Two weeks ago we were in the Adirondacks for a week. For five generations my Dad's family has shared a place on a little lake not to far outside of Saratoga, NY. It's cosy seasonal cottage, with paper thin walls and sagging porch but to me it is "Camp." A beloved place filled with 31 summers of memories. The water for the camp is drawn directly from the lake, it's safe for showering and such but not safe for drinking. We take gallon jugs to a local spring to bring in water for drinking. It is by no means a hardship , it's just what you do when you're at camp. But when you can't drink the water that comes from the faucet you become a little more aware of what a luxury it is to have water at the ready whenever you need or desire it. It is not often that I am aware of what a luxury it is to have potable running water, not many of us are. But that's exactly what Mike and Dave of Janji are doing, they are brining awareness to those suffering from lack of water and malnutrition around the world. And they are doing it through running apparel. Mike and Dave, both avid runners, started Janji in the Spring of 2012 with the mission to harness the philanthropic power of the running community not just on race day, but every day by providing running apparel that would "give back." Janji, which means "promise" in Malay, donates a portion of every sale to organizations who are providing on-the-ground solutions to real problems. For example the purchase of a the purchase of the Rwanda shirt provides 3 days of nutritional medicine to a malnourished Rwandan child by funding the group MANA Ready to Use Therapy Food. Not only does your purchase provide a tangible relief for hunger and thirst around the world, but wearing the brightly colored clothing helps raise awareness.

Countries where Janji is making a difference.

In the past, running for me has always been about "me." It has been focused on my goals, my times, my races. Until recently, when I signed up to run the CHaD Half Marathon and began fundraising, I had no idea what running for a cause was like. But now that I'm training for a specific race and fundraising for a specific purpose it gives each workout a different dimension, one that is completely unrelated to me: I'm running for another. And that is Janji's "promise:" to run for another. So when the folks at Janji contacted me wondering if I'd be willing to try out their gear, I jumped at the chance.

They sent the running the "Haiti" shirt and shorts. The purchase of either the shirt or the shorts provide direct relief to malnourished children in Haiti through organization Meds & Food for Kids Medika Mamba.

Appearance: The shirt and shorts bear the bright blue and red of the Haitian flag: the shirt red with blue accents and the shorts, blue with red accents. At first impression I loved the bright colors, especially the way the blue fabric stripes wrapped around the back of the shirt. The shorts also bear a large bird graphic on the side of what looks like a dove [it is actually the Hispaniolan Trogan, Haiti’s national bird which I learned later.]

Feel: The fabric of the shirt was a quality technical fabric, lightweight but substantial. The shorts outer shell was a lightweight polyester fabric, similar to many of my "older style" running shorts. It seems that many running shorts now use a "four-way" stretch technical fabric, the fabric of the shorts was not stretchy at all. Yet the inside brief was quite soft and stretchy. What I liked was the fact that the soft inner brief material extended to the waistband, making the waistband quite comfortable. On many of my running shorts the waistband is made of the same material as the outer shell, which is often not the softest. It was not the case with these: plenty soft and quite comfortable at the waist.

Fit: The fit of the shirt was "relaxed," I was sent a small and it fit comfortably. The draping of the fabric seemed flattering due to the asymmetrical seam on the front and the accent stripes that wrapped around the back. I liked the v-neck style and the sleeve length seemed comfortable, no too long, not too short. The shorts were also quite comfortable. I requested a medium, normally I would have asked for a small but heeded the advice on the Janji website that said that the short ran small and to order a size up. I noticed that the "rise" of the shorts (the distance from the inseam to the waist) was a bit more than some of the shorts that I have been wearing: more of a classic running short vs. the low-rise shorts that seem popular now [although Janji does carry shorts that have the "yoga inspired" fit and a lower rise]. It took me a while to find a comfortable place for the waistband to "sit" on my hips. But once I did they fit nicely. The leg opening was wide but not baggy, and the inner brief was exceptionally comfortable and cut very well. Often the inner brief of a short can be too tight, I don't like that. This inner brief was not tight at all.

Performance: I wore the shorts this past weekend on a 10mile run. I figured that would be long enough to test the fit and see if any issue arose. What I look for in a running short is something that is cut so well that the fit does not require any adjusting mid-run. I don't want to tug down on shorts that are riding up or "butt-pick" a brief that is "creeping in." I want everything to sit nicely and stay put so I don't have to worry about it. I opted not to wear the shirt because it was already in the 70's and crazy humid when I walked out the front door at 5:40am on Saturday. So Janji shorts and one of my tank tops and I was off. I thought the high rise on the shorts would mean that I'd fold over the waistband, but I ended up not doing so and the fit was really pretty close to perfect-very similar to one of my favorite shorts, the ones I call my PR shorts, which I've been wearing since 2003. The brief stayed in place and the was no tugging or pulling on the outer shell as I ran. And the outer shell fabric didn't get "bogged down" with sweat and humidity as I ran, which usually leads to chaffing. Which means it was wicking as it says it does. Overall I was really pleased with the way the shorts performed, they are definitely a "runner's short."

I wore the shirt this morning on a quick little run. It was already 71 with 90% humidity when I walked out the door at 5:30am. The shirt is definitely comfortable and drapes nicely even when running. It also did a great job of wicking away moisture, for the most part by body stayed dry during my run, while my the exposed skin on my arms and legs felt damp from the humidity and heavy dew. Surprising. Of course once I stopped running I was a drenched mess, but otherwise the shirt did great.

Overall, I really liked the apparel. The shorts will definitely be in the weekly rotation, the shirt I'll probably save for cross training at the gym and cooler weather. But more than the apparel I really love what the company, Janji is doing. One of the things that struck me the most was that Janji is partnering with great organizations that are already on the ground making a difference. The channels for the money to make a difference are in place, often times this isn't the case. Though well meaning, young organizations and companies can often get bogged down with the details and red tape of trying to do the good that they want to do. When you purchase an item from Janji the money goes directly to fund care and services provided by organizations with a great history of philanthropy. And the pricing is not all that different from gear from major running companies at $35 for the shirt and $38 for the short. Yet it is nice to know that your dollars are going to more than just a new shirt and shorts, they are providing nourishment and clean water for those in dire need around the world.

Have you heard of Janji? What do you think of the company's concept and the apparel?

--Sarah

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*Disclaimer: The shorts and shirt were given to me by Janji, but the opinions expressed in this post are all my own.