Are you ready to run?

Whether you're out on the road or the trails, out early or late, day or night, or even fast or slow, ioMerino is absolutely epic for running and helps you stay ready for anything out on your adventures. We’re mostly blessed with beautiful sunny weather here in Australia, but get our fair share of cold mornings/nights and days, especially during winter. Rest assured, we certainly don’t let that stop us from getting out there and doing all of the things we love – after all, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing! 

We know we’re not the biggest Merino brand in the world, but with six generations of wool know-how, we’re no rookies when it comes to making some of the best Merino gear on the planet. And as official sponsors with approved and compliant mandatory gear in some of Australia’s biggest running events, including Ultra Trail Australia, we’re not just all talk – even the experts happen to agree with us on this one!

So either you’ve accidentally taken a wrong turn and ended up here, or you’re interested in hearing more about the Merino thermal layers we recommend for running, in which case, let’s just cut to the chase.

(By the way, we haven’t just pulled these recommendations out of thin air, but rather taken advice from our Trail Running Team – those who are out there running in our gear everywhere from Indonesia to New Zealand and in some of the world's most legendary events including the Tarawera Ultra Marathon, Ultra Trail Australia, Big Sur Marathon and many more, so their advice is probably as good as any!).

Let’s start with the basics.

Socks - 

If you want Merino Socks, we’ve got em’. They're super soft, feel ridiculously good straight out of the pack, and have 91% Merino Wool content which makes them some of the Merino-iest socks on the planet. While these socks are great for a range of activities, they're particularly good for running. With anti-chafe and anti-blister technology, anti-slip Achillies tab, padded 'comfort zones' and ventilated panels for breathability and thermo regulation, these are certainly no ordinary socks!

Underwear - 

We know plenty of you will be wearing running shorts, but if you need something underneath those, these Merino thermal undies are the go. Soft, lightweight and with all the benefits of a Merino layer. To keep your ‘valuables’ safe, warm and comfortable.

Skull Cap - 

This lightweight Merino skull cap is the perfect running partner if you're looking for additional head warmth. It delivers an unrivalled level of softness and warmth while remaining completely breathable and temperature regulating. And thanks to the streamlined design, there's no uncomfortable bulk or gathering!

Neck tube - 

Our Neck Tube can be worn as a headband, bandana, beanie, face mask, ear muff… the uses are endless, you’d basically be mad to not have one of these handy when you’re out and about. And unlike other ‘Head Things’, our Merino fabric will prevent any condensation build up from freezing and it’ll stay warm even when wet.

 For more info on our Merino Wool accessories, click here

Gloves - 

For many runners, cold hands can be a real problem when running in cold weather. Your arms and legs usually warm up nicely enough, but your hands don’t have the same level of circulation and can stay cold, so a good pair of gloves is essential. Ours are lightweight, natural, breathable, soft, warm and comfortable. And you can even use your touchscreen devices without taking them off, thanks to the touchscreen-friendly pads on the thumb and forefinger.

Altitude Range 

If you’re serious about staying warm and comfortable, you need one (or two!) of these in your wardrobe. Breathable, lightweight, moisture wicking, odour-resistant, ridiculously comfortable… the Altitude Tops aren’t one of our best sellers by accident. These are as soft and comfortable as they come. If you like a regular neck, go Crew. For extra warmth, go Zip. Pack them in your kit (a men’s XL fits into a sandwich bag!) and you’ll not only have a few mandatory items sorted, you’ll be ready for anything during your run and on future adventures as well.

This range was originally developed for high Altitudes and extreme weather, so it a contact/base layer fit that can be worn under other layers or on its own, and extra length in the body so you don’t get any cold patches by becoming untucked. They’re still awesome for running, of course, but for our new running-specific range with a more regular sporty fit, check out our Ultra Range below.

For those of you who live in milder places, or aren't really fans of sleeves, no problems, we also offer an awesome range of Merino Tees! They're incredibly lightweight and packed with the same performance as the long sleeves such as breathability, temperature regulation, odour-resistance and more. Wear them on their own in milder conditions, or layer under, or over, your long sleeve when the weather really hits hard. If you're after a contact fit, go Altitude and if you're after more of a regular fit (particularly handy for those of us who aren't rocking six packs!) go Universal. And if Tanks are more your kind of thing, check out our tanks here. 

Check out our full range of Men's and Women's Merino Tees here

Ultra Range

Our Ultra range is ultra-natural, ultra-breathable, ultra-comfortable and, of course, ultra warm for such a lightweight garment. The tops and tees are packed with high performance features and they’re just perfect for running in cold weather. Wear it on its own if it’s just a bit chilly, or layer up when the temperature really drops. The long sleeve features thumbholes to help keep your hands warm and to make your sleeves stay put. The Zip gives you the flexibility to un-zip when you need to catch some extra air. Super useful if you warm up while you're on the go. It also features a higher collar for extra warmth around your neck!

Leggings and Tights

Your legs are going to be doing a lot of hard work, so you may as well be nice to them. Put them in a pair of our Altitude tights and they’re going to love you for it. But when you’re on the go, they’ll keep you warm without overheating or getting stinky and sweaty like synthetics will. With the natural breathability of our unique MicroMerino® fabrics, the Altitude Tights will keep you toasty warm, but keep you from overheating when you’re in action. They’ll keep your legs and your rear-end nice and warm, even when you’re sitting on a freezing cold chairlift. Or if you happen to end up a little damp after taking a tumble. Let’s be honest, we’ve all been there.  

If you’re looking for opaque leggings that can be worn on their own, give our new revolutionary Merino-Compression Leggings a try. After extensive research and development, we’ve created a world first and totally unique fabric that combines all the benefits you expect from our high-performance merino fabrics, with the high performance of compression garments. Now you don’t have to choose between the breathability, thermo-regulation, moisture wicking and the odour resistant qualities of Merino or the fit, feel and performance of a compression garment - you can have both.

Arm Warmers

Our Arm Warmersare ideal for changing weather conditions and trans-seasonal weather. The arm warmers maximise heat retention and offer additional coverage in low temperatures, but are easily removed or rolled down if it warms up or if you're wearing a pack. Unlike regular arm warmers or sleeve, these feature a high merino content so are fully breathable, lightweight, and deliver both UV protection from the sun and warmth without bulk, and help stop you overheating.

Any questions?

As always, our team and Outsiders are pretty helpful when it comes to answering questions, so if you have any that aren’t too difficult, send us an email anytime and we’ll get straight back to you. (Unless we’re out hitting the trails ourselves in which case you may need to be a teeny bit more patient!).