The RW Takeaway: The Ultra Run Bra is deceivingly delicate yet provides reliable support for high intensity workouts—like running.
- Mesh panels provide ventilation
- No molded cups or removable pads
- Wear as U-back or crossback
Price: $65
Sizes: 32A to 38F
Impact: High Impact
Colors: 5, including Black, Beetle Blue, Black Cherry
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Compression and encapsulation paired with molded cups is the norm when it comes to supportive tech in sports bras made for high-impact activities (like running). It’s a nice evolution in an activewear category that used to rely on pokey underwire or skin-biting bands that leave red crescents under your breasts. The Ultra Run Sports Bra is such a bra that eschews underwire and thick padded fabric, as well as removable cups. Your support mostly comes from the band and a network of panels over each boob that both ventilates and cradles your chest.
SWEATY BETTY Ultra Run Sports Bra
Pros
- Compression and encapsulation tech equal comfort and support
- Padded straps
- No over-the-top padding in the cups
Cons
- Snug band
- Crossback clasp makes straps noisily swish when running
U-Back or Crossback—But Preferably, U-Back
Depending on how lazy I am, I either thread my arms through my T-shirt bra’s straps and then hook it in the back, or hook the bra from the front and then twist it 180 degrees. Just like my non-workout bra, the Ultra Run’s design allows me to be dexterous or lax with my clasping technique. The bra has an attractive U-back cut you don’t see too often in a world of mostly H-backs and racerbacks.
You can also wear it as a crossback; a hook attaches the straps mid-back. You’ll need to attach them before putting on the bra, however, unless your shoulders are double-jointed. There are a couple caveats to wearing the bra as a crossback on your run. Even with my earphones in, I could her a scritchy, scratching sound coming from the straps’ fabric rubbing together. This way of wearing the Ultra Run also made the parts of the cups by my armpits dig into my skin.
Because of the above drawbacks, I much prefer wearing the Ultra Run as a U-back. Without the distracting sound and pinching cups, you can understand how this seemingly delicate-looking bra is actually built for high intensity—and why it deservedly is called “the Ultra Run.”
Most of the support comes from the underband, which is quite snug, even when clasped on the final eyehooks. This doesn’t make for an uncomfortable fit, however. In spite of the absence of molded cups or extra fabric to compress your boobs, my chest didn’t “flop,” sway, or feel sore as I wore the bra three days in a row. (In my defense, it was arctic-cold outside. The mesh panels and sweat-wicking fabric also took care of moisture and any trace of stench, thank you very much.)
Final Word
The bra comes in a wide range of sizes, from A to F cup. Judging by how it held up my breasts on its runs and its comfort factor—I almost forgot to mention the soft padding under the straps—I think it’s a safe bet I’ll wear this bra for all kinds of runs, long or hilly. You can take the padding out of a sports bra—but, fortunately for your breasts, this won’t take out the support.
Amanda is a test editor at Runner’s World who has run the Boston Marathon every year since 2013; she's a former professional baker with a master’s in gastronomy and she carb-loads on snickerdoodles.
