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Banish Runner’s Nipple Chafage

By Dave Roberts   

on August 16, 2014    No ratings yet.

Posted in Outdoor Articles, Outdoor Skills and Tips, Trail Runningrunning

Banish Runner’s Nipple Chafage

Not something you want to be reading over the weekend sports supplement, but neither is it something you want sprung on you on your long Sunday Run. Bleeding nipples, while it sounds like a trendy cocktail (probably with grenadine somewhere in the recipe) is a real problem once you start running beyond a certain distance. Those of a nervous disposition, look away now…

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You can look again now (not that I’m entirely sure how that was meant to work, but I’ve no sympathy as you’ve already clicked on a link that said Banish Nipple Chafage so you deserve everything that this page will throw at you).

Here’s our top tips to banish those sore runner’s nips.

1 – Well Fitting Running Top – Banish that friction and problem’s solved. It acts like a second skin! A thin Under Armour summer base-layer under a regular running top works wonders for me. Probably best to avoid white, for obvious reasons. You could, of course, run without a top on (though it may be OK on a California beach, it really doesn’t look right in suburban Britain).

Alternatively, try this hybrid solution where all nippage is outside the shirt. Interesting.

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Photo credit: The Happy Rower / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

2 – Elastoplast Spray Plasters – This is a ‘just in case’ extra! It provides extra protection, and forms a thin transparent second skin. Some runners use super glue, and this really does resemble glue once it’s dried. Except you’re not likely to end up in A&E with your fingers glued to your nipples. Try explaining that one.

3 – Vaseline, apparently helps lubricate, but the idea of greasing my nipples doesn’t appeal.

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4 – Bodyglide Skin Formula –Custom runner’s anti-chafe. Non-greasy and can be used if you chafe elsewhere.

5 –Nipguards Runners Nipple Protectors –  These are a tad too expensive for our liking. We’ll suffer. If you can stomach the pricing then they’re highly recommended.

6 – Regular plasters – While these little circular ones may fall off, there’s a good chance they’ll stay on if you’re not a prolific sweater and even then that they’ll be on there long enough to protect.

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Photo credit: Premshree Pillai / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Bottom line – you’re not a long distance runner until you’ve experienced some of this. Either that, or you’ve got cast iron nipples. 10876, we salute you!

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Photo credit: /northern/git / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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Dave Roberts

Dave Roberts founded Walk Eryri in 2004, with the aim of providing routes that are off the beaten track. Walk Eryri is now part of Mud and Routes which continues to provide more off beat routes and walks in Snowdonia and beyond. Dave has been exploring the hills of Eryri for over thirty years, and is a qualified Mountain Leader. Dave also established Walk up Snowdon, Walk up Scafell Pike and Walk up Ben Nevis just to mention a few.

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