Training for a Marathon? Here’s All the Gear You’ll Need
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At a Glance: Marathon Training Gear Checklist
Socks: R-Gear Drymax, Balega Blister Resist
Bottoms: Tracksmith Session Shorts, Lululemon Speed Up Shorts
Hydration Pack: Salomon Adv Skin 5, Camelbak Trail Run Vest
Watch: Garmin Forerunner 245
Earbuds: Sennheiser Sport
Nutrition: Gu Energy Original Sports Nutrition Gels, Honey Stinger Energy Gels
It’s not just your neighborhood: running is on the rise. Ever since they came back post-Covid, marathons and run clubs have become more popular than ever. From New York City to Berlin, people are tapping into the community, confidence building, and physical benefits that distance running offers.
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If you’re one of the many people committing to a marathon, you’ve probably already found a good training plan. But, before taking your first step, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got all the right gear to attack that plan and — ultimately — nail it on race day.
Below, we’ve created a checklist of all the essential marathon training gear you’ll want to pick up before embarking on your journey, from hydration packs to socks to gels. We’ve also included a few options for each piece of your marathon training arsenal. Make sure to test different products early in your marathon training, as you’ll want to fully dial in your kit before race day.
Marathon Training Gear Checklist
From socks to gels to headphones, here are all the most essential pieces of marathon training gear you’ll want to pick up. Obviously, your specific marathon gear should reflect the terrain and weather that you’ll be training and racing in.
We chose the included picks after testing dozens of running products ourselves and comparing our experiences with experts and regular consumers alike. All products are sold through trusted retailers and feature an average customer rating of at least 4/5 stars.
Shoes
Shoes should be every runner’s first concern — whether you’re training for a marathon or a 5k. Finding the right shoes does take some time and experimentation: see our full guide on the best running shoes here, and our guide on marathon running shoes here. For race day, we’re big fans of the Nike Vaporfly 3, and the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3.
$260
$260
$250
$250
RELATED: The Best Marathon Running Shoes
Socks
It happens all the time: new runners grab their regular socks, and end up with blisters. If you don’t have any running socks, or yours are getting worn out, you’ll want to pick up a few new pairs before any marathon training. We like these R-Gear Drymaxes and these Balega Blister Resist socks.
$43.99
$20
Bottoms
Proper clothing for your motors — your legs — is another essential part of any marathon training gear wardrobe. We recommend having three kinds of pieces in your wardrobe: shorts, compression shorts, and tights. You can mix and match depending on the temperature or your preferences. As far as shorts go (your most important bottoms), we love these Tracksmith Session shorts or these New Balance shorts for guys, and these Lululemon Speed Up shorts for women.
$70
$64.99
$68
Tops
The longer your run, the more important your top become. Most major marathons take place during the warmer months, so a T-shirt or singlet should be enough, but you’ll want a high-quality top to reduce chafing and increase overall comfort during the race. We’ve been loving this Brooks singlet for the last couple months, as well as this Nike Rise 365 shirt if you prefer a tee. For women’s gear, check out this Springbok Tank from Ibex.
$55
Hydration Pack
There will be plenty of water stations on race day, but during training, you’ll need a reliable hydration pack for long runs. Running hydration packs should be ultra lightweight, balanced, and extra secure to minimize any movement while you jog. Two of our favorites are the Salomon Adv Skin 5 and the Camelbak Trail Run Vest.
$100
$105 $140 25% off
Watch
Running watches take on added importance when you’re training for a specific goal, like a marathon. Good ones will not only provide feedback and data on your runs but will also come with preloaded marathon training courses that you can follow and track with each run. Garmin is widely considered the best in the business when it comes to running smartwatches, offering tons of intuitive features, a solid app, and better durability than most other smartwatches.
$276.49 $349.99 21% off
$169.95
Earbuds
For many of us, great workout earbuds are essential for every run. We think that your running/workout earbuds should be different than the ones you use for travel or everyday activities. You want something extra secure yet comfortable with plenty of sweat and water resistance — sound quality is secondarily important. Our favorite pair for a few years now has been these Sennheiser Sport earbuds, which have IP54 water-resistance, a great fit for most ears, easy touch controls for mid-run adjustments, and great sound quality.
$99.99 $149.99 33% off
Nutrition
After you’ve gotten kitted up with all the above gear and set off on your run, it’s time to make sure that energy continues with the right nutrition. The two main ingredients in running nutrition packs are carbohydrates for energy and electrolytes (salts) for hydration. They’re also designed to be easy to digest, so you can throw one back mid-run and continue without cramps. Some of the best, in our experience and research, are Gu Energy Original Sports Nutrition Gels and Honey Stinger Energy Gels.
$35.46 $39.40 10% off
$14.99
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