The iPhone is a popular choice for marathon training for several reasons. It is light, packed with useful apps and has enough battery life to make it through a long run. The following review of the best apps for marathon training will help you find the best iPhone apps for your training needs.
Table of Contents
Best Apps For Marathon Training
Best Overall: Runkeeper
Runkeeper
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Why We Chose It: Runkeeper is our pick for best overall because of its long-standing reputation as one of the best running apps for all fitness levels.
Pros
Strong running community and support
Appropriate for all running levels
Set goals and track progress
In-app challenges and virtual running groups
Cons
Need to upgrade for access to premium features
Tailored race-training plans only available with subscription
Continued use of GPS in background can decrease battery life
As one of the most popular and tried-and-true running apps out there, Runkeeper gets our top ranking for its wide array of features, accuracy, as well as ease of use. Whether you’re a beginner runner or an experienced marathoner, this app has something for everyone. You can use the GPS capability to track your distance, pace, and overall time, and mix up your running routine by following one of Runkeeper’s pre-created routes.
Runkeeper also lets you set goals and watch your progress to stay motivated. If you’re also into biking or fitness walking, you can track those activities. For runners training for races, Runkeeper offers personalized training routines, complete with helpful reminders to keep you on track. It also syncs with other apps and devices, such as Fitbit, as well as your Apple watch. All of these features are available free on iOS or Android.
Best Route Finding and Tracking: MapMyRun
Map My Run by Under Armour
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Why We Chose It: MapMyRun is one of the most comprehensive running apps online. With features like audio coaching, route finding, easy-to-see maps, and data analysis, this running app is one you should try.
Pros
Real-time audio coaching
Find local running routes and routes in new cities
Ability to view time, distance, speed, and pace while running
Gear Tracker tells you when you need new shoes
Syncs with Under Armour Smart Shoes
Cons
Premium features require a subscription
GPS can be spotty if phone is not in the right place
MapMyRun is another running app that has stood the test of time. It first debuted as a way to measure running routes, but the latest version offers runners many more cool and helpful features. You can use it to track your runs and find running routes locally or in new cities, as well as get feedback on your stats so you can try to improve your performance.
If you’re one of those runners who never knows when to replace your running shoes, you can add your shoes to the app and the Gear Tracker will notify you when it’s time to get a new pair. You can also join the MapMyRun community to connect with other runners and stay motivated with fun challenges.
MapMyRun is available on iOS and Android and is compatible with hundreds of other popular apps and devices, allowing you to sync your data with your Apple Watch, Garmin, Fitbit, and more.
Best for Beginners: C25K 5K Trainer
C25K® 5K Trainer
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Why We Chose It: C25K features the popular walk/run method of training for 5K distances, which is designed for entry-level runners wanting to train for races.
Pros
Based on run/walk method of training
Audio coach alerts you when it’s time to run or walk
Run 3 times a week for 30 to 40 minutes
5K ready in 8 weeks
Cons
Not a good fit for intermediate to experienced runners
Need to pay attention to audio cues
Upgrade required for access to premium features like customized programs
New runners rave about how this popular app took them from couch potato to the finish line of a 5K race in just eight weeks. With pre-designed training plans, Couch to 5K guides you through three workouts each week and keeps track of your progress and routes.
Perfect for beginners, it starts with a mix of running and walking, gradually building up your strength and stamina so you learn how to get into a regular running habit. You’ll also get verbal feedback as you’re running, so you’ll stay motivated to stick with the training. C25K works on any iOS or Android device.
Best Community App: Strava
Strava
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Why We Chose It: We chose Strava for its strong commitment to community, support, ability to compare times and runs with other members, and group challenges.
Pros
Good choice for competitive runners
Focuses on performance analytics
Highlights the social aspects of running
Cons
Some people worry about privacy with personal routes that are made public
Might be too competitive or advanced for entry-level runners
Need premium version to enjoy it fully
If you love the social and competition aspects of running, Strava is the app for you. It allows you to compare times with other members of the Strava community or with your own group of friends to boost your motivation. It also has a safety feature called Beacon, which allows up to 3 people to know where you are running (they don’t need to have the app or be Strava members, either).
You can use Strava to set up group challenges, such as fastest 5K or most miles in a set period of time, to keep each other going. You can use Strava on any iOS or Android device and Apple Watch.
Best for Runners Who Want a Coach: Running by Daily Burn
Daily Burn
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Why We Chose It: Running by Daily Burn is a great choice if you’re looking for a running coach. This app gives you access to personal coaching, customized training plans, and guided runs.
Pros
New runs, challenges, and training plans weekly for all levels
Guided treadmill runs or outdoor runs
Customized running plans
Track mileage, pace, and calories
Personal running coach
Cons
Only available on the Apple App Store
Requires additional fees to access certain programs
Daily Burn is known for its incredibly motivational coaching, and its new running app is no different. Running by Daily Burn offers in-your-ear coaching for runners of all fitness levels: Choose from tempo, distance, interval, outdoor, beginner, treadmill, and fun runs. You can also set time or distance to run on your own, and the app will pace you.
