Marathon Running Gear

Unlike shorter events if you have gear that is even slightly uncomfortable you can be sure that by the end of a marathon it will be very painful. All sorts of problems with rubbing, chaffing, forming of blisters etc can occur in a marathon which are totally preventable. Here we are going to give you some guidance on the do's and don'ts of marathon running gear.

Running Shoes

Fairly obviously, the most important gear you are going to buy is your shoes. You need to ensure that they are right for you, so please have a read of our guide to choosing running shoes.

This is aimed at all runners, with respect to the marathon you'll need to make sure that you allow for you feet swelling on your long runs (many shops will suggest you buy shoes between 1/2 and 1 1/2 sizes bigger than normal for this reason).

You may decide that you want to have two pairs of shoes, one for the heavy mileage of training and another for race day (often called racing flats). Generally, the race day shoes will be lighter and with less padding than your regular running trainers. It is vital that you have worn your race day shoes a number of times, over runs of significant distances so that you don't get blisters or any other unexpected shocks from them on the big day.

Most shoes have a limited number of miles in them before the shock absorbance is significantly reduced, you should be looking to replace your shoes about every 500-750 miles. If you find a pair that you really like, it is often worth getting the same sort again (or even buying several pairs, in case they get discontinued).

Clothing

Vests and Shorts

Most brands of these are reasonably good, so just make sure they are comfortable and don't have any seams that will rub significantly. As with your shoes you should use your vest and shorts in advance to check this out.

Up until a few years ago, the advice was to wear natural fibres (partiucularly cotton) as it was kinder to the skin, however the more modern generations of clothing are a lot better.

Sports Bra

Clearly just for women! There are no muscles in your breast, and without a good sports bra they will bounce whilst running. This is not only uncomfortable, but can also lead to longer term damage to breast tissue. Make sure you run with a decent sports bra.

Outer Clothes

You will have several requirement from the other clothing you purchase. To keep you

Warm

Dry

Let your body heat escape

This all needs to be done with a minimum of weight in the clothing.

We suggest that you'll need to following in the course of normal preparations for a marathon

T-shirts - ideally made from wicking material

Running Leggings and cycling shorts

Sweatshirt - not too baggy, generally these should be fairly thin (you could wear two if it is really cold) and well fitted.

Tracksuit trousers - for warming up and cooling down

Waterproof Layer - a top (preferably breathable) is a must, you might also want to buy trousers.

Good socks - these will help reduce blisters, some of the double layered socks work well for this (but can be tough to put on after they have been washed as the inside layer gets screwed into a ball in the toe of the outer layer!)

This may sound like a lot, but for a couple of hundred pounds you'll have enough gear to last you through several marathons!