Marathon shoes and gear: your training rotation to race day

What marathon training asks of your gear

Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Marathon plan, written for first-timers, runs 18 weeks with four run days a week. The weekend long run builds from 6 miles in week 1 to 20 miles in week 15, every third week steps back, and the last three weeks taper to race day. By our arithmetic from the published schedule, that is about 15 to 40 run-miles a week and roughly 435 miles before the start line. Nearly all of it is easy running: Higdon wants midweek runs at a comparatively easy pace and long runs at a pace that lets you talk.

That shapes everything on this page. At the marathon level, the shoe you train in matters more than the shoe you race in, and gear you could skip for a 10K (a watch that lasts all week, a way to carry water, fuel you've practiced with) starts to earn its place.

What to buy first

1. The training shoe. Buy it before week 1. It carries the midweek runs and, at first, the long runs too. Our best marathon training shoes ranks the options for 18 weeks of easy miles and a 20-miler; if this is your first 26.2, start with the best first marathon shoes, which favors pairs you can train and race in.

2. A long-run shoe, if you want a rotation. Once the long run reaches double digits, a second, more cushioned pair for Saturdays spreads the miles. Our marathon mileage and shoe rotation guide lays out Higdon's plan week by week and shows which shoe does which run.

3. The race shoe, last. A race-day shoe is optional at this level. If you add one, buy it early enough to test: see our best marathon race shoes.

How marathon shoes divide

Every shoe in this hub does one of three jobs. Daily trainers handle the 3- to 10-mile midweek runs: comfortable, durable, not built for speed. Long-run and max-cushion shoes carry the 16-, 18- and 20-milers with more foam underfoot. Race-day shoes come in two kinds: carbon super shoes with tall, soft foams and a stiff plate or rods, and plateless super trainers that use similar foams without the carbon and can double as long-run shoes. If you're weighing the second kind, see our best marathon shoes without a carbon plate; if you expect to be out on the course for five hours or more, our picks for slower marathoners put cushion first. Two head-to-heads compare the big-brand racers: Nike Alphafly vs Vaporfly and adidas Adios Pro vs ASICS Metaspeed.

What decides the price

Price in this category follows specialization, and reviewers treat carbon racers as the expensive end: RunRepeat, for example, recommends the Saucony Endorphin Pro 5 to runners who want a carbon plate without paying ultra-high prices, which tells you where some of its rivals sit. Below that, what separates one shoe from another is mostly the foam (newer, lighter compounds versus traditional ones), the plate (carbon, nylon or none) and how much of each the shoe carries. Then weigh cost against life: RunRepeat scores the toebox durability of several marathon racers at 1 out of 5, and a racer is meant for race day and a few key runs, while your trainer carries hundreds of miles. The practical takeaway: spend first on the shoe that carries 435 miles, not the one that carries 26.2.

The most common mistake

Racing in shoes you haven't tested, and buying the super shoe before the training shoe. Higdon is blunt about the first: runners need to test any new pair of shoes before racing in them, with at least two or three runs including one semi-long run, because expo-new shoes might work in a 5K or 10K "but not in a marathon." The same rule covers socks, clothes, balm and gels. Our marathon gear checklist lists what to own and test during training, and the marathon race week checklist covers the last seven days, the night before and race morning.

Not quite ready for 26.2?

If you haven't run a half marathon yet, step down a rung to our half marathon hub: Higdon's Novice 1 Half plan runs 12 weeks with a long run that builds to 10 miles, and Higdon suggests a half in week 8 of the marathon plan anyway. For shoe roles, fit and the Level Finder that matches shoes to your weekly mileage, see the shoe finder. For marathon watches, hydration vests, belts and socks, head to running gear.