Our Playlist of the Week is actually 10 playlists this week, because we know you like a bit of choice, and because we’re celebrating the the 2016 London Marathon which is coming up this Sunday!
If you’re “lucky” enough to be running it, you might be looking for some aural inspiration to help get you around the course. With this in mind, we’ve scoured Spotify to find the very best playlists for marathon runners.
Let’s kick off with Daniel Barnes’ 2016 London Marathon playlist, the title of which seems perfect for what we’re looking for here. It’s mostly on the dancy side of things, with some absolute anthems like Josh Wink‘s Infinity but also the odd rock classic like Europe’s The Final Countdown.
Kimberley Webb’s London Marathon playlist is mostly pop-focused, bouncing you around the streets of London with Jess Glynne‘s Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself and the Seeb Remix of Mike Posner‘s I Took a Pill in Ibiza.
If you’re looking for something a little rockier, try Den Guinee’s London Marathon Training Mix. This provides over 11 hours of rock and indie classics with everything from AC/DC‘s Back in Black to the late, great David Bowie’s Blackstar.
Miguel Oriheula made his playlist for the Chicago Marathon, but no doubt it will work just as well on this side of the pond. It’s packed with loads of bang up to date tunes with everything from Ariana Grande/Zedd‘s Break Free to Major Lazer‘s Lean On.
Staying in the States, Brian Frake is clearly planning ahead with his Boston Marathon 2016 playlist. It’s a collaborative playlist so you can add your own suggestions too – just bear in mind everyone else will have to hear them too, so choose wisely!
Kevin Ghim’s Running Mix (Marathon Training Mix) starts off with Run On from Moby, which is a great start to get you going. Most of the indie-based playlist is a few years old, but none the worse for it, although there are a couple of tracks from the last couple of years including from The Strokes and Meghan Trainor. At over 9 hours long, this one will get you through the whole race no matter how slow you are!
Thomas Alexander Hall has filled his Run high tempo 180 BPM marathon beats playlist with high energy tunes. There’s a lot of dance stuff on here, together with some indie classics and a few remixes too including the Coldplay v Swedish House Mafia mix of Every Teardrop is a Waterfall. The pace will suit quicker runners – and you’ll need to be with only 4hr 14mins of music on here (unfortunately it wouldn’t quite have got me all the way round last time I ran it!)
NOW That’s What I Call Music’s NOW Running playlist is also a good few years old now, but it’s got the Theme from Rocky on it, so what more do you need? Well, if you’re wanting a playlist to get you all the way round, you’ll have to be racing with the elites as this one comes in only just over the 3 hour mark.
SoulCycle’s Marathon Motivation playlist contains 48 tracks suggested by their instructors aimed at inspiring its listeners through any hill. With everything from Queen‘s I Want To Break Free to DNCE‘s more up-to-date Cake by the Ocean, there’s a wide variety on here. Though personally, I’d run a mile from Justin Bieber‘s Sorry…
And finally, there’s Spotify’s own Running to Rock 170-190 BPM playlist, which does what it says on the tin with everything from the Foo Fighters’ Monkey Wrench to Billy Idol.
So there you go, 10 great playlists. But before you start running, there’s one tune you’ll need to listen to when you’re warming up: the classic BBC London Marathon theme. Just try not to cry!
And before I go, if this is your first marathon and there’s only one tip you listen to in advance of the marathon it should be this one:
MAKE SURE YOUR NAME IS IN BIG LETTERS ON THE FRONT OF YOUR RUNNING VEST!
Believe me, by the time you’ve got to 23 miles, you’ll be pleased you did this when you’re being carried along by everyone shouting out your name. And they will. Good luck!
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