In the interests of addressing the needs of all of our followers, we thought it was time we got a female perspective on some of the latest running gear out in the market. A key component of any woman’s running kit is a good quality sports bra, but since we’re all blokes here at Ultra168 with no idea about these things, we thought we’d ask one of our better halves to write this review.

We’re keen to provide quality gear reviews for both our male and female runners, so if you would like to see more female authored reviews let us know and we’ll look to make it a regular thing.

For female runners that are blessed (or cursed!) with a big bust, finding a bra that keeps the girls under control when running can be a real challenge.  Bra manufacturers are getting better at making bras for those of us with more than a handful, but it can still be difficult to find a suitable fit.

We all know a good sports bra is just as important as the shoes you run in, if not more so. Too much movement up top means a painful and uncomfortable run, strange looks from passers-by who wonder what on earth you’ve got going on under there and an early southern migration of things that we’d rather stayed north.

Over the years I’ve tried several different brands of sports bras, the best coming from Berlei and Triumph. When I got into ultra marathon running a few years back, I found the only way to keep the girls under control was to wear a sound underwire bra with an elasticised crop top over the top. The combined strength of the two gave enough support for me to hit the trails with confidence that the girls wouldn’t be moving around on their own.

Enter the ‘Juno’ sports bra by Moving Comfort. Moving Comfort is an American company that was started by two young women in 1977 that were looking to create comfortable work out clothing for female runners.

According to the Moving Comfort website, Juno is a sports bra that is built for maximum support and comfort and is a perfect match for B cup-plus women who want a racer-back style that covers, supports, and is fashionable.

The first thing I noticed about this bra is that it has no underwire! For someone with girls my size (for modesty’s sake let’s just say that I am well beyond a 10D) I’m hard pressed to believe that a soft cup sports bra is going to have anywhere near enough support to run in.

I was in for a surprise, but first a couple of things about this bra:

• It’s a racer back style with a standard 3 clip bra fastener at the back.
• The straps are wide and padded and are self-adjustable thanks to Velcro fasteners at the front
• The cups are slightly moulded and padded to provide shape and (thankfully) guard against that awful headlight look
• The fabric is designed to wick sweat and eliminate odour and chafing
• There’s a nice wide band that sits under your bust for added support
• It comes in a great range of colours

 Sizing

The right size is determined by taking your rib cage measurement just under the bust and the measurement at the fullest part of the breast. These two measurements are then used to work out your size, which in my case, ended up being one size smaller than my usual size.

Admittedly getting the bra on for the first time is a little tricky. I found the best way was to undo the shoulder straps and the back, pull it over my head, do the back hooks up at the front, spin the bra around so the back hooks are then at the back and then do the shoulder straps up at the front.

I tested the Juno whilst out on a road run during the heat of the day.  I was a little sceptical to begin with, but the bra has clearly been well designed as I had very little boob bounce. The fit is very comfortable and it feels surprisingly secure. The fabric allows free movement whilst keeping everything in the right place.

Most women I know don’t run with the intention of attracting male attention. We run to feel fit, free and to get some time for ourselves. Wearing the Juno it’s nice to know that if the guys are taking an interest, it’s more likely to be because of your running ability and not because you look like you’re impersonating a female lifeguard from Baywatch running down the beach.

The other great thing about this bra is that because it has such great coverage and doesn’t create Aerobics Oz Style cleavage, on those really hot days you can wear it on its own and it still looks great.

The Bottom Line

I love the simplicity of this bra – I get to wear one item of clothing where I previously wore two, it has great support and looks so good it can be worn without a top on hotter days. Due to the tailored sizing, I think you need to be fitted in a store to get the most value out of this bra. Like I said, I actually went down a size so it’s important to be measured up properly to get the best fit.

Whilst this bra has been reviewed for use by a runner, it would also be great for other high impact activities such as gym classes, soccer or tennis.

At first getting it on can seem a bit tricky, but you soon get the hang of it. I don’t think I’ll be throwing out my underwire sports bras just yet, but I know which bra I’ll be reaching for first from now on before heading out for a run.

*In the interests of transparency, I was provided with a Juno bra by Footpoint Shoe Clinic to test for the purpose of this review.

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Andrew Vize

Sydney based Ultra marathon runner.