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Whether you’re signed up to take part in the London marathon on Sunday or have your sights set on a later date, there’s no denying how useful tech has become when it comes to running long distances (or any distance for that matter!).

It can help take your mind off the pain and help you to improve your running style. So, here’s a roundup of all the best tech marathon runners should invest in:

GPS running watch

Sure, the London marathon route is planned out but, if you’d like to track your route or simply want to see your training routes, a GPS running watch is a must.

The Garmin Forerunner 235 is packed full of running-based features while still being affordable. The GPS tracking lasts for 11 hours (a lot longer than many others on the market) and it provides you with a wrist-based continuous heart rate, smartphone notifications, audio prompts, live tracking, and the Garmin Connect app gives you in-depth analysis.

It also has marathon-specific training apps, uses its aerobic Training Effect to help you progress without pushing yourself, and monitors your V02.

Saucony Stride Lab

There’s always room for improvement. And that’s exactly what the Saucony Stride Lab app aims to help with, by evaluating stance, mobility, stride and stability to help you improve your running style.

This free iOS app provides users with a customise programme to help you strengthen your body, to make you healthier and your runs more enjoyable. Access to your Body and Stride Evaluation History show you have far you’ve progressed – making it the perfect pick-me-up if you’re feeling low about your times.

Strava

One of the most well-known and best-loved tracking apps, Strava is great for tracking runs and seeing metrics, especially if you have premium membership.

You can compare your times and distances to other runners, get in-depth tracking, and the premium feature Beacon lets three designated contacts monitor your location when you’re out on a run – primarily used as a safety feature but it can also be a great way for your loved ones to keep track of you while you’re running a marathon.

WeavRun

It’s no secret that listening to music while you run can help take your mind off the burn. But, there’s nothing worse than getting into the zone and then a slow song starts to play, messing up your rhythm. To find music to match your stride without the faff, WeavRun for iOS adapts songs to ensure the beat matches your step.

New users of the app can use the “Detect my tempo” setting to help you measure your running cadence and then switch to “I know my tempo” to improve cadence and running form. The motion-triggered technology changes tempo and picks the best songs. It has been proven to decrease fatigue and pain and can integrate with other apps like Strava.

Running headphones

Whether you’re a fan of wireless, with wires, in ear or over ear, good running headphones are essential to help you focus on the music.

There are plenty of great options on the market but LifeBEAM Vi are particularly good. Not only does the Harman Kardon-powered audio provide you with a great sound, these wireless headphones provide a battery life of 8 hours, are sweat- and rainproof and come with built-in heart rate and an artificially intelligent real-time virtual coach.

The sensors read biometrics, such as cadence and heart rate, to learn your workout habits and provide contextual and adaptive training advice. This means the assistant can remind you to take it easy if you’ve not run for a while and can suggest a drill if your cadence starts to slip towards the end of a run. They’re a little pricey, but they’re definitely worth it!