**3.2 Apparel innovations and running performance**

Over time, diverse commercially available running apparel have been shown to improve performance for both sprints and distance running. These include a range of singlets and shorts as well as bodysuits with properties such as stretchability, water vapour permeability, and thermoregulation compression fabrics. These properties -separately or in combination, aid in training, recovery, and performance. Many renowned athletes are known to have achieved outstanding performances while wearing aerodynamically optimised apparel [58]. These include Eliud Kipchoge during his first and second attempt to run a sub-two-hour marathon, eventually succeeding on the second attempt in 2019 at the unofficial marathon race dubbed the INEOS 159 challenge.

Infrared attire technology is another recent development that is creeping into sports apparel development. Far-infrared ray-emitting clothing is currently being tested and utilised to enhance training, recovery, and performance during actual sports events [59, 60]. A study by Loturco et al. [60] investigated the effects of farinfrared (FIR) ray-emitting clothes on indirect markers of exercise-induced muscle damage and recovery after a bout of plyometric physical performance among soccer players. This study found that FIR clothes may reduce perceived delayed onset muscle soreness after an intense plyometric session. A systematic review by Bontemps et al. [59] revealed that studies investigating the beneficial outcomes of FIR clothes related to exercise performance or recovery are scarce and the results are largely inconclusive. However, the author acknowledges that some studies in this relatively recent field indicate positive outcomes associated with far infrared effects on the body's thermoregulation and hemodynamic function [59]. It is possible, therefore, that this recent development in sports apparel will influence training and performance in a variety of sports, including distance running.
