17 Great Gifts for the Runner in Your Life

Eyewear company District Vision was founded by runners, and that's pretty much the only demographic the company serves. They know how to make some killer running shades. The frame on the Keiichi ($199) is made mostly of rubber, but there's titanium added to the places where it matters most: the temple tips, hinges, and nose pads. The purple lens is designed to offer better visibility in varying light, like when the long afternoon shadows get all chiaroscuro on the sidewalk.

Maybe your loved one already has a pair of sunglasses they always run in. Well, then get them some Chums. These low-tech tethers will keep those sunnies where they belong. They're especially handy after the first mile, when it's just a non-stop, slippery sweatfest the whole rest of the run. These things are cheap (under $10 online) so get a few. And they come in some wild colors, even a tie-dye motif for Deadhead Dad.

Cotton sucks for running in the cold. You sweat, it sticks to you, and you freeze. The natural thermoregulation of sweat-wicking wool is vastly better. Icebreaker's 150-weight wool-blend shirt merges Merino sheep-fuzz with performance synthetics. It makes a perfect base layer in the winter, and it's all your loved one will need up top in the warmer months. $70.

If you're looking for a slam-dunk gift, get these. Jaybird's wireless earbuds are smaller than most, so they're able to fit a wider range of ear sizes. They're also sleek and gender-neutral, not bulky and overly masculine. More importantly, they sound truly excellent. These are WIRED's top sports earphones for 2016. $180

Does your loved one have the new iPhone 7? This headset is the best match. Apple-owned Beats has updated its running headset with Cupertino's newest wireless chip—it offers seamless pairing with iOS handsets, and it gives the Powerbeats a phenomenal 12 hours of battery life. $200

Jimmy's fast on the course, but he's slow to join the wireless revolution. This is a great set of wired earphones for running. V-Moda's Forza comes in a few different varieties, but this base model ($100) is the one to get. The audio quality is stellar, and they're sweat-proof. Removable ear-fins and hooks keep them in place. Choose a color, and pick the version with in-line remote buttons for iOS or Android.

One of the best GPS running watches, Garmin's $330 Forerunner 235 measures a runner's pace, tracks their heart rate, and maps each run on a paired smartphone. Everything is customizable too—set the preferred heart rate zones, create a training regimen, and even redesign the watch face. It only needs to be charged about once a week.

Cupertino's wearable got an upgrade this year, and it's now one of the most capable fitness trackers on the market. It has GPS and a heart-rate monitor built in, and it runs hundreds of apps while displaying notifications coming in from the iPhone. This special edition ($369 and up) has been hyped by Nike. It has a unique band, a special custom watch face, and it connects to Nike's online running community. The perfect thing for the runner who's all-in on the Nikeverse.

These drop bags are used in races—you fill it with your personal items and extra clothes, write your name and bib number on it, then drop it with the race organizers for safe keeping. They also work great for travel, or just for carrying shoes and shorts to and from work. They're cheap ($8 each) so get a few.

Does he really prefer running in the dead of night? OK, sure. Just get him this 100-lumen headlamp ($30) so the traffic and pedestrians see him coming—and vice versa.

Wool yarn really is a miracle for runners. Smartwool blends Merino wool with nylon and other synthetics to make a stretchy, slightly cushioned, and supremely comfy running sock. $18

Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami is best known for his surreal fictional narratives, but this memoir about his experience as an amateur long-distance runner is more personal and more inspiring. He traces his running obsession back to when he wasn't yet a novelist, just a semi-depressed owner of a jazz club. Together, running and writing broke him out of a funk. Now, he runs ultramarathons and competes in triathlons (and his bestsellers win book awards). Every runner should read this—especially if they're already fans of Murakami's self-deprecating wit.

Most people consider these things torture devices, but a good roller is essential to keeping a runner's leg and core muscles supple. Use them for recovery and to keep everything activated on off-days. $36 gets you a roller and access to TriggerPoint's instructional videos. Work that IT band!

Yoga people use a strap to help them hold difficult positions. Runners use them to stretch their legs, either while standing or while laying on their back. This one is hemp! $18.

There's a disorder called plantar fasciitis that affects the tendons along the bottom of the foot and around the heel. It painful, and most runners will have issues with it at some point. There's no cure, but two things help: lots of stretching, and working the bottoms of the feet with one of these balls. The hard plastic nubs dig into the foot and provide an eye-watering trigger-point massage. Your runner needs two of these—one for home and one for the office. They're $9 each on Amazon.