The lenses on the Hall Sq. (plus a lot of different Oakley pairs) manipulate gentle that can assist you see the colours and particulars that you simply would possibly miss with different kinds of lenses. That is key for having fun with your environment and seeing what’s forward of you on the roads or trails.
Of Oakley’s efficiency fashions, the Hall Sq. is a standout for its sporty-but-not-too-sporty look and light-weight, snug really feel. It additionally has some severe grip on each the nosepiece and the earsocks to maintain it in place, even whenever you’re lined in sweat.
Materials: Nylon, polycarbonate | Polarized: No | RX choice: No
Finest Funds Choose: Goodr Bolt G
Goodr sun shades have a large runner fan base for an excellent motive: They’re budget-friendly, they arrive in a lot of enjoyable colours and kinds, and the standard is nice (particularly for the value!). Whereas the model’s OG mannequin is by far their hottest (Dr. Blitzer is “obsessed” together with her pair), it’s their Bolt G that gives probably the most runner-friendly options, says King. Suppose: vents within the lenses that promote airflow and forestall fogging, plus an adjustable nostril piece for a customized match.
With the Bolt Gs, you even have the choice of mirrored lenses (which assist scale back glare), or gradient lenses (that are darker on the high, to dam overhead rays and improve floor visibility).
Materials: Copolyester, TAC (tri acetate cellulose) | Polarized: Sure | RX choice: No
Finest Funds RX: Tifosi Selca
When you can add a prescription lens to a number of frames on this record, it usually comes at a fairly steep worth. Not so with Tifosi’s aviator-style Selcas. They’re additionally absolutely customizable, so you’ll be able to select the colour of your frames and lenses, in addition to whether or not you’d like polarization.
After I took the Selcas out on a long term, they had been snug and bounce-free. Tifosi shades are additionally designed to not pull in your hair whenever you slide them on and off, which is a bonus. My solely criticism is that they did fog up a bit on a scorching, humid day.
Materials: Plant-based materials, polycarbonate, rubber | Polarized: Some colours | RX choice: Sure
Finest for Marathons: Nike Victory Elite
When Underwood is able to lock in and race a quick marathon, she reaches for her Nike Victory Elite sun shades. “They’re tremendous light-weight they usually simply keep put,” she says. “I additionally love the look. Placing them on seems like I’m able to go.”
Designed particularly for girls (based mostly on insights from Nike’s high elite runners), the Nike Victory Elites have an adjustable nosepiece and temple arms for the correct match. A one-piece wraparound lens additionally supplies loads of safety and protection.
Materials: Nylon, polycarbonate, rubber | Polarized: No | RX choice: By way of clip-in
Most Sturdy: Knockaround Campeones
Knockaround sun shades are meant for simply that—being knocked round. The Campeones, the model’s full-coverage defend choice, aren’t any totally different, which I confirmed throughout testing. After a couple of drops (each intentional and unintended), they survived with out a scratch.
Purposefully non-polarized, the Campeones are made for athletes who profit from depth notion, like path runners and mountain bikers, since a bit little bit of glare may also help you inform distance, slope, and depth. (The lens’ mirrored coating helps scale back the worst of the glare.) Plus, I put my sweaty fingers all around the lenses to check their water- and oil-resistant coatings, and was shocked by simply how minimal a smudge I managed to make.
Materials: Polycarbonate | Polarized: No | RX choice: No
Finest Anti-Fog: Rudy Undertaking Astral Sphere
The lenses for many operating sun shades are reduce out of a cylindrical piece of glass or plastic. However your eyes aren’t formed like cylinders—they’re spheres. That’s the thought behind Rudy Undertaking’s Astral Sphere sun shades, which as a substitute are reduce from a spherical piece of polyurethane. This materials can also be a higher-quality, extra sturdy plastic than the polycarbonate that the majority different lenses are produced from.
There are many advantages to the Astral Sphere’s extra anatomical form—the additional room between your eye and the lens can scale back the danger of fogging, in addition to improve readability and luxury. What’s to not love?
Materials: Bio-plastic materials, polyurethane | Polarized: Some colours | RX choice: Sure
Finest for Small Faces: 100 % Hypercraft XS
Strive on sufficient efficiency sun shades, and it’s not laborious to come back to the annoying conclusion that the majority of them are made for males, who on common have bigger faces than ladies. Many pairs which might be supposedly one-size-fits-all are too large for some runners. That’s why 100 % made the XS model of their well-liked Hypercraft mannequin, with all of the options runners love in a barely smaller package deal.
The Hypercraft XS have full wraparound protection, they usually’re tremendous light-weight—at 23 grams, they really feel surprisingly sturdy. The lenses are scratch-resistant and handled to repel water, filth, and oil. And if one lens isn’t sufficient, you’ll be able to swap it out for an additional (the case is even designed to hold a number of lenses).
Materials: Nylon, carbon fiber, polycarbonate | Polarized: No | RX choice: No
Finest Cat Eye: Roka Lola
I’ll admit it: Generally, I select aesthetics over efficiency with sun shades, and it was the Roka Lola’s trendy cat eye frames that first drew me to them. However there’s extra to those shades than meets the attention (ha), and the Lola packs as large a efficiency punch as almost every other choice on this record.
