The bestselling trail shoe: Hoka One Speedgoat
Why? Hoka have really worked on improving their their fit, stability, and durability and in showing that their shoes are more than just a short-lived if deep-cushioned trend. Built on a new last, the Speedgoat 2’s wider midsole creates a more stable platform for the foot and offers a wider toe box (some runners found the original Speedgoat toe box very narrow) with reinforced areas where your feet need them. The traction is excellent, without being too aggressive on stonier or less slippy terrain. And, in case you are wondering about the name, it comes from the Speedgoat 50K race in Utah put on by ultra running legend Karl Meltzer.
The bestselling road shoe: Adidas Ultra Boost Parley
The much-loved energy-returning Boost design helps give runners an energised push-off with each footstrike. Plenty of top athletes, as well as club runners, swear by the Boost in its many iterations. The Ultra Boost Parley offers cushioning – but is also responsive and lightweight for a neutral runner, so you can see why it has proved to be so popular. The shoe has a foot-hugging knit upper that is designed to adapt to the changing shape of your foot as you run. This can make it feel quite snug, which might initially feel unfamiliar if you are not used to it. The back of the shoe also rides quite high on the ankle. This is designed to keep the heel stable but can cause some rubbing if you wear very low-cut running socks. However, the big talking point of this shoe (other than the fact that it looks great) is the environmental angle. It is made in collaboration with the Parley for the Oceans campaign, using ocean-polluting plastic and recycled materials. In this case, the uppers are 95% waste plastic, from 11 plastic bottles dredged from the oceans around the Maldives.
The bestselling racing shoe: Saucony Fastwitch
Saucony make some great running shoes, but are particularly good at racing ones. The Fastwich is a fantastic model, with a lightweight, engineered mesh upper, offering breathability but also support, and a responsive SSL EVA midsole. I am also a huge fan of the Type A racer, but the Fastwich offers a little bit more cushioning and is probably better suited to longer race distances – it also has a surprisingly good grip on slippy or wet roads. Another reason Saucony attract brand loyalty is that they don’t mess around too much with designs in each iteration – small tweaks and upgrades, sure, but they don’t totally remake shoes when they already work really well for runners. They also tend to be a bit cheaper than some of the other big brands.
The bestselling premium GPS watch: Garmin Fenix 5x Plus
If all you care about is basic functionality in a GPS watch, then look away now. Sure, it’ll count your daily steps, but that’s like asking a Michelin-starred chef to make your toast for you. The Garmin Fenix 5x is undoubtedly the best GPS watch on the market – with more functions than you have had hot dinners. It’s a watch but also a navigator, a music-player, a fitness tracker, has Bluetooth and wifi, multiple settings, a heart-rate monitor, wrist-based Pulse Ox saturation sensor and will do everything bar actually run for you. The next iteration will probably do that too. The watch itself is chunkier than some of the other Garmins (including the excellent Forerunner 935). It is not touch screen, but that saves on battery life so is not necessarily a bad thing – the battery life is excellent. Be warned: there are so many functions that you need to dedicate some time to learning what all the various menus, settings and buttons actually do.
The bestselling running sock: Hilly Lite Cushion Socklet
Hilly are a great, reliable and trusted brand with good price points. So £12 for a pair of socks might actually seem quite steep. However, given this is a bestseller, I think people are now beginning to consider that actually, your sock choice can end up being just as important as your shoe one – and just as individual. In other words, there’s little point spending more than £100 on a pair of trainers if you get blisters because you are wearing threadbare socks that don’t cushion your tendency to turn your toes out, or that sore spot from your flip flops. The Hilly socklets are high enough to safely sit above your trainer “line”, and have just the right amount of extra padding where needed. You forget you are wearing them, which is the best testament to any running kit.
The bestselling running bra: Brooks Juno
This bra has been recently updated with excellent improved breathability and stability. Brooks running bras usually get the best consistent feedback and reviews from women, though some of their previous models could be a little tricky to get on and off. One excellent feature of this new design is that the straps are adjustable from the front so you can adjust fit on the move. This also means that though it’s not marketed as a feeding bra, nursing mothers have been giving it rave reviews as one of the very few sports bras that works as such.
The bestselling running backpack: Omm Ultra 8
This lightweight pack is excellent either as a run commute bag – for those who just need a few items of clothing and some essentials – or for a race pack. Eight litres of volume should enable runners to fit in everything they need for all but the most hardcore ultras and mountain racers. It is also a great bag for mountain biking and just carrying round, day to day, for gym kit or similar.
The bestselling weatherproof running jacket: On weather jacket
With good-quality running jackets, the more you pay, the less you should get. That is, the really good technical products are super lightweight and fold down to barely anything. This jacket from Swiss company On does just that. It weighs just 172g and has an interesting design combining different fabrics. I really like the stretchier, softer fabric on the arms, which feels less stiff and restrictive than many other waterproofs. It is water-repellent and also tear-proof, which is reassuring in something that seems almost fragile in its lightness. And, despite protecting you from the elements, it is well ventilated so you will not overheat – a common problem with less technical jackets. It also looks great.
The bestselling compression item: Hilly Pulse Compression Socks
The jury is still out on compression gear when running, but where it certainly comes into its own is in recovery. A pair of long compression socks worn after a long run or a marathon race can be a godsend, if only in helping with that niggling feeling that your calves might just give up and fall off with the DOMs. These socks from Hilly are tight (as they should be), which offers support and comfort. The nice neutral colour means that you can get away with wearing them as recovery attire under normal clothes too.
