What Will You Wear on Race Day?

Tip #7 - Tuesday, October 13

When it comes to race-day shoes and clothing for a marathon, follow these two rules:

Be ready for anything

Wear nothing new

In the first rule, "anything" applies first and foremost to the weather. The warmest New York City Marathon on record was 79 degrees; the coldest was 33 degrees. Get the point? In addition, weather can change drastically during the course of the race.

How to cope? Dress in lightweight layers that can be removed, carried, and slipped back on if needed. The layer next to your skin should be made of a technical fabric that will wick moisture from your body; this will prevent chafing. Your outer layer should be water-resistant. Wear or carry a hat for protection and to prevent heat loss, and wear/carry gloves on a chilly day.

On your runs between now and the marathon, take note of the conditions, what you wear, and how it feels. For example: "45 degrees and breezy today, but shorts felt fine." This will help take the guesswork out of race-day decisions.

The second rule means that you must shop now for anything you plan to wear but don't have. You'll find a wide range of apparel at our online store, including ASICS and NYRR co-branded marathon-training gear. When your new clothing arrives, wear it for at least one long run to make sure it fits and is 100% comfortable. Wash it several times before race day to soften the fabric and get rid of unwanted odors.

Similarly, if you purchase a new accessory for race day, such as a Garmin Forerunner 405, wear-test it several times before November 1. And, as we mentioned in Tip #2, if you need new shoes, buy them this week at the latest.

Finally, set aside "throwaway" clothes that you can wear to keep warm in the staging area at Fort Wadsworth and then discard before you enter your start corral. Please help us recycle on race day by placing unwanted apparel items in the clothing collections bins provided by Wearable Collections.