Runners can never get enough gear. With Christmas just around the corner, here are some last minute stocking filler ideas for your budding running friends!

Strava Membership

Strava, £4/month

Strava released their new premium membership, ‘Summit’, earlier this year. It enables you to hand-pick different benefits of membership without paying full price. Since switching from Nike+ to Strava last year, I have always advocated Strava due to it’s in-run features and eire of social accountability. Summit grants further in-depth run analysis, goal-setting, among many more features to develop and hone your running. At £4/month, this deal is not to miss.

Running Socks

RunnersNeed, £12 - £15

Continuous improvement in technology has paved the way for new and exciting gear for runners, including the seemingly smallest and most insignificant. The range of socks by RunnersNeed claim to boast a higher level of ventilation to prevent overheating, as well as more robust cushioning to reduce the impact on your feet - every little helps in those long and seemingly endless runs!

Running Hat/Gloves

SportsDirect, £5 - £30

As the winter months get frostier, running in the daylight becomes a more seldom activity. Investing in a pair of decent gloves or a hat can make a massive difference in comfort during even the coldest of runs. Studies say that your hands are the last to warm up during exercise, so it’s vital to keep them protected. Personally, I enjoy hats all year round as they stop pesky hairs getting in the way during runs - but that’s just me!

Headtorch

Decathlon, £4 - £25

As with the above, a headtorch is super important when running in the dark, especially when trail running. On roads, you can probably just get away with a hi-vis, but when hitting the country be sure to invest a quality headtorch to prevent snagging your toe on a loose tree root.

Waist Pack/Armband

Decathlon, £3 - £10

A must-have for long distance runners. If you’ve got a marathon coming up, it’s absolutely worth investing in - allowing you to not only listen to your best tunes along the way, but also not worry about lugging around your phone in your hand. They’re also great if you need to take your keys out of the house, or for those particularly long runs, bringing a few energy gels or snacks with.

Energy Gels

ScienceInSport, £14

For those longer-distance runners, energy gels are vital in refuelling during longer runs. It’s recommended - as a general rule - that after an hour of running, you should intake 2-3 energy gels per hour. It’s a good idea to train with energy gels that you know are used in an upcoming race as you want to be confident that the particular brand on use isn’t going to mess with your stomach!

BodyGlide

BodyGlide, £7

Chafing. Nobody wants it. BodyGlide is the perfect defence at the lowest cost for those serial-chafers.

With these gifts in mind, hopefully you are stocked full of gift ideas for your running buddies (or yourself!). Have an incredible Christmas and a happy new year!