Best Running Songs: 70 Tracks for Your Playlist

The best running songs can make the difference between dragging through a run and crushing a new PR. We’ve curated 70 tracks across every genre — from high-energy rock anthems to hip-hop bangers — that are guaranteed to keep you pumped from the first step to the last.

True, we all have different tastes in music, and not everyone will love every song on this workout playlist. Still, I hope to help get you through some of those tough sessions by singing along to these fun tunes!

On days I don’t have a running buddy or group to train with, I can always count on my trusty headphones to keep me company. I know that some runners love to listen to podcasts while working out, but for me, there’s nothing like my favorite running music playlists to keep me motivated.

Today, I will break up the best songs into a few different categories depending on the type of workout you’ll be doing like hillwork or intervals, or trying to improve your cadence. I’ve also included what I like to listen to on long runs and recovery runs. 

I have to be honest, I was a bit leery about sharing my running playlists as my song choices have some excellent hints pointing toward which decade I grew up in. That’s okay; the cat’s out of the bag now! 

Before we jump into our best running songs playlists, let’s look at why running with music can be beneficial to us.

The Benefits of Listening to Music While Running

For most of us, we know that listening to music while running pumps us up and makes us feel good, right? But why is that? What can music actually do for us?

• Music can help improve running performance: According to studies,¹Lane, A. M., Davis, P. A., & Devonport, T. J. (2011). Effects of music interventions on emotional States and running performance. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 10(2), 400–407. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3761862/ music can help regulate mood and enhance a runner’s motivation and inspiration while running, resulting in a better workout outcome. 

• Music improves mood by boosting the brain’s dopamine production: Haven’t you ever listened to a song that just sends you good vibes and puts a smile on your face instantly?

• Music can reduce stress and distract you: Distraction sounds like a pretty significant benefit when you are trying to push through those last few 400m repetitions at top speed or suffering through the last few kilometers of a marathon training peak-week long run. Get lost in the lyrics and finish up those final laps.

• Music can help reduce pain:²Lee, J. H. (2016). The Effects of Music on Pain: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Music Therapy, 53(4), 430–477. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thw012 This statement will vary depending on the study you read, but some state that by reducing stress and anxiety, you can also feel a reduction in pain. Therefore, music helps reduce our stress levels, resulting in less pain.

Even though we already love running, having a little music and some strong vocals to help pump us up, and possibly improve our performance, sounds like pretty great reasons to try it out.

Just be sure and take precautions when listening to music on busy roads, and ensure you are always aware of your surroundings. We want to use music as a distraction as an advantage to training, but not completely zone out to the point where the workout can become risky.

Now, what you’ve all been waiting for: the music. Let’s get ready to sing, dance, or both! 

The 70 All-Time Best Running Songs

The following 70 all-time best running songs that I’ve compiled are broken up into four distinct lists.

Each list has a purpose to accompany the different types of runs and specific objectives that you may, run into, no pun intended, in your training plan. As the type of run changes, the genre of music I listen to shifts along with it. 

Are you ready for some feel-good pop songs for your next run?  Here we go!

Good Songs For Your Next Long Run

1. Shivers – Ed Sheeran 
2. There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back – Shawn Mendes
3. Take You Dancing – Jason Derulo 
4. Moves Like Jagger – Maroon 5 & Cristina Aguilera 
5. Shake It Off – Taylor Swift 
6. A Bar Song – Shaboozey
7. Locked Out Of Heaven – Bruno Mars 
8. Time Of Our Lives – Pitbull & Ne-Yo
9. Raise Your Glass – Pink 
10. Don’t Stop The Music – Rihanna 
11. SexyBack – Justin Timberlake & Timbaland 
12. Firestone- Kygo
13. Stronger – Kelly Clarkson 
14. Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyed Peas 
15. Like Sugar – Chaka Khan 
16. On Top Of The World – Imagine Dragons
17. Cake By The Ocean – DNCE
18. Can’t Stop The Feeling – Justin Timberlake 
19. Bang Bang – Jessie J
20. Just Dance – Lady Gaga

Now, for my hill workouts or some intense, fast speedwork, I want something a bit more, well, loud!

