10 Last Minute Gifts for the Runner in Your Life

Struggling to find the perfect last minute gift for the runner in your life? You’re not alone! Runners are a unique, strange breed with appreciation for seemingly odd gifts. While possibly not understood by the average individual, there are plenty of gifts that bring comfort, performance enhancement, biohacking and tracking or just plain quirkiness to a runner’s style (and if anything, we ARE quirky).

Here are 10 gifts unique can get your runner that they will absolutely LOVE.

Running Watch

If you want to go big or go home, a running watch is the perfect place to start. Running watches have gotten increasingly more sophisticated with a myriad of functions.

They’re packed full of advanced endurance-specific features included distance tracking, pace measurement, speed measurement, stride and cadence monitoring and VO2 max calculators.

Furthermore, running watches can now act as your go-to bio-tracking device with various health monitoring features including heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, sleep, stress and more.

Not just a runner? Even better! Most running watches come with multi-sport modes that can track every activity under the sun. Additional features include advanced GPS and navigation features, adaptive coaching software, smartwatch features and music storage to highlight a few.

If you have no idea where to start, look to Garmin and Coros; the two main competitors on the market. Specifically, the Forerunner series from Garmin and the Pace series from Coros.

Gift Card from the Local Running Shop

Runners packing on a ton of miles go through shoes faster than you would like to believe. And at $150 or more a pop, buying new shoes every other month can take a financial toll.

Ease that burden with a thoughtful gift card from your local running shop! The runner in your life will thank you.

Custom Race Medal Display

Medals have a way of accumulating in an unorderly fashion. Even the most average of recreational runners may have five or more medals just taking up space and collecting dust on a shelf. Why not create a space for the runner in your family to showcase their achievements in a unique and trendy way?

Creating a medal display is a thoughtful and personalized gift that a runner will appreciate! The options here are endless.

Decorative display cases, shadow boxes, keepsake boxes, shelves with hangers, tabletop displays; these are all perfectly valid and appealing ways to show off medals. Combining the above with artwork or lighting can bring even more character to the display.

High Quality Running Socks

Socks may be one of the most quintessential Christmas gifts that ever existed. Appreciated in a logarithmic fashion alongside age, performance socks packed with tech for the runner garners even more excitement.

 So, what makes a running sock different from a regular sock?

Running socks have some key attributes that are particularly desirable as a runner: durability, breathability, warmth (for cold weather running), height, cushioning, compression and support, moisture-wicking, anti-odor and we can’t forget, of course, wild patterns and colors that scream “check out my fun side, I am so fun.”

Muscle Scraper

Muscle scrapers are tools made of steel, jade or other durable materials used to perform scraping techniques on the skin and soft tissues. These tools, also known as “gua sha tools” have been used for over 2,000 years in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Scraping can help break up scar tissue and adhesion, improve circulation, relieve tightness and muscle soreness, enhance range of motion, prevent injury and manage pain.

Regular practice can dramatically improve recovery and keeps runners running longer, without pain and without injury. I promise you, you’re runner will be stoked with a capital “S” to receive one.

Massage Gun

Similar to the above, massage guns or percussion massagers/percussion therapy devices deliver additional benefits to improving recovery. They’re much like a deep tissue massage but in a fraction of the time and a fraction of the cost.

Massage guns also have the added ability to enhance warm-up and cool-down before and after a run. They are quick and convenient and can help make muscles more pliable before a run within 1 -2 minutes. Use post-run can speed up recovery by reducing tightness and soreness and improving circulation.

Regular use, can aid in recovery, improve mobility, range of motion and reduce soreness, tightness and pain.

Energy Gels

Contrary to popular belief, runners don’t actually eat food and subsist solely by consuming a gelatin-like substance known aptly as “GU”. This substance delivers all of the nutritional needs the average runner requires.

All jokes aside, “GU” is one of many popular brands of energy gels, which are simply concentrated sources of carbohydrates and calories, often combined with electrolytes and caffeine for different types, conditions and intensities of activities.

They are used regularly and religiously for fueling prolonged endurance activities and make the PERFECT stocking stuffer.

Don’t be afraid to go light on these either, they are cheap and a runner may consume multiple of these in a single session, but will appreciate them, nonetheless.

My wife recommends “birthday cake” flavor.

Hydration Vest

Proper hydration is key when it comes to distance-running, and runners are often falling short. A hydration vest can aid in ensuring that you stay on top of your hydration especially when it comes to longer distances where this becomes even more crucial.

Hydration vests come in all shapes, sizes and colors and are both lightweight and comfortable for the user. There are options for bottle pouches or larger capacity bladders depending on the needs of the running.

Even better, most hydration vests include pockets for carrying energy gels—a key component of proper fueling for runners as we’ve discussed—keys, wallets, phones and whatever else your little heart desires!

Running Belt

If your runner likes to stay even lighter on their feet and stray from a hydration vest, another perfectly suitable option is a running belt. These come both with and without a bottle pouch, again depending on the needs of the runner.

Personally, I have two: one with a bottle pouch for longer duration efforts and one without for everyday short and medium distance runs.

Running belts are a perfect addition for carrying smaller items like gels, keys and cards and are generally spacious enough to fit most phones on the market.

Running Apparel

One thing that is blatantly apparent as a runner as you increase your mileage and frequency is that you most certainly do not have enough running apparel. Whether its shorts, tanks, tops, leggings or socks, the supply seems endlessly insufficient while your laundry pile grows increasingly daunting.

Ease your dear runner’s suffering with running specific apparel or a gift card to their favorite running apparel store. I would imagine you have a pretty good handle on what companies, colors or patterns they like and lucky for you, your options are a plenty.

Running apparel is the gift that keeps on giving the whole year round and you can be sure whatever you buy for them will see plenty of use, time and time again. And every time they put it on they’ll think of you. Awe!

Final Thoughts

So, if you are about to embark on a frantic shopping journey this weekend (much like me), don’t fret! There are so many options for gifts for runners to choose from that you should have absolutely no trouble at all. Any of the above would have your runner beaming with glee come Christmas morning. Good luck!