What Equipment is Needed for High School Track? (2024)

As a high school track and field coach, I am often asked by parents and student-athletes, “what equipment does my son or daughter need to run track?”

One of the best things about track and field is how accessible it is. You really don’t need much equipment at all to play. However, there are six pieces of gear that I wish every one of my high school athletes showed up to practice and meets with. You might be surprised at how often they don’t have these things.

In this article, I will share with you the required equipment needed for high school track runners and sprinters, and recommend to you my favorite products for each category. By taking the advice in this article, you’ll be able to outfit your student-athlete with the equipment they need to succeed in their upcoming track and field season.

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Running shoes are necessary for the daily training of all track and field athletes. Whether you are a sprinter, jumper, hurdler, thrower, or distance runner, owning at least one, and ideally multiple pairs of running shoes is essential for everyday training.

High schoolers actively involved in running activities such as track & field must wear appropriate running shoes. Having properly fitting running shoes will help keep your student-athlete healthy and injury free, while improving their comfort, performance, and overall foot health.

Track spikes are a must for serious high school track and field sprinters and runners. You should wear spikes when speed is of utmost importance.

When you’re first starting your running or sprinting career, it’s fine to run races in the same pair of shoes you train in. As you get older and more competitive, you might change into track spikes for races. While not everyone needs competition shoes, track spikes are lighter than training shoes and provide a tighter fit and more traction. Upgrading to wearing track spikes is recommended for track & field and cross country athletes as they become more advanced in their sport.

The Timex Ironman is a classic digital watch that has great features, making it the perfect “first watch” for high school track athletes.

The Ironman Classic has a stopwatch, countdown timer, alarm clock, and can be programmed with very simple time-based intervals. This watch is perfect for high school sprinters and is a great option for distance runners as well, although distance runners may wish to upgrade to a “GPS Running Watch” as they gain more experience.

This watch is water resistant and durable, and may very well last through a high school athlete’s entire career.

For the serious high school runner, they will want a dedicated GPS watch that they wear just for running. Garmin makes some of the best and most trusted GPS running watches available.

Garmin watches are designed specifically for runners in mind so have all the best features any serious high school runner would want. The Garmin Forerunner 45 records distance, pace, elapsed time, records where you have run, monitors heart rate, measures cadence, and more.

This watch is small and light weight, making it perfect for running fast and racing.

The Garmin Forerunner 45 watch can be programmed with intervals or split manually, making it easy to run even the most complicated workouts. This GPS smartwatch can also control the music playing on your paired smartphone so you can rock out on your runs without missing a beat!

The Garmin Forerunner 45 is a great option for any ambitious track or cross country runner.

Every high school athlete should have a foam roller to help keep them healthy and injury free. A foam roller can be kept at home, or carried with your student-athlete to practices and meets to be used as needed.

When your son or daughter has a sore muscle spot, they can “sit and roll” on the foam roller to massage the area and find relief. Performing regular self-massage with a foam roller is an easy and inexpensive way to help keep high school sprinters and runners healthy when training for track.

All high school athletes should have access to a foam roller when needed.

The best way for a high school runner or sprinter to carry their required track equipment and clothes to practice or a track meet is to have a dedicated duffel bag that they use for this purpose.

I love the adidas Defender Duffle bag because there are a ton of pockets to store everything you need for track. You can put a change of clothes inside, your uniform, your track spikes, a change of shoes, a water bottle, snacks, a foam roller, and anything else you might need for practice or your next track meet. It also comes in a variety of cool colors to match your style or team uniform.

Drinking plenty of water is crucial for high school runners and sprinters. Unfortunately, I see too many kids show up to practices and meets dehydrated and perform poorly as a result. Runners and Sprinters need to drink before, during, and after all practices and competitions to perform and feel their best. Encourage your high school athlete to stay hydrated by getting them cool reusable water bottle that they can keep in their track gym bag.

One of the great things about track and field is that it doesn’t require much equipment to play. However, it is essential that high school athletes are set up for success by having the six most important pieces of equipment for track and field that I have outlined in this article.

Running shoes, track spikes, a running watch, a foam roller, a gym bag, and a reusable water bottle are the only pieces of equipment that are necessary for track and field.

Set yourself up for a successful this high school track season by making sure you have these essential items before you attend your next practice or meet.