The following songs have helped me get to the finish line of some of the most strenuous uphill races I have competed in.

The Best Running Songs For Hillwork

1. The Phoenix – Fall Out Boy 
2. Sabotage – Beastie Boys
3. Bulls On Parade – Rage Against the Machine 
4. Somebody Told Me – The Killers 
5. Come Out and Play – Offspring
6. Welcome To The Jungle – Guns N’ Roses
7. Eye Of The Tiger – Survivor 
8. Survivor – Destiny’s Child 
9. Reptilia – The Strokes 
10. Misery Business – Paramore
11. Lose Yourself – Eminem 
12. Numb – Jay-Z & Linkin Park 
13. Last One Standing – Bon Jovi 
14. Eye Of The Tiger (Rocky) – Survivor
15. Pump It – Black Eyed Peas 

After listening to these songs to push yourself to your max, let’s take a breath, come back down to baseline, and listen to some easy-listening but still upbeat recovery-run songs.

The following list of songs is for when you don’t have any specific training intervals to do and just need to focus on relaxing, recovering, and enjoying your kilometers or any other cardio workout you have planned. 

Songs To Run Recovery Runs

1. Trumpets – Jason Derulo 
2. Drops Of Jupiter – Train 
3. Lucky – Jason Mraz
4. Demons – Imagine Dragons
5. Beautiful Things – Benson Boone
6. Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
7. Wake Me Up – Avicii
8. Paper Planes – M.I.A. 
9. Lego House – Ed Sheeran 
10. Sunday Morning – Maroon 5 
11. Life Is A Highway – Rascal Flats 
12. Good News – Shaboozey
13. Dog Days Are Over – Florence + the Machine
14. 3 AM – Matchbox Twenty 
15. It’s A Great Day To Be Alive – Travis Tritt

Now, when you do want to worry about pace or work on your stride rate, the following list of running songs will help you out. 

The songs in this next list have a rhythm of 180 beats, or a bit more, per minute. Sound familiar in the running world? Of course, it does! Cadence.

Even though this number will vary depending on different factors and beliefs in the running world, 180 has been known as the “ideal” number of steps per minute to take while running. With the following songs, be sure a foot touches the ground on each beat. To sum up, 180 steps per minute. 

This list will not only help you improve your cadence but also help you improve your running economy in general. Running at a faster cadence will help your running efficiency and limit the amount of unnecessary energy used with each stride. Take a listen and try them out! 

Best Running Songs To Improve Your Cadence

1. Hawái – Maluma 
2. Despacito – Luis Fonsi 
3. La Bicicleta – Carlos Vives & Shakira 
4. Burn – Ellie Goulding 
5. No Diggity – Blackstreet 
6. Give It Away – Red Hot Chili Peppers 
7. Demons – Imagine Dragons
8. Roar – Katy Perry 
9. Jumpin’ Jumpin’ – Destiny’s Child 
10. Cheap Thrills – Sia
11. Bailando – Enrique Iglesias 
12. Thrift Shop – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis 
13. Get Right – Jennifer Lopez
14. Beautiful Liar – Beyoncé & Shakira 
15. Con Calma – Daddy Yankee & Snow 
16. Hey DJ – CNCO 
17. Drive – Incubus 
18. Renegades – X Ambassadors 
19. Say Something – Justin Timberlake 
20. Súbame La Radio – Enrique Iglesias

There you have it!

Take a good listen to my best running songs and see if they are right up your alley or if you need to make some changes, add a remix, whatever motivates you.

The important thing is that the songs you choose inspire you and put a smile on your face. If you start belting out the lyrics during your run, even better! 

Charge those headphones; you’re going to need them. 

If you want to look at one of our own Marathon Handbook Playlists for a complete set of high-bpm music, you can see it on Spotify here! 

References

• 1
  Lane, A. M., Davis, P. A., & Devonport, T. J. (2011). Effects of music interventions on emotional States and running performance. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 10(2), 400–407. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3761862/
• 2
  Lee, J. H. (2016). The Effects of Music on Pain: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Music Therapy, 53(4), 430–477. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thw012