UNDIE ACHIEVERS

The running-underwear company that’s got you covered – literally

Runderwear was born when the founders – university friends Jamie Smalley and Rich Edmonds – found they could not find a product that met their needs. ‘After running the New York City Marathon in 2011, Jamie complained to me that he couldn’t find good running underwear,’ says Edmonds. ‘He was buying highly technical outerwear and trainers but then wearing his normal underwear underneath. We asked around at our running club in London and most runners felt the same. It then became our mission to create the best performance underwear in the world.’

At the launch in 2013, their stock of Runderwear sold out in two days and they have not looked back. All their underwear is seamless, wicking, quickdrying and designed to be as comfortable as possible, and it’s this focus on function over fashion that has kept them ahead of the pack, says Edmonds.

‘A few years on and other underwear brands have come into the market, but they’ve tended to focus on pretty patterns and crazy designs. At the end of day, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got a picture of Santa Monica Bay on your underwear – what matters is you finish your marathon chafe-free, your sweat having been wicked away and you’ve been in ultimate comfort mile after mile.’

This philosophy also applies to their socks and base layers, and will be put to use with the first sports bra in the range, as well as merino versions of all existing underwear styles, but after that, the product-range expansion will stop.

‘We just want to make underwear for runners,’ says Edmonds, ‘and to be the best at it.’ runderwear.co.uk