This month, Donner Party Mountain Runners board members share what they consider to be some of the top gifts for the runners on your list. Other than the obviously best gift for all runners, a DPMR membership, you might want to consider:
Renee Elsdon Jacobs: “Gift certificates for self care! I personally love many of the masseuses at Zenergy in Truckee (Amber, James, and Britt are my faves). And regular visits to Kaila for trigger point therapy at Elemental Back and Body keeps my body working great. Also, tools for self care at home are vital! Make sure they have at least a lacrosse ball and some variant of a foam roller (the ones with bumps and/or collapse for travel are extra cool). For the person that seems to have every tool in the tool chest already, chances are they don’t have one of the really cool cork balls that are light enough to keep in a purse or take on an overnight run (I bought a Wine Cork Ball rather than paying the premium for a branded “Ultralight Cork Massage Ball“).”
Aude Hofleitner: “+1 for massage gift certificates and also love James and Britt at Zenergy!I love the Theragun mini (thanks Chaz for the amazing racing prizes at Lost & Found!!). It is amazing and fairly light so it has been traveling with me and would make for a really nice gift, not cheap but much cheaper than some of the other massage guns. I’ve also been in love with all the Rabbit softness. Also not cheap but it feels so good. You can get your DPMR branded Rabbit shirt on the site… double win of softness and cool swag!I find the training log + planner from Grayson Murphy to be a great way to set habits and keep track of goals. Her instagram also has a lot of ideas on how to make the most out of it (plus she’s a really inspiring and fun follow). Continuing on the journalling theme, there is obviously Chasing Twilight from Adam, which has prompts from the authors and space to journal (see book of the month from October). For a personal gift, you can get personalized art from werunonart or check out some of the existing prints. I recently just got one for my boyfriend’s (Ryan) birthday and it was awesome. I’m also a big fan of Brendan Leonard from @semi_rad for fun/inspirational mugs, posters, shirts, books…”
Diane Frederic: “Right after World Peace, I’d wish for the runner on your list a MOBO Board. Infinitely different from a wobble board, the MOBO is a balance board that targets proper foot function as the foundation of our strength. Simple, clean and well designed, the board comes with a cutout for all toes but your big one. This design prevents you from gripping the board with your feet and therefore forces you to drive down with your big toe to find stability and balance. The other thing I admire about the folks at MOBO is that their website is chock-full of exercises for strength, stability or rehab. No subscription required- buy the board and get to work! (moboboard.com)”
Meggie Inouye: “My holiday gift ideas include:
-Darn Tough wool socks… super durable with lifetime guarantee
-Rabbit brand running shirts and shorts… so soft and so many pockets
-Larceny Bourbon Whiskey… a new favorite to sip slow by the fire or for shots at your favorite aid station”
Briana Jaskot: “I second the MOBO board! We have one- and I have high ambitions of regularly using it one of these days.
For holiday gift ideas for trail runners, I’d recommend: The ultrAspire waist light. So comfortable, no bounce and it lights up the trails in a way no headlamp has ever done for me before. They come 400, 600 & 800 lumen. I can speak to the 600 as being the only light source one would need to comfortably run some trails at night. I’d also recommend the Black Diamond distance spikes as a traction option for those icy, snowy runs. They are higher end than Yaktrax or Khatoola but super light, and very fast to take on/off. The traction is so good. One can feel comfortable running downhill on ice.
As a stocking stuffer- I’d recommend the Salomon XA filter, compatible with all Salomon (or any Hydrapack) soft-flasks. Filtering on the go and not carrying water if there are water sources is such a game changer.”
Leave a Reply