by Ashlee Green, Co-founder + CEO

Social distancing, at first a short, temporary inconvenience, has become a never-ending exercise in self restraint and patience. For many of us, running is one of the few activities we can still practice safely (for the most part) in the current pandemic climate. No strangers to solo activity, it’s almost as if runners have been practicing for the solitude of quarantine all this time.

Recently, as a running coach and here at RUNGRL, the question we’ve gotten most often is, “What’s the best face mask to wear while running during the pandemic?”

The quick answer is there isn’t one. The truth is, masks are hot and uncomfortable at best, restrictive at worst. It feels unnatural, unfortunately.

Still, in order to keep ourselves and those around us safe, it’s imperative that runners put on a mask when we are running with or around others. This is especially true in areas where face coverings are required by law when outside or in public spaces. By now, we all know COVID-19 is a respiratory virus that is spread through contact--in this case, respiratory droplets. You can also imagine how many droplets every runner emits while they’re huffing and puffing through summer miles. Gross, right?

I’ve done my fair share of miles these past few months of quarantine and decided to do some comparisons. Since there’s no getting around it, I wanted to try to pinpoint a mask I didn’t completely hate to wear on a run. Here’s what I found when comparing face masks during a run.*

Fabric Face Masks

Things actually started out pretty well with a fabric mask. The fabric mask was lightweight, stayed put without having to be readjusted a ton, and was fairly easy to breathe in. After about a mile though, on a sunny day, the mask was drenched.

Rating: Good for comfort, best for short runs.

Try these:

Target: Adult Fabric Face Mask

Amazon: Fashion Cute Heart Face Protection

Banana Republic: Made to Move Mask 3 Pack

Running Gaiters

A couple of months ago, you would have only found me running in a gaiter in the dead of winter. What I have found throughout quarantine, though, is that the familiarity of it makes it a little more comfortable to wear. I know exactly what to expect.

When I am appropriately distanced from others, I wear the gaiter down around my neck. As I see others approaching, I pull it up to cover my mouth and nose. Typically, it ends up around my neck more than covering nose and mouth, which is a welcome reprieve. But this one really works best if you are able to run at a time and location that is relatively low traffic. Otherwise, you’ll have it up the entire time, which can again get rather hot.

Also, keep in mind that pulling it up and down during the run means touching your mask/face more, so you’ll want to keep hand sanitizer close by and avoid touching anything along the way.

Rating: Great for breaks of fresh air, best for longer runs with lower foot traffic nearby.

Try these:

Amazon: Mission Cooling Neck Gaiter

REI: Buff Original Multifunctional Headwear

Amazon: Anti Pollution Neck Gaiter with Filter

Disposable Medical Masks

I really appreciate how light-weight and “breathable” the medical masks are. I feel the least restricted in these. They can, however, get really sweaty, really quickly. And once they're wet, can be pretty rough to keep on. I also wouldn’t recommend pulling these down into a “chin-strap”, especially while running. This defeats the purpose.

Rating: Best lightweight, most “breathable”. Best for short to medium runs (dries slowly).

Try these:

Wecolor Disposable 3 Ply Earloop Face Masks

Making Masks Manageable

If I had to rank the above, the gaiter would be my first choice, because of the flexibility it offers. The medical mask comes in second for being so lightweight, and the fabric mask ranks third.

Again, nothing is fun about wearing these, but since they are necessary, there are a few things you can do to make mask-wearing a little more bearable:

Don’t run in the heat of the day. Early mornings after sunrise, and evening before sunset are great times to beat some of the discomfort that comes along with wearing a mask on the run.
Run in areas with low foot traffic. Avoid that busy park or trail and opt for areas where people won’t be found congregating. (This also will help you conserve energy on your run by not having to dodge people and zig-zag around them.)
Remember why you’re wearing the mask in the first place. Mentally, it helps to remember that you’re doing this to keep your community, family and loved ones safe. Masks are meant to protect other people from us and, in the big picture of things, it’s the least we can do is our part to stop the spread of COVID.

What masks have worked for you? Share with us in the comments below.

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Note: These recommendations are based on the author’s personal experience. While no mask can entirely eliminate the risk of COVID-19 infection, these masks are only intended to provide a barrier while running (away from close proximity of others). For full protective face covering information, be sure to always follow the latest CDC guidelines. and state and local laws.

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