Marathon Weekend 2025

[Let's Get Kronk]

I couldn't stand the treadmill when I first moved to Dallas, but I ended up making peace with it. Only way for me to keep running in the summer. I'm one of those who won't get out of bed until I have to, so early (very early) morning runs never happened.

I managed to get myself out of bed early two days a week last summer to run, but it makes me super miserable and I'm already dreading it. Haha. I much prefer running after work (or late afternoon on a WFH day). I am NOT a morning person.

 

[Naomeri]

I would rather die of thirst than carry something in my hand during a run.

I tried that once—by mile seven of ten, I was contemplating drinking puddle water

Now I carry the stupid water bottle (backpacks and belts don’t work for me)

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Gear recommendations needed…my husband is new to running general. Just found out he got a charity bib for the Marathon so we can do this one together! So he needs all the things. I’d like to gift him some for Father’s Day. Need recommendations on stuff for a guy, including but not limited to:
- Phone carrier (I use a flipbelt but wasn’t sure if there’s something that men wear that’s better? He doesn’t think he’ll like it on his arm
- Water contraption? (For longer runs when we need to carry water. My flipbelt also holds my water so what else is there? Camelbak?)
- He says a hat makes him feel hotter but I want him to protect his face in the Florida sun. Visor?

TIA!

I have a Nathans belt that I've used in the past for my phone, but in the past year I've gotten to where I much prefer running tights with a phone pocket on the side, and I wear my shorts over them. The tights are both my phone carrier and physical barrier against chub-rub on the inside of my thighs. If and when I need to get to my phone, I just slide up the outside of my running shorts. My belt now stays on the shelf other than when needed for longer races to carry fuel.
Armband for a phone? I've tried it and not a fan. Either it wants to slide down to my elbow, or it is annoyingly tight on my arm. Thus I went with a belt until I discovered the tights with phone pockets.
Water - put me in the camp where I'd prefer dehydration to carrying water on a run. I let people hand me water during races.
Hat - thinning hair (Captain Picard look, here I come....) means I have to wear a hat. I have some very thin (the material), light running hats that I can actually tuck into a pocket if I hit some shade. I also keep a headband in my pocket to keep sweat out of my eyes if I doff the hat. If I had enough hair, I'd absolutely go with a headband. (Yeah, I'm wearing out the italics button on this post).
Does he have a good running watch? If not, maybe something like that?
Aftershokz?

 

[Cabius]

I managed to get myself out of bed early two days a week last summer to run, but it makes me super miserable and I'm already dreading it. Haha. I much prefer running after work (or late afternoon on a WFH day). I am NOT a morning person.

I signed up for a gym just to run in the summer, and learned that I hate running on a treadmill so much more than I hate running in 90-degree weather. So after about a half-dozen treadmill runs, I promptly* cancelled my membership to LA Fitness.

*a year and a half later

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

I signed up for a gym just to run in the summer, and learned that I hate running on a treadmill so much more than I hate running in 90-degree weather. So after about a half-dozen treadmill runs, I promptly* cancelled my membership to LA Fitness.

*a year and a half later

I would be joining that exact same LA Fitness. We will see. I'm pretty cheap* so I'll probably just suck it up and figure out a better outdoor schedule.

*except for runDisney vacations.

 

[Disneyhanna]

I signed up for a gym just to run in the summer, and learned that I hate running on a treadmill so much more than I hate running in 90-degree weather. So after about a half-dozen treadmill runs, I promptly* cancelled my membership to LA Fitness.

*a year and a half later

I can do you one worse. I have a treadmill and I pay for iFit single subscription (maybe $10 or $11 a month?) just for the simple luxury of being able to import my treadmill workouts directly to Strava. I just looked and I've used it 8x since August I hesitate to cancel it though, since iFit seems to be on the end of its life and if I cancel I may not be able to get it back at my current price. But yeah...let's not do that per run math...

 

[Cabius]

I would be joining that exact same LA Fitness. We will see. I'm pretty cheap* so I'll probably just suck it up and figure out a better outdoor schedule.

*except for runDisney vacations.

