Men are notoriously hard to buy presents for.
That statement might sound a bit cliché, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true in many cases.
Thankfully, hobbies can often prove to be an excellent source of inspiration.
Most men who run will be grateful to receive a gift that relates to their passion. That’s why in this article, we’ll be taking a look at:
- The Benefits Of Running For Men
- Why Running Presents Are The Perfect Gifts For Men Who Run
- Our Top 9 Gifts For Men Who Run
- Grab Some New Gear And Get Started!
The Benefits Of Running For Men
Before we get stuck into some excellent ideas regarding gifts for men who run, it’s worth quickly digging into why men take up running in the first place.
Running has a wide variety of potential advantages, both in terms of physical and mental health.
Let’s start with the physical side of things. Here’s a short list of just some of the main physical benefits running can provide:
- Increased Lifespan – Research has found that runners have around a 25-30% lower risk of all-cause mortality. Consistent running has been found to increase your life expectancy by at least three years.
- Strengthened Heart And Lungs – running strengthens your heart, blood vessels, and lungs, thereby reducing your risk of heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular disease.
- Improved aerobic capacity – running increases your VO2 max, a key measure of aerobic fitness.
- Better immune system – moderate-intensity running can strengthen the immune system and reduce the risk of infections by reducing inflammation, supporting the gut microbiota that fight pathogens, improve the activity of immune cells.
The positive effects of running expand way further than just physical health benefits, though.
As well as offering opportunities for socializing and interacting with nature, running also brings these mental health benefits to many people:
- Reduced stress – running is one of the most effective ways to combat stress, decrease levels of cortisol, and reduce anxiety.
- Reduced anxiety – many studies have found that aerobic exercise, such as running, can lower stress and anxiety.
- Improved cognitive health – running can improve the health and function of the brain, by causing structural changes in the brain that lead to better performance, such as enhanced memory, focus, and cognition.
Check out our article on the mental health benefits of running for more information on this subject.
Why Running Presents Are The Perfect Gifts For Men Who Run
Would your loved ones really appreciate a gift related to running?
Obviously, everyone is different. But, generally speaking, running gifts for men are a great way of showing how much you care about someone and recognizing their individual passions, while also giving them something that will be practically useful in their daily life.
Think about it: if you know someone who runs every single day, and you can think of a product or piece of gear that they can use on each and every run, what better gift could you possibly give them?
With interesting and useful running gifts for men, you’re covering both passion and practicality.
Sounds good, right?
Let’s dive into our list of top gifts for men who run.
Our Top 9 Gifts For Men Who Run
Just before we roll out a few ideas for running gifts for men, it’s worth bearing these points in mind when doing your shopping:
- Consider the type of running the gift recipient does – the needs of a marathon runner will be different from a 5K enthusiast
- Ask yourself whether they’re a fan of high-tech running or whether they prefer a more basic, low-tech approach
- Do they have any specific running or recovery needs to keep in mind?
Thinking about those questions will help make sure you get the right kind of present for the man in question.
3 Great Books About Running
Books are the kind of present you can always rely on. If you know what someone enjoys reading, you often can’t go wrong.
#1. How Bad Do You Want It? Mastering The Psychology Of Mind Over Muscle, by Matt Fitzgerald
How are record-breaking athletes capable of pushing their bodies to the absolute limit?
That’s what Matt Fitzgerald explores in How Bad Do You Want It, fusing the latest scientific knowledge and theory with in-depth explorations of some of the greatest moments in the history of endurance sports.
It’s a great gift option for serious running enthusiasts.
#2. How She Did It: Stories, Advice, And Secrets To Success From Fifty Legendary Distance Runners, by Molly Huddle and Sara Slattery
Here, Molly Huddle, a two-time Olympian and internationally-renowned distance runner, and Sara Slattery, a professional coach, use their own experiences and those of 50 renowned female runners to provide an in-depth guide to being a successful distance runner.
This book is just as useful for male runners as it is for female runners, despite the title’s focus.
#3. Running Is My Therapy: Relieve Stress And Anxiety, Fight Depression, And Live Happier, by Scott Douglas
As we touched on earlier, running can be incredibly good for your brain. In this book, Scott Douglas explores the proven benefits of running for the mind.
If you know a man who has helped improve their mental health using the power of running, this could be the book for them.
The Best Gear Gifts For Runners
Here are a few ideas of gear gifts for men who run.
#4. Hoka One One ORA Recovery Slide
In the past 5 years, brands like Hoka, OOFOS, and others have started experimenting with their traditional foams and building shoes designed specifically for post-run recovery, to help with post-run fatigue and other physical stresses.
The Hoka One One ORA Recovery Slide is a type of sandal that does exactly this, and it’s one of the best around.
Check out our review of it here.
#5. DARKIRON Muscle Massage Gun
This deep-tissue massager is the perfect gift for runners who suffer from tensions and tightness, particularly after their runs.
Built for relaxation, pain relief, and tight muscles, the DARKIRON Muscle Massage Gun is a handy bit of kit for men who take their running recovery seriously.
#6. Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire Smartwatch
There are tons of smartwatches on the market right now, designed to do way more than just tell the time.
If you’re looking for gifts for men who run, this could be a great option.
The Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire is the ultimate smartwatch, packed with all the tools runners need to track and analyze their workouts.
With full-color Topo U.S. mapping, performance metrics, heart rate technology, built-in activity profiles, and smart notifications to keep runners connected when on the go, it’s got pretty much all bases.
However, it’s worth saying that this all comes at a cost.
This Garmin smartwatch is pretty pricey, so you’re going to have to really care about someone to cop them one of these. . .
#7. Garmin Forerunner 55 GPS Smartwatch
For a more affordable smartwatch, take a look at the Garmin Forerunner 55 GPS Smartwatch.
This product includes training tools to increase your performance, predicted race times, and post-workout advice detailing how much rest you’ll need.
It’s a great gift for men who run, and it won’t totally break the bank.
Other Great Gifts For Male Runners
Finally, here’s a few more pieces of inspiration for you.
#8. Audible Membership
Another excellent gift idea is to grab some form of entertainment for all those hours spent out running.
With this in mind, there’s not much better than an Amazon Audible membership.
Whether you opt for a one-month, three-month, six-month, or 12-month subscription to Audible, there are thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals that will make sure there’s never a boring moment when out running.
#9. A Running Tattoo
Okay, safe to say this isn’t for everyone — there are lots of people out there who wouldn’t want to get inked up, whatever the circumstances.
However, if you know a man who loves getting tattoos almost as much as he loves running, then why not combine the two in one awesome gift?
It could be an illustration, a note of a P.B., or a map of a favorite route — whatever you think would be best.
For some inspiration, head over to our guide to the 14 best running tattoo ideas.
Grab Some New Gear And Get Started!
A lot of the ideas we’ve explored in this article come down to gear.
After all, who doesn’t love buying themselves a new treat that will enhance their sporting performance?
If you want to find out more about some of the most game-changing running gear there is, look no further.
As the nights draw in, what better way to prepare for winter exercise than to check out the best reflecting running jackets of 2022?
And to keep you cool while you’re exercising, take a look our guide to the best hydration packs for running.
