Marathon Weekend 2026

[sandam1]

SAFD I use a pair of cheap over-the-ear headphones that I found on Amazon. I usually get about a year out of a pair before they stop charging for one reason or another. But they are inexpensive enough that I'm not devastated if I lose one. During races or when out on the road, I usually only wear one so I can hear things around me.

That being said, I have searched for a better pair as the ones that I use get glitchy when it's windy out (i.e. the connection to the phone will cut in and out). The catch is that I absolutely must have buttons on my headphones. I cannot stand the "tap the right earbud once to do this" and "tap the left one twice to do this." I also want something where each side works independently of the other (i.e. I can still wear just one without losing functions). Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[radiodome21]

SAFD: for running: Bose Ultra Open ear buds. Everything else is AirPods Pro. I bought my Bose certified refurbished directly from Bose for $199. The first race I wore them was a disaster as there was too much Bluetooth interference from the runners around me. I had to pocket them. I reached out to Bose who said basically that yup it’s a thing. Next race went off without a hitch and haven’t had an issue since. I love them. It was between this and Shokz. However since I wear a Bluetooth phone headset for my job the Shokz wouldn’t work. They’re amazing. Great sound and bass and they clip on to the ear lobe. After a while you forget they’re clip ons. I did buy my wife the Shokz minis and she really likes them. I never loved running with my AirPods in my ears and I never knew that they made over the ear headphones until I came across a Shokz stand at our Dick Pond. I just signed up for an audible subscription too so these will get plenty of use.

 

[FFigawi]

SAFD: None except on a treadmill. In those rare circumstances, I alternate between a pair of Creative Outlier Air and AirPods Pro. The AirPods sound better, the Outliers don’t fall out.

 

[AZMermaid]

SAFD: I like my Beats Powerbeats Pro but this is good timing as one stopped working this week. It came back to life with a reset so we’ll see if it holds!

 

[col1]

Have tried a few different options over the years. I had Air Pods but like a few others the shape of my ears was not compatible with them staying in. I got some Shockz about 5 years ago and they have been good, sound quality wise they are just ok so I use them for running only. To be honest I used to use them for nearly every run but now I rarely run with music. I prefer these days to run with as little as possible, I have my Garmin on and that’s it, no phone , no music no gels or drinks.

 

[dobball23]

SAFD: No headphones/earbuds or music for me while I run. It would be weird to not hear my surroundings, especially when I run in the dark.

Based on the responses, if I ever decide to listen to something while I am running, I should certainly look into Shokz. They sound very popular!

 

[KCO5988]

SAFD: I use a cheap pair from amazon. Brand name is bmani. They're fine, but not great.

Side note, do we think medals today??

 

[jrsharp21]

SAFD: I am also in the now headphones/music camp. It just became an annoyance trying to deal with them and my phone or mp3 player (old school) when I was running. So ended up ditching them and never looked back. But when I did, I used Airpods. I tried other style headphones bult felt like I always had air trapped in my ears. I have never tried Shokz but they look like they would work for me if I was listening to music during a run.

 

[*DisneyDreamer]

SAFD: I use a cheap pair from amazon. Brand name is bmani. They're fine, but not great.

Side note, do we think medals today??

I hope so, but who knows at this point. I started thinking we’d see them like a month ago so I don’t know what’s taking so long this year.

 

[pluto377]

SAFD:
***If you have a costco membership, they have them on sale for $75 currently, and I believe they carry the mini version online.***

Thank you for the heads up! My Shokz died over the weekend (after 5 years) so I'm glad I can save a little on the replacement pair!

SAFD: Shokz. I hate any type of in-ear bud. As mentioned above, my Shokz refused to turn on this weekend and I didn't have any kind of back up pair. It was a very very very long 10 mile run on Saturday.

 

[Erika10021]

SAFD: Shokz all the way for anything other than the treadmill. On the treadmill, I love my airpods to drown out the noise of the treadmill and/or music at the gym. For the times when I forget headphones, it is a miserable run. If I forget music AND gum, I will go back to the car or home to get them.

 

[UNCBear24]

SAFD: I use a cheap pair from amazon. Brand name is bmani. They're fine, but not great.

Side note, do we think medals today??

I'm guessing it will be in two weeks on the 29th.

 

[fatmanatee]

SAFD: I use a cheap pair from amazon. Brand name is bmani. They're fine, but not great.

Side note, do we think medals today??

I feel like they usually post 10:00 am local time, and we're now well past 10:00 am eastern. If this holds I lost the guessing game!

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

>> "SAFD: I like Shokz and have the OpenRun Pro. Earbuds don't fit my ears well and are either uncomfortable or falling oujt, and I also like to be aware of what's going on around me. "

This! I love my Airpods, but not for running. If I'm trying to run or walk when it is cold enough to need ear protection, then maybe the Airpods (transparency mode) held in by a ski cap or headband, otherwise, Shokz work better than anything else I've tried.
FWIW, I was using my Airpods a lot for noise canceling, and my tinnitus got a lot worse, so while I may use my Airpods for a short time in noise canceling mode, now for loud environments I'll use proper earplugs or muffs.

 

[Fenway1970]

SAFD: Add me to the list of Shokz OpenRun Pro users for running use. For routine day to day stuff I stick with my AirPods but they don't stay in my ears when my lumbering self plods down the road.

 

[Zutroy]

For everyone who likes AirPods, but can’t get them to stay in their ears while running, check out the Beats Fit Pros. They’re essentially APP with little rubber wings that latch in your ear so they don’t pop out. Sound is similar to APP, and has the Apple H1 chip so it has ANC, in-ear detection, and all the other Apple features.

 

[smileyanna]

I wear AirPods Pro or Soundcore wireless buds (see Wirecutter rec). I bought Shokz after seeing so many runners recommend them, but I don't like the bulk. Luckily, my husband likes them so they get used.

For my long, slow days, I try to save the music or podcasts until the end. I recruit friends or my husband to run chunks with me before popping in my headphones. I'm running Marine Corps at the end of October and the runs are LONG right now. I think only Shokz would have the battery power to last if I listened to something for the full training run.

 

[Kerry1957]

SAFD: My iPhone streams directly into my hearing aids. I'm trying to slowly wean myself off of music, and least for runs under 5 or 6 miles

 

[PrincessV]

SAFD: sigh... RIP beloved corded YurBuds. The most comfortable earbuds I've ever used, with excellent sound, at a good price.

I refuse to spend big money on earbuds, and comfort and sound are important to me... I'm now using a set of bluetooth JLab sport wireless ones that are good enough: the $24 price was right, the sound is good - almost excellent if they stay shoved into my ear canals, but they don't and I lose a ton of bass - and they're comfortable for hours. Large points deduction for having no ability to reconnect them to my phone without WiFi if they turn off due to inactivity - like right before starting the W&D Half last year.

 

[fatmanatee]

I feel like they usually post 10:00 am local time, and we're now well past 10:00 am eastern. If this holds I lost the guessing game!

2023 reveal: August 29
2024 reveal: August 7
2025 reveal: August 19
2026: ????????