The 5 Best YouTube Channels for Runners
Runners are increasingly turning to YouTube for expert coaching, practical running tips, and health and nutrition advice. As a result, coaches, former world champion runners, running magazines and athletic shoe brands are all getting into the mix. In some cases, YouTube channels that they’ve created have nearly 100,000 subscribers and tens of millions of views. Below, we’ve highlighted a few of the very best YouTube channels for runners.
If you’re looking to boost your running performance, The Run Experience (TRE) is a great place to start. This channel has 97,736 subscribers and over 7 million video views. There’s a good mix in here of how-to videos, health tips, exercise demos and nutrition advice. For example, featured videos on TRE now include “3 Upper Body Mobility Stretches,” “Ab Workout for Runners” and “Super Starch Pancakes for Runners.” You don’t have to be an elite runner to get value from these videos.
As you might expect, the top shoe brands in the world have started to develop their own content for YouTube, with a focus on celebrity runners, up-tempo inspirational messages, and product reviews. The best of these is the Adidas Running channel, with 50,703 subscribers and over 45 million page views. Many of the videos are designed to keep you going. Case in point: the new #TakeCharge series of videos, showcasing women who have broken barriers in the world of competitive running. There’s also a “Speed Squad” series, designed to get you running faster.
If you’ve ever wanted to train with a former Olympian, here’s your chance. C Tolle Run is a popular YouTube channel (12,417 subscribers and over 2.6 million video views) that features 5-time NCAA champion, 3-time national champion and U.S. Olympian Carrie Tollefson. In many ways, this is a total lifestyle channel for runners, designed to bring you inside the life of an elite athlete. Sometimes Carrie is interviewing runners at prestigious races around the world or sharing training tips, and other times, she’s back with a “Holiday Gift Guide for Runners” or “How to Pick the Proper Running Shoe.”
This YouTube channel is proof you don’t need to be a celebrity Olympian or major global brand in order to create good, compelling content for runners. This channel, hosted by mountain-ultra-marathon-trail runner Sage Canaday, has 88,415 subscribers and 15.2 million views. The focus here is on pro distance running tips and advice, with a mix of other videos covering strength training, injury prevention and nutrition.
This is the YouTube platform for the world’s leading running magazine. In many cases, this is content that has been repurposed from the magazine and converted into video format. For example, one featured set of videos on the channel is “2017 Summer Shoe Guide.” There’s also a series of videos dedicated to training tips, called “The Starting Line.” And, in a bid to win over young millennial runners, there’s a regular segment featuring two young female runners called “Super Secret Mystery Meeting.”
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As you can see, there are many different options for runners when it comes to YouTube. If you prefer straight-up training advice and running tips, you’re probably best off with VO2 MAX or The Run Experience. If you’re looking for a fun mix of celebrity advice and features on the running lifestyle, you might want to check out C Tolle Run. And if you’re looking for some up-tempo inspiration to get you out of a running rut, definitely check out what brands such as Adidas are creating.