Please tell me they weren’t white burkas…
A running dress beats a run in your dress any day!
Skirted garments are not as bad as one might think for active exertion. The Black Watch of the British Army (“strolling through the green fields on a summer day” as the song goes) infamously used to wear kilts into battle, resulting in their nickname “The Ladies from Hell”.
I would totally exercise in that - if I had a cute perky 20 year old’s body. My old lady thighs would be chafing.