Running in winter

Male in my family wears leggings and long sleeve running top, hat and gloves.
If he's like my 14yo he won't give in until he has hypothermia, frost bite and foot rot. And even then if he thinks he looks stupid in leggings etc, he'd rather suffer or just stop running.

Has to be below 6 degrees for me to switch to leggings and below 3 for me to switch to long sleeves. If I am racing it will be vest and shorts unless it’s below zero when I might put some arm warmers on. Gloves are on under about 10 degrees. If he says he’s fine he most
likely is! Just get some long sleeved tops for really cold weather and possibly leggings he can put under his shorts.

Anything above 5 degree C means shorts and vest for me. Jackets make you sweaty and are rarely actually waterproof so you end up wet and clammy.

Just make sure his clothes are wicking.

They're not. Joggers are usually polyester cotton with cuffs, and not worn for jogging. Tracksuit bottoms are narrow -legged and made from nylon or polyester.

New Balance | Balance Fleece Jogger Mens | Closed Hem Fleece Jogging Bottoms | SportsDirect.com

adidas | Entrada 22 Training Tracksuit Bottoms Mens | Performance Tracksuit Bottoms | SportsDirect.com

They're the same thing in my book!!

On very cold days I wear a vest top, wickable t-shirt and a wickable long sleeve running top, with gym leggings.

My ds(17) wears a wickable Tshirt and shorts. If it's below freezing he wears a longsleeve t-shirt under his short sleeve tshirt. Still wears shorts.

Getting wet doesn't seem to bother him

Gloves are a must for me in anything below about 10 degrees C. I’ve got some from decathlon that have a flap you can pull over to make them into mittens which you can tuck into a pouch in the wristbands if you don’t want them.
Some seam free socks are worth having. I get MoreMiles ones from Start Fitness. They’re reasonably cheap compared to more mainstream brands.
Hi viz and lights are essential for dark evenings.

Re outfit op I’d see how he reacts to cold. I just use a zip up fleece I often take off as I get really hot still.

I love it too. Better than wind. Snow is good, but not ice. I prefer the cold for running though, one good thing about winter.

Track suit bottoms don't flap about, @MiddleAgedDread , and they don't really absorb water.
Joggers would be awful, as would yoga pants, because they absorb the rain.

Definitely not track suit bottoms, they'll flap about and be heavy in the rain and chafe if it doesn't! lots of men wearing leggings with shorts over the top when it's really cold but plenty of folk run all year round in shorts.
Higher State are sportsshoes own brand of kit and their long-sleeved t-shirts are excellent value. They used to do a pack of 3 but i can't see them online at the moment. Their waterproof jackets are also decent and often on offer.
Contra (the parkrun brand) do some excellent merino wool base layers.
If we goes out in the dark then make sure he's got something reflective and a headtorch.
A pair of gloves would probably be a good shout too.

@PauliesWalnuts , I wear mine until they have holes too big to ignore. Once they have a hole, I only wear them at home.

@Littletreefrog , If he doesn't want anything, I wouldn't spend much.
I've not tried anything from Decathlon.
I've had MoreMile socks and they were fine, and I'm tempted to order these
More Mile Essentials Womens Running Tracksters - Navy – Start Fitness, based on price. (I'm aware that these and other tracksters aren't stylish)
If he's going to be running races, something warm to put on after the race is good, It can be chilly a lot of the year.

I'd wait until he actually asks for something, because some people do prefer to run in shorts pretty whatever the weather. Otherwise, you could end up buying things that never get used, particularly because at 15 he will still be growing.

Bear in mind that at 2-5k distances he's not going to be outside long enough to get properly chilled. It might just be that he needs something like a headband to keep his ears warm.

He's right that a tracksuit is the wrong thing to wear in heavy rain. It would get absolutely sodden and chafe. Bare skin is better in the rain as long as you can dry off afterwards

Agree with a PP that running in the rain can be great. The most memorable run of my life was along the river in Salzburg. It started raining heavily and thundering, the noise bouncing off the mountains. I ran triple the distance I’d intended to as it was so glorious!

