The Best Running Gear for 2019: Shoes, Clothes, Accessories – WIRED

By Staff 5 years ago

The Best Running Gear for 2019: Shoes, Clothes, Accessories  WIRED

Whether you’re pounding the pavement or cheering your friends on, we have the gear for you, including fitness watches, running shoes, socks, shorts, jackets, …

The time has come. All winter you’ve been slogging through the damp, cold miles, wrapped in fleeces, hoodies, and headbands. Now your persistence is paying off, your perpetual ice cream headache is finally fading, and summer is almost here! Time to enjoy the cool breezes on bare arms and a post-run patio beer. You also stand a passing chance of persuading someone else to join you on a run. This spring, we’ve updated our fall running gear guide to reflect some of our latest greatest finds. Go forth and rack up mileage. Be sure to also check out our Best Fitness Trackers and Best Running Shoes guides—and all the gear that helped WIRED’s editor in chief run faster marathons in his forties.

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  • Topo Athletic Ultraventure Shoe

    Best Running Shoes

    Topo Athletic

    Ultraventure

    Everyone has different running shoe preferences, but Topo Athletic’s fit mine—their roomy toe boxes accommodate my wide toe spread, the result of years of barefoot running, and they don’t let my skinny heels slip. The plush, 3-layer EVA midsole and 5-mm heel-to-toe drop offer cushioning on a variety of surfaces, from mud or hardpack to blacktop. The drainage gills squish out water quickly and efficiently, and they’re also gaiter-compatible.

    $130

    REI

    Buy Now

  • Best Socks

    Darn Tough

    Vertex Ultra-Light No Show Socks

    From the second you pick up a sock, you can tell it’s a cut above the rest. The weave is tighter and more cushioned. They don’t stretch out, get holes, or fall down. All of these things are incredibly important when you’re running more than a few miles. They also have an if you want to keep grit out. .

    $16

    Amazon

    Buy Now

  • Best Running Shorts

    Nike

    Eclipse Shorts

    If you, too, are a buttless wonder like me, it’s important to pick bottoms that have a drawstring to hold them up. The Dri-Fit fabric of these shorts is silky soft and doesn’t retain sweat, and its wide waistband refuses to roll over, even if you have a bit of a tummy. If you choose to carry your essentials in a backpack or waist pack, there are two useful pockets: a slide-in up front and a zip pocket at the sacrum. also use its Dri-Fit fabric.

    $45

    Nike

    Buy Now

  • Best Running Buds

    Plantronics

    Backbeat Fit 2100

    Plantronics is a WIRED fave for providing excellent audio quality at an even more excellent price. Its new Bluetooth-enabled fitness headphone series offers a host of options, from wirefree earpieces to a nylon cord. But our favorite pick is the durable rubber Fit 2100, which winds around the back of your neck. This upgrade to the Backbeat Fit is now sweat-proof and waterproof, so you can wear them in the hot tub after your workout. They have a phenomenal 6- to 7-hour battery life, so they won’t poop out mid-run. You can also customize your button preferences with the new Backbeat app.

    $100

    Amazon

    Buy Now

  • Best Headlamp

    BioLite

    Headlamp 330

    BioLite’s new headlamp is one of my favorite discoveries in the past year. The battery pack is at the back of the headband, instead of the front, so the small, 9-mm light can sit comfortably flush on your forehead without bouncing. The battery is rechargeable and long-lasting; BioLite says it lasts up to 40 hours on low power, and I’ve gone for weeks of night runs without having to recharge. It’s also water-resistant and weighs only 2.43 ounces. This is an important piece of equipment to have if you think you might be caught out after dark. (It’s .)

    $50

    REI

    Buy Now

  • Best Energy Bar

    Clif

    Sweet & Salty Energy Bar

    You’ll have to experiment to find out which energy bar, gummy, or gel does the best job of getting calories into you without making you want to throw up. But no matter the advances in dietary science, Clif bars always do the trick for me. They last a long time in storage and hold their structural integrity even when shoved deep into the bottom of a bag. And they’re made from real rolled oats, honey, and chocolate, which I’ll take over artificially flavored, neon sugar goo any day. A .

    $1.50

    REI

    Buy Now

  • Best Water Bottle

    Ultimate Direction

    Clutch Handheld

    I recommended Ultimate Direction’s in last year’s guide, but I myself have since downgraded to a lighter and more convenient handheld; I just don’t run far enough to warrant a full running vest. If you want a hydration accessory of some kind, make sure the bottle is soft, so the water won’t slosh around as it empties. I also recently discovered you can tuck a soft water bottle, unlike a hard one, in your jacket so it doesn’t freeze. (Also .)

    $40

    REI

    Buy Now

  • Best Running Jacket

    Marmot

    Bantamweight

    The only thing more annoying than wearing a rain jacket while running is having to knot it around your waist when the rain stops. The Marmot Bantamweight has a tissue-paper-thin 7 denier by 7 denier weave, which means it’s almost unnoticeable. It weighs less than 5 ounces and is easy to stuff in a pocket or fanny pack. I also wrote about it in my picks for Best Rain Jackets. It’s also and .

    $275

    Marmot

    Buy Now

  • Best Waist Pack

    Patagonia

    Mini Hip Pack

    OK, your handheld water bottle, jacket, and shorts all have pockets, but I never go on a run without this waist pack. It’s made of extremely thin, lightweight nylon ripstop and fits my iPhone 8 perfectly. Even though it’s small, it magically expands to fit all the accessories that I shed as I run—whether that’s my gloves, hat, or sunglasses. It has a small interior pocket that also doubles as a stuff sack, so you can take it traveling, and its retro colorways are attractive enough for me to use it as a purse.

    $29

    REI

    Buy Now

  • Best Sunglasses

    Sunski Topeka

    With the advent of light, affordable, and attractive sport sunglass brands like Goodr and Sunski, I will never pay more than $100 for a pair of shades again. Out of dozens of sunglasses that I’ve been sent, my favorite running sunglasses right now are Sunski’s Topekas. They curve to fit my face and have grippy rubber nose pads to keep them from sliding down. They’re polarized, made from recycled plastic, and weigh less than an ounce. And since they’re covered by Sunski’s warranty, the only way I’d need to buy another pair is if I dropped these at the bottom of a lake. (You can find .)

    $68

    REI

    Buy Now

  • Best Therapy Treatment

    Champion

    Lacrosse Ball

    If you suffer from chronic shin splints or plantar fasciitis, you could spend hundreds on physical therapy, custom orthotics, or other devices to help you manage your pain. Or you could also pick up a hard, rubbery lacrosse ball and spend a few minutes each day rolling out the muscles in your calves, thighs, and feet. It’s like using a foam roller, but smaller, easier to transport, and better for targeting small muscles.

    $6

    Amazon

    Buy Now

  • Best Sports Watch

    Garmin

    Instinct

    While a Garmin Forerunner is probably your best bet if you’re training for a race, I like the Instinct for running trails. It uses three separate satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo) to compensate for my completely cockeyed internal compass and help me find my way back to the trailhead. It’s lightweight and water-resistant, and it also tracks my other favorite activities, like mountain biking, stand-up paddleboarding, climbing, swimming, and yoga. It’s also more affordable than some of Garmin’s other high-end sports watches.

    $300

    Amazon

    Buy Now

TopicsrunningshoesmarathonShoppingbuying guides

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