Ask a marathoner if the 26.2 miles are exhilarating—all 26.2 of them. Chances are, they’ll tell you there are moments when it gets a little rough. (They’ll probably mention the dreaded “wall.”) Because sometimes, logging lots of miles can feel extremely boring—unless, you know, Taylor and Beyoncé are there cheering you on with their lyrics. The right song can motivate you to pick up your pace and keep your mind (and muscles) in the game—or at the least, prevent you from totally giving up. Because, yes, there are times when it feels like you’re never “out of the woods.”
To create this playlist we went straight to the pros who are logging an insane amount of hours pounding the pavement (or the trails) each week. So, even if you’re not running the Boston Marathon today, you’ll want this high-energy playlist for your next run. And check out which of your favorite athletes selected each track below.
Kara Goucher, Olympian, long-distance runner
- “I Bet My Life” by Imagine Dragons
- “Outside” by Calvin Harris
- “Heartbeat Song” by Kelly Clarkson
Sara Hall, Distance runner and professional track athlete for Asics
- “Heroes (we could be)” by Alesso
- “A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay
- “Not Over You” by Gavin Degraw
Juli Benson, Olympian, coach and Universal Sports commentator
- “Riptide” by Vance Joy
- “Geronimo” by Sheppard
- “Out of the Woods” by Taylor Swift [sorry, Swift isn’t on Spotify, but check out her performing the single above!]
Megan Searfoss, Run Like a Mother founder and coach of Team Stonyfield
- “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
- “Run The World (Girls)” by Beyoncé
- “Beg For It” by Iggy Azalea
Deena Kastor, Olympic medalist and long-distance runner
- While Deena typically runs san-music, she’s a fan of the song, “Beautiful Day” by Matt Darey. “On my weaker days when the wind is howling and I need a little extra motivation to get out the door, I do grab my MP3 player.”
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