Marathon Gear: What's Worth Having and Why

If finishing a half marathon has you thinking about the full distance, you are not alone. The good news on the gear side is that you already own most of what you need. Your shoes matter most, and we come to those at the end. Beyond them, the right marathon gear is a short list, and every item on it should earn its place by solving a specific problem that only shows up when you are on your feet for several hours rather than one or two.

This is not a training plan and it is not a checklist. It is a look at what each piece of gear actually does for you, so you can decide what is worth having and what can stay on the shelf. We have organised it around the moments in a marathon day when gear either helps or gets in the way.

What gear do you need for a marathon?

Less than you might think. Beyond shoes you have already run long in, the marathon gear worth having is a short list: running socks that do not rub, a GPS watch with the battery to outlast the day, a running belt or vest to carry your fuel and phone, a packable wind layer for the start line and the weather, and something dry for afterwards. A running vest matters more on the long runs beforehand than on race day itself.

Moments 1 and 4 · The start pen and the weather

A layer for the start line and the weather

What it does for you: keeps the wind off while you wait, then disappears into a pocket once you are warm.

In any season, a marathon morning in Ireland tends to start cool, and the waiting is the coldest part of the day. The layer you want is the one you can take off and forget about. The North Face Fontanales Wind Jacket uses a lightweight 74 g/m² WindWall fabric to reduce wind chill while staying breathable, has a water-repellent finish that sheds brief showers, and packs into its own stow pocket small enough to sit in a running vest. It is a wind layer rather than a waterproof, and that is the point: it handles the conditions you will actually meet without the weight of a full shell.

Patagonia's Women's Houdini does the same job in featherweight recycled nylon ripstop, with a chest pocket that converts to a stuff sack and a hood that adjusts in one pull. There is a men's Houdini as well. For more on this kind of layer, see our guide to windbreaker jackets in Ireland, and if you want something that will stand up to proper rain on long runs, how to choose a waterproof jacket covers the ratings.

Moment 2 · The early miles

A running watch that outlasts the day

What it does for you: tells you your pace and distance at a glance, and has the battery to keep doing it to the finish.

Your phone can track a run, but it is not something you want to be looking at in a crowd, and GPS tracking is hard on its battery. A dedicated watch solves both. The Garmin Forerunner 70 puts built-in GPS and wrist-based heart rate behind a bright AMOLED touchscreen you can read at a glance, with a battery that will comfortably outlast the day. PacePro pacing guidance and Race Predictor are there if you want them, and everything syncs to the free Garmin Connect app with no subscription.

The Forerunner 170 carries Garmin Pay for contactless payments, useful when the only thing you have on you is the watch, along with a barometric altimeter, a compass and up to 20 hours in GPS mode.

Moment 3 · The long middle

Do you need a running vest for a marathon?

What it does for you: carries water, fuel and a phone against your body so none of it bounces, and keeps your hands free.

The honest answer is: probably not on race day, and very probably in the months before it. Most organised marathons have water stations along the route, and plenty of runners finish without carrying a drop. The Dublin Marathon, for one, provides water on the course and allows hydration packs and running vests, though every pack is searched on the way into the start zone. Rules differ from race to race and can change, so check your own event's guidance before you plan around one. Where a vest earns its keep is on the long runs beforehand, when nobody is standing at the side of the road handing you a cup.

A running vest for a marathon build-up does not need to be big. Osprey's Duro LT is a good example of how little vest you actually need. Two soft flasks sit in front pockets where you can reach them without breaking stride, the stretch mesh wraps the body so nothing bounces, and there is room for food, small essentials and a light layer without it ever feeling like a pack. It is cut for a men's fit.

If your running also takes you into the hills, Salomon's Active Skin 12 is the bigger option: 12 litres of storage, up to 2.5 litres of hydration capacity and chest pockets built for quick access to your flasks. Salomon rates it for long trail distances, so it is more vest than a road marathon asks for, but it covers both jobs. There is a women's Active Skin 12 in the range too.

One thing worth separating out: a hydration vest and a hi-viz vest are different products that share a name. If what you want is to be seen on dark evenings rather than to carry water, our piece on EOS Elite running vests covers that side.

Moment 3 · The long middle

Running belts, soft flasks and handhelds

What it does for you: gets the small essentials out of your pockets, where they swing, and onto your waist or into your hand, where they do not.

If a vest feels like too much, a belt is usually the answer. The North Face Summit Run Belt keeps storage close to the waist: a stretch FlashDry body with a breathable mesh back panel, two slip pockets you reach from the top, a front kangaroo pocket, a separate pocket for your phone and a smaller one with a key hook. Dual cord locks hold your race number. You will find it with the rest of our running belts.