Before you start using Running by Daily Burn, the app will prompt you for your running goals (do you want to get faster, build endurance, crush your first race?) and ask how many workouts per week you can commit to. This gives the app a good idea of what type of runs to curate for you. Likewise, the app makes it easy to get up and go, with guided warm-ups to stretch out your muscles and prevent injury, and the ability to share your best runs with other athletes for a little bit of added competition.
Best for Motivation: Charity Miles
Charity Miles
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Why We Chose It: Charity Miles gives users a platform to donate money to a favorite charity and get healthy, at the same time.
Pros
Company donates money on your behalf to charities
Tracks several activities such as walking, running, dancing, and biking
Walking earns money towards your favorite charity
Cons
Not ideal for fitness tracking
Limited features compared to other apps
Interface is on the lower end of apps
Charity Miles helps you make your miles more meaningful and motivational by donating money for every mile you run to the charity of your choice. Just open up this free app, choose a charity and you’ll start raising money with each mile you run, bike, or walk.
You can also form teams with running friends to combine fundraising efforts. To stay motivated, Charity Miles prompts you with reminders to run and keep raising money. You can use Charity Miles on any iOS or Android device.
Best for Reaching Your Health Goals: MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal
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Why We Chose It: Reaching your health goals is easier with MyFitnessPal. This fitness app allows you to chart your training runs, weight loss progress, and connect with friends for support.
Pros
Tracks runs, food, calories, and other fitness activities
Very active online community
Customize goals and monitor progress with daily coaching
Cons
May underestimate calorie requirements
Requires premium subscription to access daily goal-setting features
If you’re hoping to lose some weight through running, the MyFitnessPal app can help you achieve your goals. It allows you to track all your calories and runs in one place and lets you know how many calories you have left based on your daily calorie goals.
You can chart your fitness and weight loss progress and connect with friends on the app, so you can hold each other accountable and maintain motivation. MyFitnessPal is available on iOS and Android and it syncs with other apps and devices including Fitbit, Strava, Runkeeper, and Runtastic.
Best for Apple Watch: Nike+ Run Club
NRC
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Why We Chose It: Nike + Run Club app is an excellent choice for Apple Watch owners. Not only is it free to use, it also comes with guided runs, coaching, and personalized plans.
Pros
Quick glance pace, location, distance, elevation, heart rate, and mile splits
Guided runs with Headspace
Audio runs with Nike coaches
Coaching and personalized plans
Cons
Only for Apple Watch
Users report GPS can be spotty
One of the most popular running apps in the App Store for iPhone and Apple Watch, Nike+ Run Club is a fantastic, all-in-one app. This free app offers GPS tracking, audio-guided workouts, weekly and monthly distance challenges to keep you motivated, and personalized coaching plans.
You can connect to Apple Music or Spotify to access curated playlists that are specific for your runs. If you’re a social runner, you’ll love the opportunities to compete with friends and cheer each other on during runs. Nike+ Run Club is perfect for runners with Apple Watches who want stats and feedback during their runs, but don’t want to carry a smartphone. It’s also available for Android devices.
Best for Marathon Runners: Runtastic
Runtastic GPS Running App
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Why We Chose It: Runtastic is a great tool for marathon runners who need one place to save running routes, training runs, stats, and pre-race information.
Pros
One place to save all your running routes and stats
Post stats to Twitter or Facebook from the app to share with global community
Track and log over 120 activities
Cons
Certain race and training features requires premium subscription
Voice alerts not as loud as other apps
Reach your goals in your next marathon with this app that tracks all your runs and offers training plans for marathons and other races. You can save all your routes and stats, so you can stay motivated by trying to beat your personal records.
Once you’ve finished your run, post your stats to Facebook or Twitter right from the app. This app can be used on iOS and Android devices and syncs with other apps such as MyFitnessPal as well as Garmin devices.
Final Verdict
Whether you’re new to running or training for a marathon, finding the right running app can help you stay focused and on track to meet your goals. A great app to start with is Runkeeper. It’s comprehensive, appropriate for all running levels, easy to use, and it provides you with all the tools you’ll need to get started. Plus, it comes with tons of helpful tips for sticking to your training plan or race schedule. If you’re looking for an app that offers running classes and coaching, consider Running by Daily Burn. But if it’s support, structured training plans, and encouragement that you need, then check out C25K.
Running Apps vs Walking Apps
Running apps and walking apps are similar in form and function, but they often differ in the content, training plans, and support. Both apps are designed to track metrics like miles, pace, distance, and time, but running apps often come programmed with training plans for specific races such as a 5K or marathon. They also feature longer running routes and trails that support a faster pace. and workouts. Some have extra tools like calorie counters and heart rate tracking capabilities. The main difference between a running app and a walking app is likely the programmed workouts. With a walking app, the workouts will be slower in pace and often shorter in the distance. They also focus on beginners or people new to exercise more than running apps.
