It’s Spring marathon season is here. Put your hand up if you’ve got a race lined up… keep it up if you’re weighing up what kit you need. Getting your race-day marathon kit right can feel mission critical and a right mission at the same time. So in this video, Run Tester Kieran is going to share all the bits and bobs he’s planning to use to take on the Adidas Manchester Marathon. From his best marathon shoes and running socks, to running belts and running headphones. This is his definitive list of tried, tested and trusted marathon gear that he’ll use to help get round the 26.2. Hit play for Kieran’s guide to the best marathon kit.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
0:00 – Intro
0:31 – The Adidas Mancherst Marathon race plan
1:27 – Nutrition and hydration
3:00 – Race kit: Apparel
5:34 – Marathon shoes
6:27 – Running watch, headphones and tech
7:25 – Other marathon essentials
8:39 – Post-race drop bag
Check out the Adidas Manchester Marathon:
https://www.manchestermarathon.co.uk/
THE MARATHON KIT LIST LINKS
Precision Fuel & Hydration
https://www.precisionhydration.com/products/
Veloforte Energy Bars
https://veloforte.com/collections/energy-bars/products/classico
ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris
https://www.sportsshoes.com/product/asi14708/metaspeed-sky-paris-running-shoes—ss24
Under Armour Rush Short Sleeve Base Layer
https://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/brand/under-armour/rush-short-sleeve-base-layer-shirt-450415
Satisfy Pertex 3L Fly Jacket
https://satisfyrunning.com/products/pertex-3l-fly-rain-jacket
Adidas D4R Shorts
https://www.runningxpert.com/en/adidas-men-s-d4r-shorts-hz4440.html
Naked Running Belt
https://nakedsportsinnovations.com/products/naked-running-band?variant=40776613167284
CXP Endurance XP
https://cxpsport.com/collections/endurance-xp
Stance Icon Performance Socks
https://stance.eu.com/products/icon-sport-crew-sock-white
2Toms Sportshield
https://www.ultramarathonrunningstore.com/2Toms-s/1938.htm
SIDAS Silicone Gel Cap Toe Protectors
https://www.sidas.com/en/foot-protectors/111-gel-toe-cap.html
Jabra Elite 8 Active
https://www.jabra.co.uk/bluetooth-headsets/jabra-elite-8-active
Polar Grit X2 Pro
https://www.polar.com/uk-en/grit-x2-pro
Polar H10
https://www.polar.com/uk-en/sensors/h10-heart-rate-sensor
Hey people welcome to the Run testers so It's spring Marathon season and put your Hand up if you've got a race lined up Keep it up there if you're weighing up What kit you need now getting your race Day kit right can feel Mission critical And a right Mission at the same time so In this video I'm going to share all the Bits and Bobs that I'm planning to use When I take on the Adidas Manchester Marathon in a few weeks time now that's From shoes and socks to belts and Earbuds watches this is a definitive List of tried and tested and trusted Gear that I take to help me get round The 26.2 So let's get into It first off a bit about the Manchester Marathon then well I've not run the Adidas Manchester marathon before but It's supposed to be one of the UK's Fastest and flattest races it swings Past things like Manchester United's Theater of Dreams the Lanier Cricket Club Bridgewater Hall and beam Tower my Race plan for this is very simple I'm Going to run the whole thing on field I Will wear a watch but I'll cover it with A buff and Pace the race from start to Finish just on how feel it's a strategy That I've been using for all my runs Recently and it's not only been getting Me results but it's also made my races 100% more enjoyable instead of picking a
Pace Target that I think my training Deserves and blowing up after 16 miles Trying to stick to that pace I run at an Intensity that my training and the Conditions on the day actually allows With my kind of body and then I tend to End up finishing strong I suggest you Try It anyway let's get into kit then and First up let's talk about fueling for Fueling I'm I'm planning to pack three Precision Fuel and hydration 90 G gel Pouches so that will be around 270 G of Carbs for the three odd hours that's the Equivalent of 12 regular 22 G gels and I'll start taking that around an hour in And then I'll have some every 15 to 20 Minutes but the good thing about these Gels is that they're resalable so I can Take on board as much or as little as I Want and I can do smaller amounts more Frequently rather than forcing down a Whole gel because You' ripped it open These are resalable so it works I also Like the fact they're neutral tasting They're a bit like Morton in that sense And I find it easier to stash three Things in a belt rather than having to Pocket a dozen gels and worry about them Falling out somewhere on the course now I'll also have one Viet energy gel which Is an all natural date based gel that I Carry and I'll use that for a change of Taste and texture have it as a kind of
