INKnBURN Review and Giveaway

The first time I saw an INKnBURN shirt, it was on the back of the super fast Jon Clark flying up the Harding Truck Trail on his way to a first to the top cash prize at the Harding Hustle 30k. The skull and flames design fit the shaved head and tattooed arms and shoulders, and it was a look that I didn't think I could pull off. Most of the people I see at races sporting INKnBURN gear are pretty fast, so I always wondered if their clothing had some super magical cool powers that bestowed an extra boost of speed to the wearer.

I tend to wear the same shade of black shirts and black shorts over and over again, much to the dismay of those surrounding me and of the lady that stood in line behind me at the coffee shop. If I'm feeling extra crazy I'll don a light shade of grey shorts, but still dark enough to camouflage any bladder mishaps, and if I really want to mix it up I'll break out the darkish green wool party shirt.

I was a little apprehensive when Keira Henninger emailed and asked me to try out some INKnBURN gear. For one, I'm not cool enough to pull off an outfit, and for two, I'm not fast enough to wear skulls/flames. But I really couldn't say no to Keira. I ran with her for a short time at my first 50K a few years ago, and while she probably doesn't remember it, I thought she was pretty nice. If you read her blog, you know she is relentlessly positive. Seriously, if you are ever in a bad mood, go check out her blog (and then ask her to sell you some of her happy pills). I also wanted to see if the INKnBURN juju would rub off on me, so I told her sure, I'd love to try out some INKnBURN gear.

I picked out a relatively subtle black and white koi sexy asian woman pattern called "Lust" and when it arrived I was really impressed with the design. I tried it on and I immediately felt different, my beard and hair started to grow, my muscles and veins started to tighten and dare I say...bulge. I looked in the mirror and...

When Alexander Bell invented the telephone he had 3 missed calls from Chuck Norris (joke courtesy 2005)

I then went for a run, and while I wasn't faster, a funny thing happened, the Earth's rotation slowed.

Not really, but the shorts are super comfortable and light. They have that crepe paper feel and I imagine they will be awesome for hot summer runs. They run a little small...I usually wear a large, but the INKnBURN XL fits me perfectly.

The true test was when I walked downstairs before my morning run and my ten year old daughter said "nice shorts" (instead of the slight left eye twitch she usually gets when she sees me wearing my old running clothes). My five year old also got in on the action:

"I like the fish on your shorts."

"Thanks Kaya."

"Where did you get them?"

"The mail."

"Who sent them to you?"

"A company that makes running clothes."

"What company?"

"INKnBURN."

And thus began a ten minute circular question and answer session that ended, inevitably, with "because that's what God commanded."

Bottom line is the shorts are stylish, super comfortable, light, and the design looks cool and appeals to the kids. The shirt is great as well. It's a lightweight running shirt and the design is sublimated (which means it's part of the fabric and doesn't feel like a thick layer of plastic that will melt into your skin on a hot day) and I like the design. It's nice to mix it up once in awhile, and while everyone says not to try anything new on race day, I like to break that rule once in awhile because sometimes a new shirt or new shorts can make you feel good and when you feel good you run faster. So yes, it's a scientific fact that INKnBURN gear can make you run faster.

Now for the free stuff. Check out their cool arm sleeves, 4Arms. Want some? This is what you need to do:

1. Go to their Facebook page and press "Like." And if your significant other walks in on you checking out pictures of their models, just tell them you're doing "research" for a "blog post."
2. Leave a comment below and let me know that you did number one (and like I tell my kids, if you did number two, I don't really want to hear about it).

I'll pick a winner next week.

Thanks for reading.