How a retro fitness fad became the new must-have accessory

You may have noticed the trendy accessory sported by the superfit set in the cycling lane or on the running track this weekend. I certainly did at my local Parkrun. At first sight I thought there had been a bust-up among some of the men at the start line but on closer inspection I saw they were simply victims of a retro fitness fad. Yes, for the generation obsessed with Whoop fitness trackers, Garmin heart-rate monitors and carbon-fibre running trainers, nasal tape is now de rigueur.

In the 1990s sportspeople such as the Liverpool footballer Robbie Fowler believed that wearing nose tape improved their prowess, despite there being scant evidence to back up the claim. The tape is a plastic strip that is stuck above