Best marathon training app free
C25K 5K Trainer FREE—iOS, Android
If you’re not quite ready to even think about running a 10K—let alone a marathon—I don’t blame you. To help get yourself motivated, try a shorter race, such as a 5K (about 3.1 miles). C25K Free is an app that promises to get you from sitting on the couch to running a 5K race in eight weeks.
The app starts out with simple, alternating jog/walk workouts (three workouts per week for eight weeks) and features audio cues that tell you when to jog and walk. You can listen to your own music while you use the app, and by the end of the sixth week you’ll (hopefully) be running 2.25 miles without any breaks. Plus, if you like the C25K method, you can download Zen Labs’ paid apps which include a half-marathon and a marathon trainer.
Runtastic—iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8, BlackBerry, Bada
Runtastic is more social network than hardcore fitness tracker, but it does help keep you motivated. This app—which is available for basically all mobile operating systems, including BlackBerry and Bada—uses your device’s built-in GPS to track your distance.
This means it’s best for people who run outside (it won’t be able to accurately track your treadmill workouts), because let’s face it: If you’re training for a marathon, mixing up scenery is key. Runtastic has a couple of nice features for distance runners such as letting you rate your day and workout by noting how you’re feeling, what the trail felt like, and what the weather was like.
[Read our full Runtastic review here.]
Striiv Walkathon + Fitness Games—iOS
If social networks don’t motivate you, Striiv’s Walkathon + Fitness Games app might just do the trick. This app basically turns your iPhone into a pedometer by using your device’s built-in accelerometer to track your steps, whether you’re walking or running.
It’s not great as a standalone fitness tracker, since you can’t track individual workouts, but it does have a couple of unique motivation techniques—most notably a FarmVille-esque game called MyLand (the more you walk/run, the more you can grow your plants and build things), and a walkathon feature that lets you walk/run for charity. The more you move with Striiv, the more you can donate to one of three charities (saving the rainforest, clean water, and polio vaccinations for children)—combining exercise and philanthropy so that you can feel good in more ways than one.
[Read our full Striiv review here.]
MapMyRun—iOS, Android, BlackBerry
MapMyRun is a comprehensive fitness tracking app that works in tandem with a website. The app lets you track your runs (hence the name), including time, distance, pace, and calories burned.
What’s nice about this app is that you can choose different types of running workouts to track, such as treadmill running, sprints, races, interval training, cross country, trail running, and power walking.
MapMyRun (known as MapMyFitness on Android and iMapMy on BlackBerry) is free, but extra features such as coaching (which allows you to set goals, and tells you if you’re below your target pace), and the ability to control your playlist from the app costs an extra $5/month or $30/year. You can also opt to purchase a MapMyRun Bluetooth heart rate monitor for $50, which includes a year of the service.
Run The Map—Windows Phone 8
Run The Map is a simple, yet effective fitness tracker for Windows Phone 8 users. This app is similar to MapMyRun, but without all the bells and whistles. You can record your route, track your run on a map in real time, and see your time, distance, and average speed.
You can also track stats such as your maximum speed and altitude increases and decreases. Run The Map also automatically records interval splits, which is a great feature for people who don’t want to have to press a button every time they start or stop an interval.
RunKeeper—iOS, Android
RunKeeper is a full-featured fitness tracking app aimed at—you guessed it—runners. This app tracks your workout via GPS (though you can also enter in workouts manually), and features music controls and audio cues/coaching.
You can also set goals (such as distance, weight, or finishing a race), share your progress on social networks, and take photos during your workout, which is great if you happen to be hiking or running on a gorgeous trail. The app also works with a variety of heart rate sensors and integrates with activity trackers such as Fitbit, Zeo, Garmin, and Wiithings.
Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker by MyFitnessPal—iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8
The best thing about distance running that you can pretty much eat all the carbs you want without feeling guilty. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be paying attention to what you eat—you should, both to make sure you’re getting the calories you need (and not overeating) and to keep yourself from indulging on too much junk food.
Calorie Counter and Diet Tracker by MyFitnessPal will help you do just this: It’s basically a mobile food diary with a pre-built database of over 2 million foods. It’s easy to use, and you can add multiple foods at once (a feature which the company boasts “no other app has”). You can also connect to other MyFitnessPal affiliates, such as BodyMedia FIT, Digifit, Endomondo, and Finis Swimsense to track your workouts alongside your eating.
Individual marathon apps
Marathons these days are pretty high-tech races. If you’re looking to get inspired, perform some race-recon, or just follow (and cheer on) your favorite athletes, you should check to see if your race has its own app.
The BMW Berlin Marathon has an app, as does the TCS Amsterdam Marathon, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the Boston Marathon, and the NYRR NYC Half Marathon.If you’re a runner, or looking to be one, these apps are a great place to start.
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