The case against the "best" running gear money can buy

What’s up, Pursuits subscribers? Jim here, and this week we’re talking about sports, exercise, and specifically, running.As a new father, I [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( What’s up, Pursuits subscribers? Jim here, and this week we’re talking about sports, exercise, and specifically, running. As a new father, I completed my first 5K race last month in a likely fruitless attempt to stave off the inevitable onset of Dad bod. Other than stabbing my finger with a safety pin trying to attach my bib—and smearing blood everywhere—spilling all my water without any getting into my mouth, and my shoes coming untied at the 2.9 mile-mark, everything went perfectly. Miraculously, I didn’t finish last. Two people in my age bracket trailed me. After I’d huffed and puffed across the finish line and seen everyone who was faster and fitter than me, I couldn’t help but think I would have done so much better if only I’d had better gear. Like those new $215 [Hoka Rocket X2]( racing shoes, the ones with the ProFlyX construction that weigh just 8.3 ounces. Or maybe the $160 [Brooks Glycerin StealthFit GTS]( with nitrogen-infused DNA LOFT v3 super-soft cushioning and trademarked GuideRails support. Or even Nike’s $110 [Winflo 9 Shield]( with the water-repellent finish and gusseted tongue. You could join On’s Cyclon subscription program and lease—yes, lease—a pair of running shoes. Return them for recycling and receive a fresh pair. So I started shopping. Well, I started Googling: “best running shoes,” “best socks for running,” “best running shorts with pocket for phone,” “best way to attach bib without safety pins no blood child safe,” “best tanks to look cool when running and also hide muffin tops spare tires stomach flab.” If you’ve ever taken up a hobby or sport, you probably know what happens next. Everything sounded pretty much the same. So I went to a running store to talk to an expert. The salesman, dressed in a snazzy sleeveless black-mesh shirt and shorts that made that cool swishing sound when he walked, confirmed my suspicions as we stood before a wall of shorts on hangers. Experts know there’s no “best” for everyone, only what’s “best for you.” That’s the business model of Curated, which we reviewed two years ago. “It really depends,” he said when I asked him which was the best. Did I want to bring my phone with me on runs? If so, would I feel more comfortable with a pocket snug against my leg or loose in the back? How long did I want the shorts to be? Was I doing outdoor, treadmill or trail running? “It’s all a matter of personal preference,” the salesman told me. I was slightly more prepared at my next 5K race a few weeks later. I’d gotten some [Lock Laces]( so my shoes wouldn’t come untied, and I had the $35 [Jackrabbit Pacesetter run shorts](. Imagine all the gear you could justify buying for the six-day Hut Run Hut through Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Photographer: Stefania Curto The purchase that most excited me was $16 for a single pair of [Balega Hidden Comfort No Show Tab socks](. They felt contoured to my foot. The colors looked cool, too. I justified it with the knowledge that Hall of Fame football player Jerry Rice believed there’s a correlation between looking good and playing well. “The shoes had to be new, the pants had to be new, everything had to fit a certain way,” he told Bloomberg Pursuits [in an interview](. Halfway through the race, I was feeling pretty good. The $16 socks were working! Then a teenager blew past me at the 1.5-mile mark in white tube socks and Crocs. Then a trim, fiftysomething man sprinted past with no socks at all—just sandals—running so fast he looked like he was late for a disciple’s meeting at the Sea of Galilee. Maybe I need a bandana, I couldn’t help but think, as I watched a 65-year-old woman wearing a bandana chug past me at the last tenth of a mile. It wasn’t a total loss, I guess? With my new gear, I shaved 45 seconds off my initial time. Three people were behind me this time. Seems like I need more practice, not more gear. But what’s the fun in that? Here’s a rundown of the week’s sports news: [Major League Soccer Considers Accepting Sovereign Wealth Money]( Major League Soccer could be the next US sports league to allow sovereign wealth funds to invest in its teams. [Goldman Sachs Tapped to Manage $700 Million Deal for Tennessee Titans’ Stadium]( Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has been tapped to underwrite a large municipal-bond sale that will finance a $2.1 billion stadium for the National Football League’s Tennessee Titans. [German Cartel Office Backs Bundesliga Investor Rule After Tweaks]( German competition authorities are willing to close an antitrust probe into the Bundesliga’s 50+1 investor rule, a move that would ensure that fans retain most of the control over teams in the country’s top football competition. [Saudi Wealth Fund Weighs Buying Another Top Football Club in Europe]( Newcastle United FC’s Saudi owners are considering buying another top football club in Europe, said a person with knowledge of the matter as the kingdom prepares for further big spending in sports. [Cristiano Ronaldo Invests in Watch-Trading Website Chrono24]( Cristiano Ronaldo is buying a stake in online watch trading platform Chrono24 GmbH, giving the football star financial exposure to the pre-owned market for luxury timepieces. What I’ve Been Watching