A belt like this is built around fuel and valuables. For water, the simplest option is a handheld. Camelbak's Quick Grip Chill straps a 620 ml Podium Chill bottle, which Camelbak says keeps water cold twice as long, to your palm, with a secure phone pocket and reflective detailing. If you already own a vest and only need to replace or add a bottle, the Salomon Soft Flask 500 ml has a wide 42 mm cap for easy refills and shrinks as you drink, which is what stops water sloshing in your pocket.

Moment 3 · The long middle

Carrying your fuel

What it does for you: puts energy in a form you can open and get down one-handed, on the move, without stopping.

How much you take and when is between you, your plan and whoever advises you. What we can help with is the format, because that is a gear decision. Some races hand out gels on the course, and the Dublin Marathon supplies them at two stations. If you have been using something else and want to stay with it, you need a way to carry your own. A gel is compact and quick. TORQ's Energy Gel is a 45 g sachet built on a 2:1 maltodextrin to fructose blend with five electrolytes, naturally flavoured and vegan. If you would rather chew than swallow a gel, TORQ Energy Jellies come as a 36 g pack of six soft chews, and TORQ describes them as temperature stable, which matters for something that lives in a pocket. There is a caffeinated gel in the range as well.

The one rule that matters here is a gear rule, not a nutrition one: anything you carry on the day should be something you have already carried and used. Work out which pocket it lives in and whether you can open it with cold hands long before it counts.

Every moment · Start to finish

What you run in

What it does for you: nothing you notice, which is the point.

Most of what you wear on the day you already own, and that is how it should be. The test for a top, shorts or tights is simple: have you run long in it without it rubbing, riding up or holding sweat? Technical fabrics that move moisture and seams that sit flat matter more over this distance than they do over 10 km. If something fails the test, replace it early enough to wear it in properly. Our men's running clothes, women's running clothes and running shorts are the places to look.

Moment 5 · The last stretch

Running socks: the detail behind every step

What it does for you: manages padding, seams and moisture in the one place that takes every single step.

Over marathon distance the details of a sock start to matter: where the seams sit, where the padding is, and how well the fabric moves moisture. 1000 Mile's Men's Run Anklet, which comes as a pack of two pairs, has padded zones at the heel, toes and ball of the foot, a ventilation mesh across the top and a flat toe seam to cut down on rubbing. There is a women's Run Anklet in the range too.

The same brand's Fusion sock uses a double layer construction, with a Tactel inner layer that wicks moisture, designed so that the two layers move against each other rather than against your skin. If you prefer wool, Smartwool's Run Zero Cushion is a 50% merino low ankle sock with a virtually seamless toe, mesh zones for breathability and an Achilles tab that stops it slipping down into the shoe. Browse men's running socks or women's running socks for the full range.

Moment 6 · After the line

After the finish line

What it does for you: makes the hour after you stop a good deal more comfortable than it would otherwise be.

You cool down fast once you stop moving, and the walk back to a bag or a car can be a long one. A dry top and that same packable wind layer are worth having waiting for you. For something to drink, TORQ Recovery is a powder you mix with water, built on a 3:1 blend of carbohydrate to whey protein. It comes in single-serve sachets, which suit a race bag, or a 1.5 kg pouch. It contains milk.

Every moment · Start to finish

And the one you already knew: your shoes

What it does for you: more than anything else here. It is the piece of gear that matters most, and the one that needs the most time to get right.

Every other item here is about comfort and convenience. Shoes are the one decision nobody questions, and the only rule that matters is the same one as for fuel: nothing new on the day. The pair you race in should be one you have already put real distance into. That makes the months before the race the time to choose, not the week before.

If cushioning is what you are after for everyday road miles, the Hoka Bondi 9 is built around a deep, soft midsole with a curved MetaRocker sole that encourages an easier heel-to-toe transition, and an Active Foot Frame that cradles the heel within the midsole rather than sitting it on top. For another Hoka road shoe, our piece on the Hoka Clifton 11 goes through the specs, the fit and what has changed. The full range of road running shoes is below, and the team in store is always happy to help you try a few pairs side by side.

What is worth having

If you are stepping up from a half, you do not need to buy everything here, and you should not try to. Start with the items that solve a problem you have already noticed: a way to carry water on longer runs, socks that do not rub, a watch that lasts. Add the rest if and when the need shows up. Our running vests, running belts and road running shoes are good places to begin.