Running Lycra for guys

My question is dumb and intimate; what if anything are you supposed to wear under lycra?

With my 3rd marathon in 3 weeks I suffered from chafing for the first time on my 20-miler on Sunday. So I bought some men's Nike lycra shorts, but was disappointed to find they're not really built for men if you see what I mean ;-)

All in all I couldn't see me doing more than 10 miles without the lycra itself causing chafing. But knickers, lycra AND running shorts seems a recipe for overheating. Thoughts?

Comments

  • Mike,
    I'm not a lyrca fan myself and I have suffered from chaffing in the past so I bought some longer length shorts. Combined with vaseline, I have no problems anymore.
  • Try the Lycra as an undergarment and wear running shorts on top. Worked well for me in the past. Good Luck with your marathon !
  • HigsHigs ✭✭✭
    I have two pairs of lycra shorts (both Asics but quite different) which I always wear for my longer runs. I quite often chafe in normal shorts above 10 miles but never in these. I don't wear anything under them either.

    I was going to say that you shouldn't be messing around changing your shorts with three weeks to go before a Marathon and then I remembered that I bought my first pair of lycra shorts at the pre-race expo of the Rotterdam '99 marathon on a whim, wore them for the race and had no probs.
  • I got two pair of lycra shorts, the Ron Hill ones and Asics ones which both are half way down the thigh and prevent chafing between the cobblers and the inside leg, They are unisex so no problem with the fitting.
    For those longer runs over about an hour I find the lycras and a liberal dose of vaseline in that area where the sun does not shine prevents chafing.
    Over the lycras I wear running shorts so I don't look like Lynford !
  • I got some Koogai rugby under shorts - these are built for men :-)
    Again, I wear something over the top of them. Don't want to get prosecuted for indecency.
  • I wear adidas lycras, youv probably seen them in sportsshoes mag. there very good and iv never suffered chafing in them. i wear running shorts overtoo. looks a bit gay if you dont.
  • Thanks for the advice guys. I've ordered a pair of Ronhill lycras in the Sweatshop sale, as they sound a bit lighter and 'roomier' than the Nike. Just have to hope they arrive in time to try a couple of decent runs in them.
  • If anyone's still interested in this thread, I bought a pair of Sub 4 from Sweatshop and ran 22 miles on Sunday in them. They were perfect: comfy, supportive, no chafing and they didn't overheat at all. Very different to the Nike ones: which I can't help thinking must have been intended for Winter use for women (seem completely unsuited to long summer/autumn runs for men).
  • HigsHigs ✭✭✭
    Just glad you found something that works for you - best of luck for the race
  • I have some Newline Lycra shorts, but do wear underwear with them. If not I find all the bouncing my bits have to put up with a tad painful. Very comfy so far for distances up to half marathons.
    The newline tops are nice too - very wicking.
  • My new sub4 lycra is ace, but would show padding, so I don't wear any... padding.
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