I’ve been training for my first marathon and vlogging my progress on YouTube and Instagram. Early on I was told to start running in my marathon kit as soon as possible. I’m sharing below what I chose, why, and how much it cost. Perhaps it will help other new marathon runners choose.
I do not promise these are the best choices, or that these are right for you!
Links are to the manufacturers websites but you’ll likely find plenty of other retails of their products
There’s a video version of this here [note to self, add it when published :-)]
The BLUF (Bottom Line, Up Front)
All of my marathon equipment has cost a total of £589.
That includes several items I have multiples of so that I can avoid washing them every day. So much for running being a cheap activity.
Trainers – Brooks Ghost 16
£135 from my local running shop.
I went there for an hour and tried on 5 different pairs. Strangely I didn’t settle on the most expensive. I had decided that even £200 would be worth it if it makes my first run more comfortable so didn’t ask the price until I’d chosen my favourite.
Socks – Balega Blister Resist
£16/pair, £64 for the 4 pairs that I bought.
Before I lost my mind and decided to run a marathon I’d been running 5Km 2 or 3 times a week. Buying trail running trainers when I happened to be passing the running shop meant I didn’t have decent socks so I bought a new pair there, and their recommendation was Balega. That pair has been fine so I decided to buy a few more specifically for the marathon. I’ve no idea if they actually resist blisters or it’s good marketing. I did get a few small and minor blisters the first few weeks of having the trainers but none since. For context that’s probably 300km of training runs so I’m guessing they work for me.
Shorts – Montane Men’s Jetstream 5″ Trail running short tights
£44 each, £132 for 3 pairs.
I love these shorts! I started running in tights over winter and realised I much prefer the figure hugging fabric. Not because I have an amazing figure (watch the videos, you’ll see what I mean), I find the tights more comfortable to run in. Also, if you watch my vlog “Run 36, number 2” you’ll discover a bonus feature they don’t advertise…
Decathlon breathable Kiprun Run 500 dry+
£11 each, £33 for 3 t-shirts.
Despite throwing money at other clothing, I found these cheap T-Shirts from Decathlon that do just what I need. My wife doesn’t like the print pattern but I think they were end of line on offer.
Hydration Vest – Montane Gecko VP 5L+
£100 including 2 x soft water flasks
Technically, I bought this twice. I misread the web site for sizing and ordered large which would be right for some of their other things, but the hydration vest sizes at the bottom I needed medium. Too large, and they bounce as you’ll notice in my early videos. I’m only counting the cost once for this. Also they RRP seems to be around £120 but there are always discounts and offers on Montane so £100 is the realistic price. The alternatives I considered were also around £100 from Salomon (I tried one in the running shop but I can’t remember it’s name, I was going to get that one until I saw the £100 price from Montane and decided to save myself a trip into the city).
FRACTEL L-TANGLE Legionnaire cap
£45
I spent ages researching caps. I wanted one with cloth to cover my neck as there’s a good chance my marathon will be on a sunny day. It’s proved useful on my training runs too. Picking a cap was hard because I wanted to put my Run Rootie logo on it with iron on vinyl. The one I chose had a fabric patch that I unpicked to give me the space for my logo. It’s very lightweight and wicks away sweat ever so quickly. It’s always wet from sweat when I return from a run.
Shokz OpenMove Blue refurbished
£80
Technically I had these before I signed up for the marathon. One of my suppliers reps is a keen marathon runner and recommend bone conduction headphones when I first started running. I went cheap by ordering the refurbished pair when my originals died and I couldn’t wait for the warranty replacements (I sold those when they arrived). In hindsight I should have got the version with USB-C charging rather than magnetic connecting cable. It’s a minor annoyance to remember to take that cable with me when travelling.
The bottom line
£589
All of the equipment I’ve chosen to run my first marathon has cost me £589 which to me is a sensible investment in my comfort on my marathon challenge.
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