Why do runners look so awkward when they put nice close on?

Not enough body mass.

Clothes.

Let's see some pics of this runner who you say looks "ridiculously cringe" and someone who you think looks good.

Jakob looks handsome

Open image

Pretty much any men's team photo from NCAA XC Championships afterparty. A strange mix combining a lack of style, someone's "funny/cool" idea, and a bunch of dudes stuck between buying men's or kid's sizing.

Hey OP I was commenting on this yesterday. More so for the bearded trail runners and earthy granola “girls”. Any extreme is not good . Throw in some weight training you little twigs. It’s not cool to not be able to lift a case of water. The opposite holds true as well. Bodybuilders and cross fit bros look equally laughable in normal clothes. Women runners who try to dress up all look funny too. Take care of your nasty feet 🦶 ladies. Nobody cares that you do track intervals. Moderation. This is why runners wear runner gear everywhere they go.

Most men buy clothes off the rack. Manufacturers make them to fit the majority. If you're thin relative to other men of your proportions, as many runners are, you need to get measured and have fitted shirts and suits made specific to your proportions. Most men don't care enough to bother doing this, so they buy what's readily available and end up looking like they're wearing baggy clothes they borrowed from someone twice as big.

You look much smaller when you wear clothes too big for you. Similarly, you look heavier, when you wear clothes that are too small and you're busting out at the seems. This fixes itself when you wear clothes made right for you.

Men's formal wear is designed around a fat wealthy midsection, bigger around than the chest. Tuxedo seems to be an exception

Talk about cringe.

Care to be more specific? What is "cringe" to you? Who are you talking about so we have an idea of what you mean?
Maybe it's just you?

First off. No one ever said that female runners don't look good dressed up; a quick google search can easily dispute that claim.

Most males don't know how to buy clothes that fit. This includes most runners.

Male runners are typically skinny with slim shoulders. They need to wear clothes that fit tighter than you'd typically think.

Almost every male model you've ever seen is crazy skinny and they look amazing. BUT THEY HAVE CLOTHES THAT FIT!

Tips (for men):

1.slim/athletic fit on everything. Don't be afraid of 1% elastic in your pants.

2. Pick a size down. Even tall male runners should probably be wearing a size small Tshirt.

3. Buy fewer clothes but buy nice ones and go to a tailor.

4. If you are an expert dresser then baggy/oversized can look good. But the fit on oversized clothes is even harder than slim fitting clothes.

In my running days I could fit into at 16-18 boys shirt. Being short helped.

Alan

Clayton looks good.
Wedding pic HERE

Stylish and form fitting. Not overdone. Not that hard if you have style and taste. Don't even need much money if you do it right.

Runners have committed their lives to running. They don't care about clothes and they shouldn't.

Cringe is a verb, not an adjective, you twerp.

If you wanna look good when you is putting put nice close on, you gonna need make those close fit close to your body, man. If them close are loose, them close are too far from yo body, and close too far make yo skin look too close to your bones under your close, bros.

So just remember: loose close blows, close close glows.

Well good runners are often string beans in physics and shoe strings for wallets. They don't really care about image nor have the means to spend on a $10,000 bespoke suit like a pro-league athlete.