“Some girls are made of sugar and spice and all things nice … and some girls are Badass Mothers who run!”…
I was working from home and the kids were screaming, fighting over who gets the purple toy egg and who gets the blue. The emails were flying in, faster than I could send them out and the dog was going nuts at the cat! My head was spinning and for a moment it all got pretty existential; Who am I? What am I doing here? How long before the decibel being emitted from the kids becomes in-audible? Why are toy eggs so important to toddlers? What is the meaning of life? … there was only one thing for it … a good old, long, and silent run!
I threw the kids at my sister, and I laced up, sliding into the pair of leggings that I had been sent to review by Badass Mother Runner. I admired the unique print and the quality of the material as I unstuck the two-year-old from my left thigh and shoulder shrugged the three-year-old from my back. “Mummy, don’t run again” they yelled, as I closed the door and left the chaos behind me, heading for the solitude of the solo run, it was hard to say goodbye, but it was in the name of research … someone must pay the bills after all!
Finally on my own and blissfully detached from my children … I mean … out working hard on a test and review for work … I began to run in my new swanky pants, and these were my findings from a sanity-saving, afternoons work on the tarmac! …
The very first thing that struck me about the Badass Mother Runners brand was the product design! Absolutely stunning print and entirely unique, I have never seen a catalogue of design quite like it, when it comes to running clothes for women. From the Death Moth to the rock chick, vibrant mandalas and rainbow roar shorts, there is an item to suit every badass runner out there! The print is clear, and the quality of the material is fantastic! The entire range is very affordable with true ‘stand out’ motifs.
The running leggings that I reviewed were full length (7/8 length) and a perfect fit! They came just to the top of the ankle leaving that gap between the pant and trainer that we females tend to like. The fit hugged my body and sat flawlessly on my waist, with no rubbing or digging in as I ran.
“I am a 33-year-old mother to three, with a full-time job, and enough going on without the added worry of where my wobbly bits are flying about during the only time that I get to myself, out on a run, but with the fitted high-rise waist this wasn’t a problem, and everything stayed where I had tucked it away before I had loaded Strava, perfect!”
As my run was more of a spontaneous escape from the kids than a premeditated attack on the road, I hadn’t stopped to check the weather and ended up on an hours’ run in a sudden heatwave that had forced its way through the rain on either side. The air was not only hot but sticky, creating that kind of humidity that leaves you sucking extra hard to get that air in your lungs. By the end of the run, my top was soaked through and my hair was drenched (especially in that really annoying bit just under the hair tie of the ponytail… urgh!) … but to my surprise, my legs were completely dry! I couldn’t believe it! The moisture-wicking and quick-dry feature really lived up to its promises!
“No burn, no moisture, no rubbing … no riding up in places we don’t want our pants to venture, they had stayed put and stayed dry! This is not an accolade that I can give to all running leggings when it comes to moisture and the effects on performance, functionality, and comfortability”.
The claim is that these running pants are squat proof and made with a four-way stretch material, now, I don’t often squat on my runs and if I did … it wouldn’t be for a reason I am comfortable talking about in an Ultrarunning publication! So, when I got home, I channelled a bit of Bruce Lee and started waving my limbs about in every direction, a high kick here and a sidekick there and besides some funny looks from my sister, it was a successful exercise! They didn’t become excessively taut, they didn’t restrict, rip or tear.
“I also did a yoga session in the pants, my most acrobatic routine, and they held up brilliantly! I have previously tried to do yoga in my (other brand) running pants and the thickness of the material can be very restrictive, but my pair from Badass Mother Runner were a perfect concoction of lightweight fabric, super stretch and a fit that hugs!”
There is a good-sized zip pocket on the back of the pants, which unfortunately I didn’t notice until after I had run, but the pocket does fit my phone inside and the zipper seems very secure, which I am sure will come to be a handy feature on future runs, especially when I need to hide my post-run snacks from the kids!
“The only negative point that I would give to Badass Mother Runner is that now I have an online shopping cart full of beautifully designed running pants … an addiction that unfortunately must be funded by splitting the piggy bank with my running shoe compulsion!”
In complete honesty, I did genuinely try to find at least one fault with these running leggings, to provide a balanced and non-bias review but I couldn’t! They are of amazing quality at fantastic prices, and they really do live up to the claims on the website. I would recommend these to anybody who loves to run, hike, do yoga or pretend to play Bruce Lee! …
…” And just when I thought that I couldn’t love this brand anymore, I discovered that £1 from every sale at Badass Mother Runner is donated to Women’s Aid, helping to fight domestic abuse one purchase at a time”.
Don’t forget to head over to the Bad Ass Mother Runners Club on Facebook where you can join the online community for ladies/mothers who run. A safe space for women to connect and encourage each other, reminding the mums of this world that they are badass and doing an incredible job … even if we do need to leave the kids behind and swap the chaos for the trails from time to time, for a bit of peace and quiet!
You can view the full product range at Badass Mother Runner by clicking here!
Test and review article by Sophie Hunt