Brooks Elite Kit Review: Lookin’ Like Des

What You Need To Know

KALEB: Summer GRIT is over and done, but the heat of summer is still in full swing. With a good chunk of sweaty miles behind me, I no longer question the fact that clothing can make or break a hot, humid run. It’s no good getting halfway through a 13-mile day and realizing that wool tighty-whities and basketball shorts were a bad choice.

This becomes even more important on race day when comfort and breathability can make the difference between focusing on your pace and focusing on your chafes — a word I made plural just for the satisfaction of near-rhyming. The Brooks Elite Kit is the company’s lightest, thinnest, most breathable running kit for those races and workouts where temperature control is a must. Let’s see if Brooks’ race day apparel is up to speed.

From a vanity standpoint, all of this gear comes in an attractive set of colors, with options from Brooks Beast-inspired black and yellow to summer-ready blue and yellow.

Brooks Elite Singlet

KALEB: If you’ve ever had the unique experience of wearing tissue paper, you’ll have an idea of what wearing the Elite Singlet is like. A single layer of 89% recycled lightweight mesh sits on your body like it’s not even there. Different fabrics have different methods to avoid chafing: some are super soft, while others are tight and elastic like a second skin. The Brooks Elite Singlet takes the barely there approach and is simply so thin that you couldn’t chafe if you tried.

Obviously, because of this thinness, the singlet is ideal for temperature control; I’m pretty sure the average race bib weighs more. My only complaint is that once you finally do start sweating, the singlet sticks to your body like paper maché, which is kind of an icky feeling. Then again, I’ll take sticky over itchy and hot on any race course.

PRICE: $75

Brooks Elite Shorts

KALEB: The perfect companion to the Elite Singlet, the Elite 3-inch split shorts are equally light, equally breathable, equally sustainable, and (thankfully) a heck of a lot less transparent when wet. I used to be skeptical of short shorts when it came to running (mostly because my upper thighs are white enough to send lighthouse signals), but this pair made me a believer.

Somehow, Brooks managed to avoid the “recycled means lower-quality” pitfall and created an incredibly comfortable piece of clothing with sustainability at the forefront of the design process. Since it’s designed for race day, you won’t see much in the way of pockets besides two on the inner lining, just big enough for car keys or gels.

PRICE: $75