Are you marathon ready? Top kit for the big race
Once again postponed because of Covid, the London Marathon is finally happening this Sunday. If you need some last-minute inspiration for gear to help you reach the next level, we have you covered.
Lululemon Fast and Free Running Vest, £88, lululemon.co.uk
Gone are the days when running a marathon involved sticking on your favourite old pair of running shoes and hitting the open road. Today you have kit coming out the wazoo, as you can see from this page. This lightweight running vest from Lululemon will help you accommodate all your kit, from tubes of glucose to your iPhone to pouches of water. There are versions available for both men and women.
Shokz OpenRun Wireless Headphones, £129.99, uk.shokz.com
While top runners argue that running to music can disrupt your rhythm over the course of a marathon, for those just outside of the elite bracket, a decent soundtrack can make all the difference. These from Shokz use bone conduction technology to give less vibration as you run and they’re incredibly stable, meaning you won’t have to worry about adjusting them as you go.
Apple Watch Ultra, From £849, apple.com
OK, this might be overkill for a road race, but we’re such big fans of Apple’s latest watch that we wanted to include it this list anyway. If you need to make use of the 100m water resistance or the 86-decibel siren included with this 49mm wrist behemoth then something has gone seriously wrong with your marathon. But the Ultra has all the good stuff that you’re used to from the Apple Watch series, with exceptional cellular GPS to make sure your time is perfectly accurate as well as the health tracking hardware you can use to help you learn from your race to improve next time. The fact it looks so pretty is also a nice bonus.
Injinji running socks, £14.99, runandbecome.com
If you have ever run a distance race and developed blisters part way through, you’ll already know the importance of getting the right socks for a race. These ones from running specialist Injinji take the idea of removing any skin-on-skin friction to its logical conclusion by snuggling each of your toes into their own little foot glove. Made from breathable material with a lycra compression band around the midfoot to help prevent slippage, these will help you finish the marathon without the pain of blisters adding to the pain you’re feeling in every other part of your body.
Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2, £269.95, nike.com
Any serious runner will have at least a passing awareness of Nike’s flagship running shoe, which is now ubiquitous among the front-runners of the world’s top races. Ridiculously light and packed with running tech, these shoes are proven to return more energy per step than almost any other shoe in the world, helping take seasoned pavement pounders to the next level – hence the name. They come in a host of garish colours so everyone knows you mean business.
Salomon Soft Reservoir 1.5L, £32, salomon.com
Staying hydrated is no joke and this hydration reservoir could be your best friend as you hit the latter stages of the marathon. Lightweight and made from ultra-soft materials, the bag is designed to shrink as you drink, meaning you can lap up liquid while you’re still relatively fresh without having to worry about a bag flapping around as you hit the business end of the course.