities will already have t-shirts, but a lot of times they are not made for running. The smaller charities might not even have customized t-shirts at all, because they can be quite expensive. But you should still get a personalized t-shirt, as it is definitely worth it.

You are running on a special day in your life

It might be your first Marathon, your 100th Marathon, your birthday, your wedding anniversary, or even your wedding day. (don’t laugh, I saw that while running the Las Vegas Half Marathon). Whatever special day it is, tell your fellow runners about it by printing it on a personlaized running t-shirt. Not only will you have a special memory of that day, but you also will get a lot of encouragement from other runners.

Your family and friends are cheering for you

Have you ever tried spotting your friends during one of the major marathons with thousands of participants? Trust me, it can be really really hard. They will tell you that they are wearing a black t-shirt, but thousands of other runners will too. However, if they wore a bright customized t-shirt with a special color and print in the front, they are way easier to spot.
So next time you see a runner in a pink and blue striped t-shirt, they might just have read this blogpost.

You need that extra performance boost

One of the best advices I ever got was when I attended a “tips and tricks for newbie runners” event for the London Marathon. It was: “put your name on the front of your t-shirt”
This might not sound like an important tip. Especially not as some of the races already have the name of the runner on the bib number. But trust me, it is a game changer. Here is why:
Spectators at any race will cheer for all the runners coming by. But they will cheer even more, and scream out your name when they see it. This can give you a huge boost when you need it the most. The more visible your name is, the better. I therefore recommend putting it up in bright and large letters, preferably in the front of your t-shirt. You can also put it in the back of your top, but if you put it on the front you can actually see the people that are screaming your name.

How you can get your customized t-shirt

I recently got two customized running t-shirts from Unique Sports Time. I am no graphic designer, but their customization website is really easy to use. Even I was capable of picking a t-shirt, uploading my blog logo and designing my customized t-shirt.
The options of how you can design your customized t-shirt are endless. First you have to pick your t-shirt. You can pick from a wide variety of t-shirts. I chose a sleeveless tank top and a sublimation top. There the design is not printed onto your t-shirt, but it is sublimed directly into the fibre of it. This of course makes it more durable as the print can’t come off during washing or drying. Sublimation also allows you to not only have one color printed on your customized t-shirt, but everything you want. Logos, designs, pictures, nearly everything is possible.

Then you have to decide if you want a logo on your customized t-shirt. I chose to have my AerialSpartan logo to be on the t-shirt. If you don’t have a logo, you can also use one of their designs.
You can also add text to your t-shirt. This is probably the most important part as you might want to print your name on your t-shirt. (See reasons above)
And of course you can design the front and the back of your t-shirt. In case you are not good with logos or designing your sublimations shirt the team of Unique Sports Time will help you out if you contact them. You can also watch this Youtube video where they explain how the custimization website works.
I really think you should try Unique Sports Time. If you do, please make sure you use the discount code AERIAL SPARTAN to get 5€ discount.