Skimpy running shorts split opinion, but the world’s best runners can’t be wrong

When sorting out a bag of running kit a couple of years ago, I came across two pairs of startlingly bold split running shorts. The first were bright red to match the white and red vest of Gloucester AC, my former running club. The second were an even more striking ruby red to complement the rhubarb-and-custard striped vest of Gloucestershire and the south west of England. 

Whatever you think about the colour schemes, these shorts served me well. Split shorts get their name from the curtain of material on the outside of each leg that splits open as you move. On the raciest split shorts, the sides open dramatically nearly to the top of the thigh. The opening is more modest on split shorts designed for training. 

Split shorts are literally divisive and they’re not an easy look to pull off (although I think the white pairs with blue and red patches on sides that Steve Ovett and Seb Coe raced for Great Britain in had a certain style). 

But unlike other kinds of eighties fashion, split shorts are back, if indeed they ever went away. In men’s long-distance athletics (take a look at photos from the Paris 2024 10,000m final for evidence), split shorts dominate. Only Jakob Ingebrigtsen is in a speed suit. Admittedly, spandex shorts are more popular in the shorter events, as they are, along with running briefs, in women’s athletics. 

So there must be something about split shorts that has suited fast-paced running ever since the late Ron Hill, the legendary runner and founder of the eponymous running brand, reportedly cut the sides of a standard pair of running shorts. 

Simplicity 

Split shorts reign supreme for speedwork and racing. Especially on the track where there’s somewhere safe to leave possessions, your interval-session running shorts don’t need pockets. 

It doesn’t matter if they’d usually be too cold because you can wear leggings for your warm up and cool down. 

As for their revealing, eighties aesthetics, when you’re looking to go fast, for many speed will trump style. 

And because they’re so simple, split shorts will usually be the cheapest men’s running shorts in a brand’s line-up. This keeps the cost of your training and racing kit low, which is important when you consider the cost of the best running shoes in 2025. 

For the same reason, an affordable set of split shorts is the best option for muddy cross-country running (just don’t go for a white pair like Steve and Seb). 

Low weight

Due to their inherently minimal nature, split shorts are often the lightest, airiest and most breathable running shorts you’ll find. 

Even lightweight, mid-thigh running shorts, like the New Balance RC Seamless 5 Inch, incorporate much more material and will therefore be warmer than split shorts.

Most of the time this extra fabric and weight won’t matter that much. But if I decided to try to roll back the years and race a fast 5km, 10km or half-marathon on a hot day, split shorts would be an obvious choice.

Freedom of movement 

Ron Hill devised the split shorts to be as unrestrictive as possible and this feature remains their strength over other kinds of running shorts. 

However fast you’re running or if you’re clambering uphill in a trail or fell, split shorts enable your legs to pass freely. This is surely faster and more comfortable than wearing tighter shorts, despite the pseudo-sciency claims of makers of compression sportswear. 

The less recognised benefit of split shorts’ lack of restriction is reduced chafing risk. Unlike on five- or seven-inch running shoes, where the ends and seams can brush against your inner thigh, there’s little to brush your skin as you run, even when the shorts get wet. 

The best of the rest

Despite singing the praises of old-school running shorts, I recognise that their modern counterparts are more practical. We want to carry more and more stuff when we run from keys and phones to energy gels. And clever pockets and pouches in modern running shorts enable us to do so without these items bouncing around. 

2-1 shorts 

Having switched from running to cycling, I tend to run more in the cycling off-season, in the UK’s colder months. With their liner and lighter shell, 2-1 or twin running shorts are perfect for these conditions. The short tights keep your thighs warm while the more relaxed outer layer stops them being too revealing. 

If you run hot, 2-1 shorts split the difference between shorts and running tights when you might overheat by covering your whole leg. 

You can also wear these twin shorts in the gym so your squats and lunges don’t flash too much leg at fellow gym goers. 

Five/seven-inch shorts

Running shorts with an inseam of between five and seven inches long are the most common in the list of our favourite men’s running shorts. That’s for good reason.

This length range balances coverage with freedom of movement and their design gives manufacturers more leeway to include handy features like brief liners, elastic waistbands and drawstrings, and possibly multiple pockets. 

These days I run decidedly slower than I used to as cross-training for cycling. So longer, baggier shorts suit my more casual pace and double up for weight training. 

But if you want to run fast while staying light and cool, split shorts remain the answer. The world’s best long-distance runners can’t be wrong. 

PS I donated my eye-catching pairs of split shorts, so look out for them at a track, road or cross-country race near you.