As a ten-year gear tester with six marathons under my belt, I’ve developed a finely tuned radar for what I will and will not need before any given long run. Distances over ten miles merit gels and my favorite hydration vest; weather in the 50s means shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt, even if I’m shivering through the first mile. I know what percent charge I need on my sports watch and earbuds to ensure they won’t run out on a 20-miler.
But on race day, all that hard-earned wisdom goes out the window. No matter the forecast, I’m packing three different outfits for weather patterns ranging from polar vortex to Saharan Desert. Two pairs of headphones get tossed into my carry-on, along with three extra chargers and a back-up watch. The poncho that’s been languishing in my glove compartment since that one outdoor concert? Sure, why not! My therapist would say that overpacking is a symptom of my anxiety about all the race day variables I can’t control—and she’d be right.
Unfortunately, my neuroses can rack up unnecessary expense. For all they say about running being a (relatively) cheap sport, once you start training for half and full marathons, the essential gear list gets exponentially longer—and more expensive. I’m not here to argue that; I ran the 2024 New York City Marathon in a fresh pair of $250 super shoes like thousands of others—with no regrets. But when I crossed the finish line and took stock of what I actually used from my overstuffed kit, many of my MVPs were all surprisingly low-budget. If you’re running the New York marathon this weekend, these are the under-$30 essentials that elevated my race day from bearable to the best yet.
The post 4 Things Under $30 That Helped Me Survive My First NYC Marathon appeared first on Outside Online.
