Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission.

Two of our favorite running brands put their heads together and created some epic eyewear — just in time for the sunniest days of the year.

Running while wearing sunglasses has undeniable benefits. They keep the sun and wind out of your eyes and prevent specks of dust (and the occasional bug) from derailing your workout — a perfectly sensible accessory, right?

Well, two of our favorite running brands, Tracksmith and District Vision, have teamed up to make a pair of shades that not only serve a purpose but add some style and personality to your running kit. Enter the newly released Kazu Tourer — a performance running frame that takes inspiration from classic mountaineering frames.

By combining District Vision's proprietary eyewear technology and Tracksmith's eye for classic running style and point-of-view, the Kazu Tourer is a frame that could just as easily be seen at base camp on Mount Everest in the 1960s as on a world-class marathon runner in 2022. In fact, the frames were tested during the Boston Marathon by top six American finisher Mick Iacofano, and consulted upon by clean climbing pioneer Doug Robinson.

“In the ‘60s and ‘70s, ‘alpine style’ was a departure from the ‘siege tactics’ of many well-known mountaineering ascents,” notes District Vision. “Where earlier climbing parties relied on small armies of porters, cached gear and supplies, fixed ropes, and government support to complete ascents in the name of national glory, alpine-style emphasized self-sufficiency, efficiency of movement in technical terrain and the ability to exist in solitude on the mountain with everything a climber needed in his or her rucksack.

"Freed of the trappings and dependencies of traditional ascents, the climber carefully selected tools to aid their ascent — like wrap-around sunglasses that blocked out sun and kept them focused on the terrain.”

The goal was to craft a frame that had real style, while also solving specific running needs.

"Together, we really wanted to push the limits of performance and aesthetics," Matt Taylor, Tracksmith's founder and CEO, said. "The goal was to craft a frame that had real style, while also solving specific running needs. The Kazu Tourer draws from the alpine world — in which focus on the terrain ahead is paramount — and brings that shape and benefit to the runner.”

The Kazu Tourer can be found on both Tracksmith and District Vision's websites and comes in two different colors. The polarized Tortoise Copper ($295) features District Vision’s new D+ Copper lens and a tortoise pattern that is hand-painted at the factory in Japan. The non-polarized Blue Ice colorway ($250) features a lightly-mirrored D+ Blue Ice lens that was made specifically for this collaboration.

Each set of lenses is shatterproof, and feature lens interiors that are treated with anti-reflective and oleophobic coatings for holistic eye protection, including from oil and water. Additionally, they have fully adjustable and hypoallergenic rubber nose pads and temple tips for a personalized fit.

As of today, both frames are available at District Vision and Tracksmith.