Running and optics: what your eyes truly deserve!
Running is everywhere. 12.4 million French people run , representing a quarter of the population, with 8 million running at least once a week. From Sunday jogs to the UTMB, from urban 10Ks to marathons, equipment is no longer limited to shoes. Eyewear has become an essential accessory—technical, strategic, and even fashionable. Your role as an optician? To be where you're not necessarily expected yet…
Running and optics: a fast-moving market
In 2024, 74% of runners reported also running trails , and 4,968 trail races were organized that year, representing a 16% increase in one year. This diversification of activities multiplies visual needs: varying light levels under trees, glare on roads, and obstacles to anticipate on trails. For opticians, this represents a wealth of opportunities for advice!
Visual performance: are the eyes the runner's primary muscles?
In running, vision isn't just about comfort: it's about safety. Polarized lenses and advanced outdoor technologies enhance contrast and natural colors, making it easier to perceive the terrain—crucial in trail running, where a clear view of the ground can prevent injuries and accidents. Photochromic lenses, on the other hand, allow you to effortlessly transition from a shady undergrowth to a sunny ridge. These are technologies that expert opticians are ideally positioned to explain, demystify, and adapt to each runner's profile…
Smart glasses are about to hit the starting blocks.
In 2025, Oakley and Meta unveiled the Oakley Meta Vanguard : glasses capable of displaying real-time running data (pace, heart rate, Strava), IP67 certified, with a 9-hour battery life extendable to 36 hours and a 12 MP camera filming in stabilized 3K. The era of smart running glasses has officially begun! For opticians, the question of making these devices available for prescription use will quickly arise: is this an area to invest in now?
Kilian Jornet x Julbo: when ultra-trail dictates innovation
Collaborations between elite athletes and eyewear brands have always set the tone for the market… Since January 2026, Julbo has officially partnered with Kilian Jornet , four-time winner of the UTMB, to develop a technical range called the " Kilian Jornet Series " — the first milestone in a collaboration focused on photochromic lenses, ergonomics, and eco-design. This partnership confirms the rise of sports eyewear as a premium segment, driven by highly credible ambassadors in the field. 
Killian Jornet and Julbo Partnership[/caption]
Those wearing corrective lenses: an angle still too often overlooked
Of the 12.4 million French runners, a large proportion wear corrective lenses. Many brands offer sports eyewear models compatible with a removable optical insert—a modular solution that allows for combining prescription lenses with technical sun lenses. Opticians play a key role here: identifying the need, proposing the right solution (clip-on, over-glasses, integrated corrective lenses), and precisely adjusting equipment that must hold up at 15 km/h on a 20% incline!
In conclusion…
Running, trail running, marathons: running is one of the sports where performance, health, and fashion intersect in the same pair of glasses . Opticians who understand the language of runners—photochromic, polarized, fit, field of vision—have everything to gain by positioning themselves in this rapidly expanding segment. Your customers may already be runners. Now they need to know that you can support them! Featured photo credit: Ozan Yavuz