For one, they’re our lightest choose, at a virtually exceptional 19 grams. And through my run, they carried out completely, with no fogging, bouncing, or slipping (the latter because of Roka’s proprietary Geko know-how—there are barely sticky pads at your temples and nostril that get even stickier once they get moist). If not one of the Lola’s eight colour and tint combos fit your fancy, you’ll be able to construct your personal pair, with 4 frames and 12 lenses to select from (plus, you’ll be able to add a prescription). And if the match across the nostril isn’t superb, attempt one of many different nosepieces included along with your buy—one is certain to really feel excellent.
Materials: Nylon, polycarbonate | Polarized: Sure (until you select a non-polarized lens in customization) | RX choice: Sure
What to contemplate when purchasing for operating sun shades
An important issue to search for in any pair of sun shades is UV safety, says Dr. Blitzer. Go for sun shades which have a 400 UV ranking, which signifies that they defend in opposition to 100% of UV rays. Heads up: Darkish lenses aren’t essentially higher—the colour and darkness of the lens is not associated to the quantity of UV safety it affords. As an alternative, choose your tint based mostly on the sunshine situations and setting you’ll usually be operating in (some tints work higher for decrease gentle, for example, or for trails) and your preferences.
Polarized lenses, which filter out the glare you would possibly expertise coming from the highway, vehicles, or water, are key for whenever you’ll be operating in vibrant, direct daylight. However polarization isn’t a should, relying on the place you’ll be operating. And, in some instances—like in the event you typically run on trails or in low gentle—it’s possible you’ll wish to keep away from it, as it might probably mess along with your depth notion and make screens tough to learn.
There are additionally photochromic lenses, that are just like transition lenses in that they modify to altering gentle situations. These are an excellent choice for runners who’ll be out and in of the solar (like on a path run by means of the woods), or for many who wish to mix them with prescription lenses, in order that they will depart their frames on (even when there’s no solar).
Sun shades which might be too small may cause complications. Pairs which might be too giant could bounce or slide round and may fog up extra simply. Most manufacturers will label their sun shades as greatest for small, medium, or giant heads—some even include adjustable nosepieces or temples that can assist you discover the right match.
That mentioned, nothing beats attempting on a pair before you purchase it. Dr. Blitzer recommends transferring your head up and down to check in the event that they’re really going to remain on and be snug whilst you’re on the transfer. (In the event you usually run with a hat or headphones, convey these with you to verify the match is suitable.) Additionally key for consolation: Grips across the nostril to forestall slipping, even whenever you’re sweaty.
Working sun shades weigh lower than your typical sun shades—most shall be below 30 grams and made with gentle, sturdy supplies (like polycarbonate), relatively than the glass you’d discover in a extra fashion-forward pair. Keep away from sun shades with thick rims, which can lower your peripheral imaginative and prescient.
The form of the frames comes down to private choice—you may want a sportier, shield-style pair, or extra of a traditional body that may work outdoors of your run too. But additionally, remember the fact that wraparound shield-style frames can provide you extra safety from the solar—in addition to anything that will attempt to get in your eyes, like mud, pollen, or particles.
Working sun shades can include dozens of different options—like interchangeable lenses, which let you make a swap in the event you want a unique tint, or wish to use the identical body to your prescription lenses.
Lenses can include totally different coatings, like anti-scratch, anti-fog, anti-smudge, or a mirrored coating, which may also help scale back glare. Some efficiency shades even have air flow options, to maintain air transferring and your lenses fog-free.
How we discovered and examined these sun shades
To seek out one of the best operating sun shades, I requested an eye fixed physician (who can also be an avid runner) and a operating coach for his or her favourite pairs, then went trying to find different high fashions in the marketplace. For a month, I examined their recommendations and extra pairs on runs starting from a couple of miles to a dozen, together with simple paces and races. I paid consideration to how properly they blocked vibrant daylight, the readability and distinction they supplied, how snug they felt, whether or not they bounced or slipped, and the way properly they held as much as sweat and humidity.
Regularly requested questions on operating sun shades
Are polarized sun shades good for operating?
Sure, polarized sun shades are good for operating—particularly on vibrant, sunny days, as they scale back the glare that may come off of issues round you. (Meaning much less eye pressure, i.e. much less squinting.) There are some downsides to polarization, although, as it might probably make it tough to learn screens and may scale back your depth notion. In the event you’re regularly operating in low gentle or depend on depth notion for technical trails, it’s possible you’ll wish to go for non-polarized lenses.
Why do my sun shades fog when operating?
“Sun shades fog often comes from the sweat in your face steaming and getting caught beneath the glasses,” says Underwood. “To keep away from it, you want airflow transferring beneath the lenses. In the event you’re a heavy sweater, put on a body that sits out out of your face extra or has holes within the lenses to permit for airflow.” You may as well search for lenses which have an anti-fog coating.
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