Be warned that if you decide to cancel, they require you to mail a physical cancellation letter to their corporate office, and it may take a couple such letters getting 'lost' before they actually receive the third one and cancel your membership...

 

[nancipants]

"I want to quit the bank!"

$10 to whoever gets that reference.

 

[Let's Get Kronk]

"I want to quit the bank!"

$10 to whoever gets that reference.

You will NEVER get a Friends reference past me. Never.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

You will NEVER get a Friends reference past me. Never.

"Oh, yeah, I'm a gym member. I try to go four times a week, but I've missed the last... twelve hundred times."

 

[The Expert]

Gear recommendations needed…my husband is new to running general. Just found out he got a charity bib for the Marathon so we can do this one together! So he needs all the things. I’d like to gift him some for Father’s Day. Need recommendations on stuff for a guy, including but not limited to:
- Phone carrier (I use a flipbelt but wasn’t sure if there’s something that men wear that’s better? He doesn’t think he’ll like it on his arm
- Water contraption? (For longer runs when we need to carry water. My flipbelt also holds my water so what else is there? Camelbak?)
- He says a hat makes him feel hotter but I want him to protect his face in the Florida sun. Visor?

TIA!

As many others have pointed out (and you can see by the variety of suggestions) this is a highly personal, trial-and-error process. Definitely go with the gift card to a running store with a good return policy. Alternatively, check out thrift stores, discount outlets (Nordstrom Rack, Sierra, etc) and sporting goods trade-up shops for used and cheap gear to rule things in or out.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Gear recommendations needed…my husband is new to running general. Just found out he got a charity bib for the Marathon so we can do this one together! So he needs all the things. I’d like to gift him some for Father’s Day. Need recommendations on stuff for a guy, including but not limited to:
- Phone carrier (I use a flipbelt but wasn’t sure if there’s something that men wear that’s better? He doesn’t think he’ll like it on his arm
- Water contraption? (For longer runs when we need to carry water. My flipbelt also holds my water so what else is there? Camelbak?)
- He says a hat makes him feel hotter but I want him to protect his face in the Florida sun. Visor?

TIA!

Looks like you've had a ton of great advice. I have several drawers full of trial and error gear that may or may not get used with any frequency, FWIW.

I normally wear a Fitletic belt for my phone but also have versions with one and two water bottles. I don't totally love wearing water on my waste so last year tinkered with a Solomon vest, which I really like. But I'm sort of all over the place - the vest is great in warm weather when only wearing a shirt, but it's not that great in colder weather if I have more layers (likely not a problem for you in FL), at least for me - so I go back to using the belt. I don't have years of distance running under my belt, first marathon was 2023, so I still feel like I'm in a constant state of tinkering with equipment to find what works best for any given run length and any given conditions.

I have recently been wearing Men's Korsa shorts which have allowed me to, if inclined, drop the belt for the phone. I have both Korsa Scope 7" which has a compression liner with a slip in phone pocket, and Korsa Long Gone 9" 2.0, which has a brief liner with several types of exterior pockets for gear and a slip in phone pocket. I can run with my phone in a normal pocket in a pinch, but I don't like it - but the slip in pockets for both of these keep my phone nice and locked in/not moving. The Korsa Long Gone will probably be my go-to for my next runD race since having a phone quickly at the ready can be convenient. I'm sure there are several other brands with similar style shorts.

No hat recommendations - I also do not like running with a hat or visor. I have several cool looking Headsweat visors but they are so darn tight on my head I don't love them.

You didn't mention it, but to me the most important piece of gear when I embarked on my first Dopey was a Garmin (I transitioned kicking and screaming from an Apple Watch, but once I adjusted I've never looked back), followed by my Shokz headphones.

But honestly, you can go a little crazy with all the variations of gear, and opinions!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Late SAFD: I usually run first thing (like 5am) so not the most common time for heavy rain, with some exceptions. If it's a light sprinkle/mist, then OK - but if I wake up and can hear the rain drops on the roof or rain is imminent, hard pass, I'll either make it a Peloton day or (more likely) go back to sleep and reschedule. I'm impressed at those that stick to it to train for multiple conditions, but can't say I share that same level of motivation.

