The Easiest Ways to Spend Money Running According to Reddit

Running is damn expensive for a cheap sport. In theory, all you need is a pair of shoes, but somehow you’ll inevitably find yourself spending a lot of money on a bunch of gear. (And even shoes seem to get more expensive with each season.) A Reddit user recently asked , “What’s the biggest waste of money you’ve spent on something running?” Here are the most popular answers.

Shoes that don’t fit you

“Every pair of Hokas I have ever owned,” one runner replied. Hoka shoes have generally been a popular response, but there have also been many complaints against other brands such as Nike and New Balance. However, avoiding regrets isn’t as easy as avoiding certain brands: other Reddit users have said they love their Hoka.

If we can learn from this, I think you should trust your intuition about which shoe is right for you. The best shoe advice I ever received was while training for a marathon. Our group trainer told us all to go out and replace our tattered shoes, but only by buying the exact same model we were already wearing . When you find something that works for you, stick with it. And if you must try something new, buy it from a place that will let you return it , even if you’ve used it a few times .

Registration fees for a race you won’t be running (or you really don’t want to be in)

“Every race I signed up for in 2020 made it onto the list thanks to the pandemic cancellation, as did other races that didn’t run or finish for personal or injury reasons. One runner signed up for a marathon but then added too many practice runs during his workout. Some commented that the expense of traveling to the race venues was not worth it. And one runner finished his first ultramarathon, a 30-mile run, but regretted his choice because after that he felt very exhausted.

We cannot predict pandemics or injuries, but we can pay attention to what we subscribe to. We can think about how much we really want to participate in this race, and whether we can afford any travel that may be associated with it, and whether to enjoy it.

A mechanism for solving problems that do not need to be solved

Do you really need a pedometer to confirm your treadmill readings or provide additional metrics for your running? Several redditors have learned the hard way that this is not the case. The same was said for phone armbands, hydration belts, and more — like a pair of shorts bought by a man who realized he only liked to run in leggings. One runner summed it up like this: “More gear than I actually need or wear.”

What everyone says is so great

There’s been a lot of buzz about “super shoes,” models that supposedly put power back into your feet while you run, potentially cutting your time by a few minutes. But they are pricey (up to $300 a pair), wear out quickly, feel uncomfortable according to some Reddit users, and may not really provide much of an incentive for the average runner .

Other fashion items made the list: someone bought Theragun and hated it. Another purchased a magnet system to attach his numbered bib on race day, but ended up reverting to the old plain safety pins. Still others bought clothes from popular brands like Lululemon only to find that they simply didn’t live up to the hype.

Futile attempts to protect yourself from the elements

“55 pounds for a waterproof jacket/mobile sauna,” said one runner I know intimately. I once bought a raincoat as part of a team order and found it was hardly waterproof, so when the next group order came in and the jacket looked like it would be more waterproof, I bought it too. The second jacket can be accurately described as a mobile sauna. I was just as wet as I was without my jacket, except that all the moisture came from my own sweat. (Ev.)

Meanwhile, a Vancouver runner bought a pair of “breathable, waterproof” socks that didn’t seem to do the job either. On the contrary, they said, “Running in the rain costs nothing.”