


They were also judged on their design, ease of use and performance, with the final category including criteria such as battery life, comfort and sound quality. This involved seeing how each pair of earbuds performed while stationery and running, to make sure the impact of heels repeatedly striking the tarmac didn’t send them tumbling floorward. Look out for products labelled Runner’s World Expert Tested as products with this insignia have been put through the wringer by our expert testers. They might not pick up as much as your day-to-day headphones, but a good pair of running headphones will offer a decent sound quality, while still letting you hear the traffic. Of course, you're using headphones to distract yourself as you clock up the miles. A good pair of running headphones will have a waterproof casing that probably can't be submerged underwater but will save them from getting destroyed if you're running a rainy race.

Sure, you can run with a 'normal' pair of headphones, but they probably won't be built to withstand heavy rain showers, or a great amount of sweat (nice). It's worth highlighting the Powerbeats Pro here, which has an innovative over-ear hook design that all runners testing found extremely comfortable. When scrolling through the list below, have a think about whether you'd prefer wireless headphones that are still connected to one another with a cable, or earbuds. These days, you can get all sorts of headphones designed for sport that wrap around your ears in various weird and wonderful ways. There's nothing worse than your headphones digging into the side of your head in the final miles of a long run.

What to look for when buying running headphones A comfortable fit