Backup for when I need something Different on the morning of the race I'll likely pack a pre-race energy bar Just to have something convenient to top Up the carbs an hour or so before I run That will be a bellaforte or a 33 fuel Energy bar check those out they are Absolutely delicious I'll also use Precision Fuel and hydration 1500 and 1,000 tabs for prehydration and I'll Start adding those to my water a few Days out and then have a 1500 in the Water bottle the evening before I'll Fill a bottle with a th000 to sip with My breakfast and on the way to the race I won't over drink but I find that Really works getting me to the start Nicely hydrated without being Overhydrated so let's get on to the kit For the day starting with a pr- rce now I hate being cold and I get really mad Rain ORS which is kind of fingers dying So I'll head to the start with the Jacket maybe even some gloves and for That I'm going to take the satisfied Perex 3L fly jacket it's light imp Packable with excellent waterproofing And wind protection is just what I need To take the edge off that will go in my Drop bag as close to the sort of go time As possible as well and then onto my Race outfit I'm probably a bit different To a lot of Runners I'm not a minimal Kind of vest and short shorts kind of
Runner I tend to wear a base layer on Top and a tea I wear Bas layer shorts And running shorts and I do that even When it's hot it's just how I feel Comfortable I've always raced like that So for a base layer I'm going to reach For the tried and trusted under arour Rush short sleeve Bas layer I've had These Bas layers for more than 5 years Now they're soft they're smooth they hug Nicely without being restrictive and the Most important thing for me is that I Know that my nipples won't cha even if I Don't put anything on them they're Guaranteed for that gray on top of that I'll be wearing a new Adidas technical Te on the bottom half I'm going to have The cxp run or the ultralight XP Bas Layer shorts they're super lightweight Virtually seamless and the sweat wicking Fabric kind of moves moisture really Well so you avoid any areas getting Really drenched and saggy they've also Got a nice wide waistband that sits flat And secure it doesn't roll up and won't Cut super lightweight all of that evens Out the pressure and it kind of moves With your body so they're super Comfortable kind of briefs under layer Sort of shorts those also don't cha they Are great for shorts I've got the Adidas Heat ready shorts nice and simple Crucially no built-in liner as those can Chafe I've never used them got small
Pocket in the back if I need to stash a Gel or something now speaking of Stashing gels and phone and headphones And headphones case all that kind of Stuff I will use the naked running belt It's been my go-to running belt for a Long time now in fact it's finally Looking a bit WN I've used it for sort Of thousands and thousands of miles and Got them out of it and it's it's nice And lightweight you can cram in loads of Stuff into the nice stretch mesh Sections I absolutely love this belt I Used it to run across Europe with it and It's absolutely perfect for everything I Need to carry on the marathon on my feet I'm going to wear the stance performance Run crew socks I love the crew cut but They're also just nicely balanced sock On the thicker side overall but not Overdone I don't think there's lovely Sort of padding underf foot in the right Places that I think can help later into The race there's good wicking excellent Durability I tend to reach for them on Longer runs anyway and I've tested them With a race fit shoe that I'm going to Wear and they kind of are a bit snug but I kind of like that extra padding and That [Music] Feel now okay so the biggie what shoes Will I choose to race in I've thought Long at hard about this and I've left
The decision really quite late we're a Couple of weeks out I considered the Adidas Prime X2 strung the adios Pro 3 The Nike vaporfly 2 uh but the shoe that I'm going to lace up will be drum Roll it's going to be the aex metas Speed Sky Paris after my recent Marathon Test which you can find a video on the Channel I think this shoe has everything That I want in a marathon shoe it's Light Punchy propulsive it feels good on The foot with that important kind of Disappearing feel I think it's got that Lively energetic ride that I want one Important note here I am feeling like I've done a good training block and I'm Confident I'm going to be able to hold Good form for the whole 26.2 if you can't and you're not sure Then I'm not sure this shoe maybe has Your back deeper into runs if your form Goes a bit Ragged So onto the tech then when I'm racing All out I definitely like to use music So I will be wearing headphones for sure And for that I'm either going to pop in The Jabra Elite a active which offer Great sound good reliable comfortable Fit plenty of battery life for the Marathon they also have the option to Use awareness mode if at any point I Decide to quiet my European dance music Nice stashable case if you want to put
