Narrow strips of cloth used to cover athletes? (7)
I believe the answer is:
runners
'athletes?' is the definition.
(runner is a kind of athlete)
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for runners that I've seen before include "Horizontal branchs that produce new plants" , "Branches from the base of plant that produce new plants" , "Horizontal branches that produce new plants" , "Shoots" , "They deliver messages on foot" .)