Why marathon runners love Qantas business class pyjamas

Qantas is one of the few airlines in the world which issues pyjamas to business class passengers on international flights, and many travellers take them home to wear again, usually in the comfort of their own bed.

The lightweight unisex PJs are also a favourite of runners, which helps explain why many residents of North Sydney woke on Sunday morning to discover a mountain of Qantas business class pyjamas in the middle of North Sydney Oval.

That oval was the starting point for the annual Sydney Marathon, which saw a record field of 25,000 runners hit make their way across the Harbour Bridge and weave their way through the city and eastern suburbs before finishing at the Opera House.

But with the starter’s gun being fired at 6am and Sydney still in the grip of early spring, the morning of the marathon was a chilly 8.5° degrees with particularly strong winds.

So how do runners stay warm before setting out on the 42km course, which sees the winners cross the finish line in a little over two hours?

They typically use the cotton-rich Qantas business class pyjamas as an outer layer over their running kit, and then shed the PJs at the start of the race or along the route as they warm up.

Something similar happens at half-marathons and also the epic City to Surf fun run held in August across an iconic 14km course from the Sydney CBD to Bondi Beach.

Executive Traveller understands the pile of discarded Qantas pyjamas at North Sydney Oval was donated to the Salvation Army, which in turn makes them available to the city’s rough sleepers.

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