Fun Run T-Shirts: Bright, Cheap to Print and Easy to Spot
By The Velocity Wear Team
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A good fun run shirt does three things. It makes a crowd of runners look like one event in the photos. It gives entrants something to remember the day by. And it helps marshals spot participants in a busy park. It doesn't need to be expensive, but it does need planning, mostly around sizes.
Pick a colour that pops
Bright colours photograph well and are easy to spot on a course: royal blue, bright green, orange, pink, yellow. Avoid black for summer events, as it gets hot in the sun. For colour runs, white shirts show off the powder best, which is rather the point.
Shirt weight
Lightweight is kinder for running. Our tees start at around 150 GSM, which is soft and breathable for a 5K in the park. They're cotton, which is comfortable and great for most fun runs. For long-distance races where runners sweat heavily for hours, a technical fabric is better, which is worth knowing if your event has a half marathon option.
Design for the back of the shirt
Photos of runners are often taken from behind or side-on. Put the event name, year and charity on the back as well as the front. Keep it simple and bold. A small, detailed design is invisible from ten metres away.
Sponsors
Local businesses often sponsor fun runs. Sponsor logos usually go on the back or a sleeve. Agree early what size each gets, and collect proper logo files, not blurry JPEGs from websites. A tidy sponsor panel on the back looks far more professional than logos scattered around the shirt.
Sizing: the real headache
Fun runs attract kids, parents and grandparents. Ask for size at registration. If you can't, use past events as a guide. School fun runs lean heavily to children's sizes. Charity runs for adults lean to M and L. Order a few extra in the most common sizes for on-the-day entries.
Our minimum is 50 per design with sizes mixed, including children's and adult sizes.
Include it in the entry fee, or sell it?
Including a shirt in the entry fee makes registration more appealing and simplifies sizing. Selling shirts separately keeps entry fees low but needs a pre-order. Either way, check your per-shirt cost on the price calculator before you set prices.
Hand them out smoothly
Ask for shirts sorted and boxed by size. Label the boxes clearly and put volunteers at a table by size, not in one queue. It saves twenty minutes of chaos before the start.
Medals and shirt packs
Many fun runs pair the shirt with a medal. Packing shirt, bib and medal voucher together at registration speeds up race day collection.
Weather contingency
British weather changes fast. A lightweight tee works in sun and layers over a base in cold. Mention on registration that shirts are cotton.
Leftovers
Leave the year off so leftover shirts can be used by volunteers or at next year's event.
Timing
Production takes 10 to 15 working days after artwork approval, plus delivery. Aim to lock sizes and artwork at least four weeks before race day, earlier in spring and summer when event demand peaks.
Mock up your shirt in the design studio and see custom t-shirts. For fundraising tips, read our charity t-shirts guide.