 

[matt and beth]

I tried the

Gear recommendations needed…my husband is new to running general. Just found out he got a charity bib for the Marathon so we can do this one together! So he needs all the things. I’d like to gift him some for Father’s Day. Need recommendations on stuff for a guy, including but not limited to:
- Phone carrier (I use a flipbelt but wasn’t sure if there’s something that men wear that’s better? He doesn’t think he’ll like it on his arm
- Water contraption? (For longer runs when we need to carry water. My flipbelt also holds my water so what else is there? Camelbak?)
- He says a hat makes him feel hotter but I want him to protect his face in the Florida sun. Visor?

TIA!

Wine and Dine had some nice NB shorts with pockets. Tried the home picket while I ran. WOW major mistake. After the race it felt like I was being stung in the shower. Later realized the chafing absolutely tore my leg up. It look 2 months for that to heal. . I carried the stupid phone for MW

 

[nekonekoneko]

Be warned that if you decide to cancel, they require you to mail a physical cancellation letter to their corporate office, and it may take a couple such letters getting 'lost' before they actually receive the third one and cancel your membership...

Beetlejuice beetlejuice beetlejuice?

But there needs to be a way to quit which is just as easy as it was to sign up. Of course, there's always doing a chargeback on your card. What's Planet Fitness going to do, delete your membership?

 

[Herding_Cats]

Did anyone in here buy the 2022 MW jacket....the blue/white one with the big foil design on the back? Specifically the men's version (no chip/dale on the back.) I'm looking for one and found a men's L (I fit what would normally be a men's M) for a good price, but the seller won't respond with any measurements and I know sometimes those ran super weird for sizes. Help?

 

[Bunkie1979]

Did anyone in here buy the 2022 MW jacket....the blue/white one with the big foil design on the back? Specifically the men's version (no chip/dale on the back.) I'm looking for one and found a men's L (I fit what would normally be a men's M) for a good price, but the seller won't respond with any measurements and I know sometimes those ran super weird for sizes. Help?

It's not exactly what you're asking for, but I can help with actual Men's Medium sizing for this jacket as DH has one. My women's jacket for the same year is a bit snug compared to my usual Women's size for other races over the years.

I've had luck downsizing a larger women's jacket with the help of a local trusted alterations business for minimal fee. Perhaps you'd be willing to consider same?

2022 MW Men's Medium Jacket measurements when laid flat are:

Shoulder width (measured horizontal across top from sleeve seam to sleeve seam) = 16.5"
Chest width (measured horizontal from armpit to armpit) = 26"
Hip width (measured horizontal along bottom of hem) = 21"
Jacket length (measured vertically from top of shoulder seam to bottom of hem) = 26"
Sleeve length (measured from shoulder seam to bottom of cuff) = 26.5"
Sleeve width (measured across bicep) = 7"
Sleeve cuff width = 4"

 

[UNCBear24]

I did the 10k that year! I never thought I would take cover in a porta potty, but I did Thankfully the rain let up right before we started. After I finished and spent some time at my charity tent, it started pouring as I was walking down to the gear check trucks where my rain jacket was checked.

I took cover in a porta potty during the marathon in January. With all the rain, I could barely see out of my glasses. I never thought I'd would resort to that, but I was glad I did. After a couple of minutes the rain really let up and I could see where I was going again.

 

[Disneyhanna]

I took cover in a porta potty during the marathon in January. With all the rain, I could barely see out of my glasses. I never thought I'd would resort to that, but I was glad I did. After a couple of minutes the rain really let up and I could see where I was going again.

I would have done that if I had been close to one I thought I was going to lose my contacts. I ended up stumbling by first aid after a mile of running with my eyes closed and was able to grab a paper towel to wipe my eyes enough to at least not trip over my own feet.

 

[DisneyParrothead]

I took cover in a porta potty during the marathon in January. With all the rain, I could barely see out of my glasses. I never thought I'd would resort to that, but I was glad I did. After a couple of minutes the rain really let up and I could see where I was going again.

Any port in a (an actual) storm! I just made sure I wasn't breathing through my nose.