Them away or I'll be using a pair of top Super headphones that we've been testing At the moment I can't reveal right now But we will have a review of those up Before race day I'll likely wear three Watches just for testing purposes I will Have the new polar grit X2 Pro going up Against the polar Vantage V3 I'll also Have the Garmin 4 and a 965 strapped to My running belt and paired to a chest Strap to capture good heart rate data I Won't look at my heart rate as I run but To ensure I'm getting that good post run Data I'll use the polar h10 the gold Standard chest strap if you're looking For a chest strap that brings accuracy This is the one that I would recommend That's what I'll be [Music] Wearing now on to other bits and Bobs That I use to make sure my body is well Look looked after on the marathon first Up it's one of the most important items On my kit list is the lube I talk about This a lot of the chadel and yeah I just I Chay fig is a terrible thing I use two Tom sport Shield to prevent Marathon Nipple don't want bleeding nipples and To protect all of my other really Important soft bits you know all the Chafy stuff the rolling is really easy To apply It's relatively mess-free it Doesn't leave lasting marks on clothes And one application of this will last
All day long I've used it for years for All kinds of races and if there's a Better anti-chafe out there I've not Found it my little toes live too close To their neighbors as well and get a Battering if I run for too long too much Time on feet it's not necessarily a Problem during marathons mainly a Problem during Al Ultras but I've Started taking proportions on marathons Too so I'll pop some cider silicon gel Cap toe protectors over my pesky pinkies These little ones to provide some Protection from friction it's not 100% Foolproof and you have to take care how You position the Caps cuz if they slip They can just exacerbate the problem by Putting something extra into the mix in Between your toes but so far I've used Them they seem to to help so if you're Like me you struggle with any kind of Toe on toe aggression I think these Might be an idea to look At and then finally I've got my postra Drop bag I'm likely to be on my own at Manchester so this becomes more Important for me but even if you're Meeting family post race it's important To stick a few key items into your drop Bag for collection when the race Finishes just in case it takes a while To meet up with your friends and family And the people who might have dry kit The first thing I totally recommend is a
Battery pack and a charging cas able to Charge your phone should it run out of Juice I had this one year after London And end up having to sit in an e store For ages waiting for my phone to charge Before I could call my family who are All panicking about where I'd gone next You want clean clothes definitely a Clean tea a top you want you know body Temperature can drop really very fast After a marathan even though you might Finish really hot and having wet clothes Close to the skin particularly on your Top half next to your body is a really Bad idea you want to do everything you Can to get your body out of fight or Flight mode from the marathon and to Start speeding up that recovery so get Yourself comfortable get yourself warm Make sure you've got some clothes to Change into quickly for that I'd also Take some trapy bottoms with wide legs That you can pull immediately over any Shorts and your shoes you might not want To be taking your shoes off at that time Having said that a pair of rium or comfy Shoes or sliders if you do want to take Them off now if you're planning to get Changed pack undies and clean socks Choose your socks wisely as well though Your feet and Toes can be very tender And you want socks that are a little bit Looser and easy to get on with none of The kind of little straggly hairs and
Fraying kind of fibers inside CU they'll Catch your toenails finally I highly Recommend adding a couple of salty Savory snacks in there you'll be sick of Sweet stuff and bananas and something Like salted nuts can be good to get some Energy back in without having to eat More Sports Nutrition which you probably Would have had enough of so there you Have it that's been my rapid run through Of my Manchester marathon Race Kit took Me a long time to hone what works for me And I hope it's given you one or two Tips that you could try yourselves hope There some gear in there that might work For you you I'd love to hear what Absolute Essentials you all use to drop Your top two or three items in the Comments below and we can kind of Crowdsource the best kit and help each Other out let's see what everyone else Uses as well if you're still not sure What shoes to choose check out our Guides of the best Marathon shoes I'm Going to pop on the channel just about Now otherwise it's been a real pleasure Chatting Marathon kit with you thanks as Ever for popping by and watching if You're running Manchester come over and Say hello if you see me out there if you Run past me and I'm moving badly kick me In the pants if you're running any Marathon this spring best of luck out There Lube your soft bits and run strong
Happy Marathon running people go get it