When I was fully in my running era it was much the same in winter as summer. Maybe with the addition of long sleeves and gloves (I wore ski glove liners actually, because they’re wicking like sports kit), sometimes a baseball cap to keep the rain off my glasses. Anything actually waterproof is too hot. I’d have a towel, loose joggers and a big hoodie in the car for going home though.

It has to be extremely cold (in the minuses) for me to wear leggings. I’m in shorts all year round.

Buff and gloves are good as they are removable.

I don’t bother with a fleece or warm layer if I’m running from home, just a thin long sleeved top made from that fabric that dries quickly. For parkrun I sometimes take a coat and hang it up under a tree.

My motto is: be bold, start cold.

You quickly get hot running. And running in the rain is exhilarating.

If he's doing mainly 5ks then he may not need a jacket but if he gets soaked he may find the t shirt chafes so invest in some anti chafe barrier and get him to apply in the areas that are most likely to rub - so under arms and sides (and feet). But I agree re reflective gear and possibly gloves - he can take them off and stuff in his pocket when his hands warm up.

I'm so unfit I am boiling within about 500m of starting a run 😅 I'm sure your average 15yo is fitter than me but they also don't seem to feel the cold.

I agree with gloves and a hat to keep the rain off your face, and a body light. Headtorches make me feel like a lollipop and like they're going to fall off 😂

I’m in shorts and t shirt until November time usually. Then legging and a t-shirt with a fleece thrown on top if needed. Never really bother with waterproofs - just try and run at a time when it isn’t raining or get a bit damp if needed. A baseball cap is good in the rain to keep the water off your face. I rarely wear a hat but do wear gloves when it’s freezing.

Can’t go wrong with a pair of Ron Hill Tracksters @UpMyself! My dad said he only ever had two pairs in his lifetime - one to wash, one to wear. I swear a pair nearly got out of the drawer and ran down the road after the hearse when he died.

I find it really uncomfortable running in anything apart from shorts and t-shirt. In very frosty weather I may wear a long-sleeved top and gloves

A 15yo running short distances is likely to be pretty hot blooded!

A cap to keep the worst rain out of the eyes and off the head and gloves to keep hands warm will go a long way.

A lot of males seem to go down the long sleeve top before covering the legs route.

A light jacket keeps cold winds off and delays rain soaking in until you're warmed up. You'll eventually get drenched from sweat anyway though, and being cold and wet through is more of a long, slow run issue.

Visibility is important though. Something neon with reflective is important for safety. Aldi can be good for things like that. Decathlon also takes visibility seriously.

I prefer to wear shorts and then put warm dry clothes on afterwards. I'd also tend to layer a running t-shirt over a vest and wear gloves rather than running in a jacket. He's right that tracksuit bottoms would be awful for running in the rain.

However, I have experience of going to cross country meets in winter with teenage boys and can confirm that they wear Skins and they never call them 'leggings', a garment they would not be seen dead in.

Every runner is different OP, so it will depend a bit on whether your DS is a hot person, a cold person or something in between. For instance, I know several women who run year-round in shorts, while others (like myself) will only run in shorts in the hot, summer months.

I would guess though that your DS will want some running tights to wear under his shorts in winter, or a pair of thin tracksuit bottoms. I have some long-sleeved tops that I wear in winter, plus long-sleeved overshirts for really cold days. When it's subzero, I wear a lightweight gilet, a headband and/or beanie and running gloves as well.

I have two rain jackets - a light, showerproof one and a proper rain jacket for when it's raining steadily or hard. Summer rain is can be lovely and refreshing, but cold, winter rain is a different thing altogether and being soaked through on a cold day can lead to hypothermia, so it's important to keep your core dry.

It's surprising how warm you get when running, so I'd focus on safety and dryness. Proviz gilets are great for running on dark roads as they're super reflective and perfect to wear with a top or hat in high viz colours so he can be seen when not directly in car headlights. A chest torch can help if he's on particularly dimly lit paths.

A cap with a brim definitely helps keep rain out of the eyes, plus gloves do help to keep the hands warm. For cold days you can get sleeves which you can peel off as you get warm. If running in the rain, good socks and some anti chafe product like bodyglide will help to avoid blisters. You can get waterproof/breathable running shoes which are good for keeping feet dry on wet pavements, but if he takes to the trails you don't want waterproof shoes as they just end up filling up with water that then can't escape.