Up Your Race-Day Hair Game With A Fishtail Braid
This athletic braid keeps hair off your face and your mane looking fresh as you sweat.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Sometimes a ponytail is good for a run. Other times, like during a big race, you want to up your mane game. French braids take a little extra effort, but they stay in place better than your basic pony, and prevent a sweaty knots. At the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco last fall, runners lined up to get their tresses styled into creative braids by pros from Paul Mitchell. And, lucky for us, Rachel Hausman, a runner and hair stylist for Paul Mitchell, offered to demonstrate a race-day ready fishtail.
Fishtail Braid
Best for: Regular to thick, wavy hair.
Step 1: Bring your hair together as if to make a low ponytail, pulling it slightly off to one side.
Step 2: Divide the hair into two sections. Take about a quarter inch of hair from behind one of the sections and bring it over to the middle. Grab a piece of hair from the back of section two and bring it around to cross over the hair from section one. Keep one finger in the middle of the braid to hold it in place. Repeat, grabbing hair from each side, until you’ve reached the end.
Step 3: Secure the braid with a hair tie.
Related: Run To Brunch In 5 Steps
Master the fishtail? Snap a photo and share it with us on Twitter.
Get the latest in training, gear, nutrition and news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for the Women’s Running newsletter.