Since I’m apparently the last person on Earth to watch Succession, I won’t bore you with my least favorite person on the show. Instead, I’ve been watching the student-athletes at my alma mater, the Louisiana State Fighting Tigers, become a cultural phenomenon. Consider: - Our women’s basketball team won the national championship in a game that, with nearly 10 million viewers, [was the highest-rated women’s basketball game ever](. Our star player, Angel Reese, caused a meltdown on social media with trash talking so epic, it led to Jill Biden becoming the first First Lady to [say anything controversial, ever](. Reese not only got into the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, she showed up [in a video with Cardi B](, which inspired the chart-topping recording artist to change her IG profile pic to one where she’s wearing [an LSU basketball jersey](.  - Our men’s baseball team also won the national championship with an extremely satisfying beat-down of Florida. It was the semi-final game against Wake Forest that’s already being touted as [one of the greatest ever played](. It was also [the most-watched baseball game of the year](, college or pro, until this week’s All-Star game.  - And let’s not forget the impact of our All-American gymnast [Olivia Dunne](. Thanks to new name, image and likeness deals that allow college student-athletes to make money for themselves for the first time, the pretty, petite blonde is making seven figures through sponsorship deals on Instagram and TikTok. She’s become so popular it alerted the concern trolls at the New York Times, who found it “troubling” that the market “rewards traditional female desirability” before coming to the conclusion that—you’re never going to believe this—[sex sells](. In unrelated news, the Times [closed its sports desk]( this week. Get In on the Champions Level [Welcome Summer in Technicolor with Pink Sapphire, Bold Gold Jewelry]( [New Ranking Lists the World’s 50 Best Vineyards to Visit]( [New TikTok Trend Has Travelers Spending as Much on ‘Vacation Prep’ Beauty as Airfare, Hotels]( [Flights Are Getting Cheaper as Summer Travel Season Ramps Up]( [The 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE Brings a Golden Age of Luxury EVs]( [The Vacation Picture That’s Sparked a Multimillion-Dollar Global Industry]( So, you had some questions … Do you really think that cricket will take off in the US? Sounds as if you’ve read [the Bloomberg story this week]( about wealthy, Indian-born business leaders forming the sport’s first professional league in the US. As that piece points out, Major League Cricket has attracted Adobe Inc. Chief Executive Officer Shantanu Narayen and Microsoft Corp.’s Satya Nadella. Meanwhile, Bollywood’s most famous actor, Shah Rukh Khan, is investing in a cricket stadium near Los Angeles for the league. The first game was held on Thursday evening when the Texas Super Kings beat the Los Angeles Knight Riders by posting 181/6 in 20 overs. Mohammad Mohsin bagged four wickets. I have no idea what any of those numbers mean. But when I was a [reporter for my college newspaper](, I spent a memorable evening with more than 250 students from India and Pakistan when the two countries played one other. This was a very different atmosphere than the football tailgating culture I was familiar with. For one thing, they served tea. And because of the time difference, the match started at 2 a.m. Their passion rivaled anything I had ever seen at a sporting event, so I wouldn’t bet against cricket’s success in the US. I know two things for sure. First, this country is mad for anything competitive; people used to say soccer and Formula One would never catch on, yet they are now a regular presence in our sporting landscape. And whatever billionaires want, billionaires tend to get. If you don’t have a playing partner, this $645 Slinger tennis-ball launcher will do the trick. You really nailed your picks for the US Open tennis tournament last year. So who’s winning Wimbledon? Thanks! I haven’t been watching a ton of tennis this year, but I’ll stick with my choice from the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz, and ride the hot hand, even though he lost to Novak Djokovic at the French Open. Either way, it should be epic old-guard-in-search-of-history versus the unstoppable force of the new. On the women’s side, Ons Jabeur is the favorite, for good reason, in the final against unseeded Marketa Vondrousova. I’m pulling for Vondrousova simply because she said her husband hasn’t been in London to cheer her on because [he’s at home watching their cat](, a Sphynx named Frankie. Relatable! Jeremy Strong, as Kendall Roy in Succession. Wait, I want to know who’s your least favorite character in Succession! Is it Tom? Please say it’s Tom. I hate Tom. Some friends of mine who have otherwise impeccable taste feel that way, too, but I can’t hate Tom too much, just because his interactions with Greg are so much fun. And granted, I haven’t yet finished [the final season](, so I reserve the right to change my mind. Everyone in [this C-Suite Game of Thrones]( is awful, but Kendall [and his Lanvin sneakers]( is the only real choice for least favorite. He seems like the kind of guy who thinks a pair of $16 socks will help him run like the wind.   New for subscribers: Free article gifting. Bloomberg.com subscribers can now gift up to five free articles a month to anyone you want. 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