Marathon Packing List

Packing for a marathon certainly doesn't seem like rocket science—you need shoes and running clothes, duh!—but somehow each time I run a marathon out of town, I panic and stress about what to pack. Seriously, if you could see my google history, each April it's filled with searches for "marathon packing list." Well, I finally put together a fail safe list of my own and I figure, I can't be the only one who worries about what to bring. I figured I would share it with you.

Obviously, you should customize this for yourself, but hopefully this is a useful start.

Race Gear
_ Running shoes
_ Socks
_ Singlet/shirt
_ Shorts
_ Arm warmers (depends on the weather)
_ Gloves (depends on the weather)
_ Watch
_ Body Glide
_ Sunglasses

Nutrition
_ Breakfast for marathon morning (I bring the food with me so I don't have to hunt around for it)
_ Gels (x5)
_ Gatorade
_ Salt (caps or packets)

For the Athlete's Village
_ Large garbage bag (x2) (for sitting on and possibly for wearing in the event of rain)
_ Throwaway sweatshirt/t-shirt/hat
_ Tissues (for your nose or in case the bathroom's out of TP)
_ Sunscreen

General Clothing
_ Extra shoes
_ Flip-flops (for post race)
_ Comfortable clothes for post-race
_ Compression socks
_ Normal clothes for however many days you'll be gone
_ Extra socks (you can never have too many!)

Toiletries
_ Band-Aids (because you never know)
_ Pepto (because you never know)
_ Tylenol (because you shouldn't take ibuprofen before a marathon)
_ Chap stick
_ Deodorant
_ Nail clippers (a good thing to have in case you get a last minute hang nail or something)
_ Any medications you take
_ Toothbrush (because according to Runner's World, poor oral hygiene can affect your race!)

Misc.
_ Bib pick-up information
_ Phone
_ Phone charger
_ Packing tape (great for reinforcing your checked bag)
_ Permanent marker (in case you need to write your name on your checked bag or other items)

There's obviously plenty of stuff you could add to this list but hopefully this gives you a good start!