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My Bandana

by Nancy Shura

Not since I was two years old have I been so attached to a comfort object...my friend, my blankie so-to-speak...my bandana! My original bandana and I have a special bond. Together we experienced the inaugural ups and downs of this insane sport called "ultrarunning". The ritual act of tying my trusted friend around my neck as I jogged through the dark toward a new starting line was enough to calm my pre-race jitters. Over mountains and into canyons, my bandana was my constant companion, second in importance only to my running shoes. While my first pair of trail shoes are long gone, my first bandana remains, retired to its special place in my top dresser drawer, next to newer bandanas, as if to share it's hard-earned secrets with them. Having been with me through "thick and thin", my well-worn bandana has grown quite thin indeed! And so, in honor of this special friend... and all bandanas everywhere, I'd like to share these secrets with you!

Popular Uses for a Running Bandana:

• It's a fashion statement...they come in endless colors, designs, i.e., "chili peppers"


• Roll it up and tie it around your head to keep sweat out of your eyes


• Drape it over your head (tie under the chin) and douse with water to cool you


• Tie it around your neck to keep your warm -or- to prevent sunburn


• Blow snot into it


• Drape it over your face and tie behind your head to filter out dust -or-


• To run incognito...bandito style

At Aide Stations:

• Use it to waive to admiring fans


• Put ice cubes in it and place on top of your head


• Wipe your sticky hands all over it after eating watermelon


• Fill it with food to eat on the uphill


• Blindfold yourself while they "fix your blisters"


• Cry into it if you don't make the cut-off time

More Creative Uses:

• Tie it through your water bottle cap; wrap it around your hand and before gripping the bottle (if ever you forget your bottle strap)


• Use it as a tourniquet if you fall and cut your hand -or-


• Get bitten by a rattlesnake


• Use it to keep your butt clean if you need to sit in the dirt


• After the run, use it as a washcloth to wipe off the sweaty/salty grime


• Wrap your dirty running clothes in it when you change in the car


• Tie a knot and pull a tired friend up a mountain (training runs only)


• Use it as emergency toilet paper, but...be sure to pack it out


• Fill with ice and tie around a swollen knee or ankle

It's easy to see how a lonely ultrarunner could become so deeply attached to her bandana. Recently, at the start of a 50-mile run, I realized that my precious friend was left behind in the car. I reluctantly trotted off into the dark hanging onto Larry's promise that "they" (he and my bandana, that is), would soon meet me at the first aid station. What a pathetic little creature I was for eight miles, glaring enviously at all the other bandana'd runners. Let me tell you that blowing snot into your shirtsleeve just isn't the same! Many runners save their race t-shirts and sew them into a memory quilt. You can be sure my memory quilt will include my assortment of bandanas...still there to comfort me in my old age!

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