Jenna joins the TAUR team as the resident nerd managing all things web. Jenna began running at age 12 as an outlet for restless teenage energy. As someone relatively new to the ultra world, she spends more time crewing and supporting (usually in costume) rather than running the longer distances, but has run a 50-miler and two 50K ultra distance races, in addition to a number of adventure runs and shorter trail races.
Admittedly not one who is prone to competition, Jenna’s ultra running has been focused on enjoying the time spent on trails with friends and taking in everything the mountain has to offer rather than pushing to the next longest distance or newest PR. This focus on enjoyment and value has quickly developed into a love for running as an expression of life’s ups and downs and shaped the roots of her philosophy about trail and ultra running: moments not miles.
Montbell Wickron Stretch Trail One Piece
Price $45
3.7 out of 5
The Montbell Wickron Stretch Trail One Piece is a sleeved trail running dress made of smooth, comfortable athletic materials. Honestly, it is great quality construction, with durable fabrics. While it feels a bit too long even on a taller build to run in, we did take it out for a few runs.
Ultimately, the dress was comfortable and flattering, but the length made it exceptionally prone to snagging on bushes or branches on single track mountain trails, and would be potentially hazardously long when scrambling or traversing technical rocky terrain. The short sleeves are a contrast to most other trail dresses that tend to be sleeveless to help keep temperatures cooler. It doubles very well as a quick-change item for going from trails to town and styles very well with a flannel shirt or jacket over top as a lifestyle piece.
Montbell Wickron Stretch Trail Skirt Woven
Price: $39
4.0 out of 5
The Montbell Wickron Stretch Trail Skirt is made of the same fabric blend as the trail dress. Expect the same great quality and construction, amazing color and flattering fit. Sadly, it has no built-in shorts to prevent riding up. Additionally, it has a tighter fit which makes it less amenable to wider range of motion.
This skirt is a flattering look, and can be worn over any tight-fitting biker shorts. It stretches well with general movement. When in motion, however, the lack of built-in liner or shorts means it rides up with any movement that requires a faster pace or wider range of motion (climbing or scrambling). It does serve well as a lifestyle piece over tight shorts when heading to work or school from the trails, and ultimately this ended up being its primary use.
Smartwool Sloans Lake Dress
Price $99.95
4.9 out of 5
The Smartwool Sloans Lake dress has quickly become a staple favorite in our lineup of gear we use to transition from trail to town. The look can easily be either classy or casual, depending on how you dress it up. It does just as well in the summer with flip flops or Chucks and a hat as it does in the fall over leggings with a flannel shirt and boots or with heels and some nice jewelry. The fit is flattering but not excessively tight with great details like the side pockets and the light blue accent in the zipper pull down the back. The grey and navy accent each other perfectly. The neckline, shoulders and straps work well with a standard every day bra while the v-shaped back line can also show off a cute strappy sports bra. Sizing runs true and the dress washes well, though testing experience recommends hanging it to dry to maintain equal crispness of both fabrics. The only complaint we could come up with was the way the top of the zipper in the back can sometimes scratch against the skin or snag fragile fabrics worn over it. This is an amazing piece all around. In nearly any scenario, this dress throws on flawlessly over our running base layers and lets us run into town looking fresh and stylish. This dress will quickly become one of your favorite ways to Fashion Your Passion.