Once I’m past the starting line of the 2026 SeaWheeze Half Marathon and can no longer hear the music (or see Ali Feller (Ali on the Run) dance on the podium and cheer runners on), I turn on my headphones and try to settle into the race. The first song that floods my ears is “Brand New” by Ben Rector. It brings back memories from my 500-mile-long Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in 2018; I’d listen to it every morning when my legs were still warming up—just like right now. I stood at a crossroad in my life back then, going into The Walk scared and heartbroken, and the song makes me think of the person I became afterward, thanks to the answers I found while crossing Spain on foot.
Around 4K in (I’m in Vancouver, and this race is in kilometers), I come to the foot of what’s considered the biggest incline on the course. I slow down and start to steadily make my way up to the tune of “Hey Brother” by Avicii. My little brother messaged me a few verses from this song some years ago when I was feeling homesick: Hey sister, know that water’s sweet, but blood is thicker. Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you, there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do. He always has my back, despite living on a different continent. The melody, together with the memory, immediately makes me the good kind of emotional and distracts me from overthinking the hill—and I ascend to the top effortlessly.
I get similarly emotional several times throughout the race. I don’t always listen to music while racing, as more often than not, I run with a friend. During this half marathon, however, I’m on my own, and so I’m listening to a playlist made of all my most treasured songs, the ones that remind me of my family and friends, my favorite trips, and memories. I’m having an absolute blast on the course, running alone but not feeling alone for a second.
It’s scientifically proven that music has a powerful effect on the brain. It activates the memory and emotion centers at the same time, according to the American Psychological Association, which explains why a familiar song can instantly transport you back to the past and flood you with deep feelings, unlocking vivid sensory details (for a literal example, I recommend the movie The Greatest Hits). Scientists call it music-evoked autobiographical memories.
Once the finish line is in sight, I blast “Unstoppable” by Sia, a song I listened to during many hard workouts. To me, this song is a love letter to every woman’s power and perserverence. As I try to pick up speed in the final stretch, I fully realize I’ve been mostly surrounded by female runners the whole time (that was before I even saw the race stats and found out 76 percent of runners identified as female in 2026). The outfits, the glitter, the hairstyles, but most importantly, the strength, the determination, the community. I cross the finish line, and as a female volunteer puts the medal around my neck, congratulating me, my eyes well up, and I let all the emotions gathered on the course take a physical form. I had a great race!
I’ll gladly share the playlist that helped make my race (you, in fact, have access to ALL our playlists), but to have the same experience, I believe that you should create your own, one that’s meaningful to you, based on moments from your life. I compiled some tips, consulted academic literature, and interviewed a music therapist, so you can create your ultimate race-day playlist.
My favorite headphones are the Shokz OpenFit Pro, which sit comfortably and securely on the outside of my ear, allowing me to listen to music while also paying attention to my surroundings, whether that’s the crowds and cheer stations during races or traffic and other runners during training.
My Ultimate Race-Day Playlist
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What You Should Consider
Choosing songs you love—versus random songs that just fit certain criteria or are on someone else’s playlist—is a good start. “Familiar music—specifically if it’s tied to an emotional time or event—will have the greatest effect on our brains,” says Kathy Purcell, board-certified music therapist and director of Therapeutic Arts Group in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, adding that music from people’s teenage years is especially memorable and can evoke both emotional and physical responses. Be careful, however, about the kind of sentiment it evokes. “There may be negative situations an individual has paired with a specific piece of music or song that may not be initially apparent—even to that individual.” The songs you love to be sad to? Perhaps best to be saved for a non-race day.
Purcell recommends looking for upbeat songs among your favorites, “something you exercised or ran to in the past, or something that simply has a lot of energy,” she says. “It helps your mind focus on the music and rhythm, which doesn’t leave much room for the pain and challenge to get through, so it is often much more enjoyable.”
If you prefer a more scientific approach, you can measure just how lively a song is in beats per minute (bpm), a digit you can find in various online databases—or, as much as it hurts me to say it, by asking AI. During a race (as well as a training run), bpm can be your pacer. Purcell shared the following chart to help you consider how best to match a song’s bpm to your effort.
| Running style | Approx. bpm | Music feel |
| Walking/stretching /warmup | 100–120 | Easy, relaxed |
| Easy jog | 120–140 | Comfortable |
| Moderate run | 140–160 | Steady drive |
| Fast run | 160–175 | High energy |
| Sprint/intervals | 175–190+ | Very intense |
But like many things in running, how much bpm affects your running is something you should test for yourself, Purcell says, to see how your mind and body respond (nothing new on race day applies always and to everything). Some runners swear by the ranges mentioned above, to others, it can feel rigid to try to match their steps to the song’s thempo. A small 2014 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that you probably get less benefit from music the harder you run. Our gear editors Amanda Furrer and Jeff Dengate tested how the same playlist, a mix of slow and fast songs, affected their cadence and pace and had different experiences; they concluded that the outcome is individual.
I can run as fast to the saddest songs by Chance Peña as to a banger by Eminem. My race-day playlist includes mostly upbeat songs, but there are a few slower jams that mean a lot to me as well, and I still PR’d by more than four minutes, crossing the finish line in 1:49:14—as far as I am concerned, bpm is inferior to the memory a song evokes.
Build Your Own Playlist
Here are some questions that can help you build your ultimate race-day playlist.
- 🎶 Love and Connection: Songs Reminding You of the People Who Support You
What song did you listen to on repeat when you were falling in love? What was your wedding song? What is your partner’s—or your parents’—favorite song? Ask your friends to send you a song that makes them think of you. During the race, these tunes will make you feel like you’re doing this for them. With them. - 🎶 Growing Up and Into Who You Are Today: Songs Reminding You of Earlier Versions of You
What song did your family use to listen to in the car? What was your favorite song in high school or in college? What songs did you create dance routines to with your friends? What song do you associate with moving—to your dorm, first apartment, or first house? Think of the most formative periods of your life. While racing, these tracks will remind you of how far you’ve come. - 🎶 Past Adventures: Songs That Bring Back Memories of When You Felt Energized and Most Yourself
What was your favorite song this summer? What about your favorite summer ever? What was your favorite song at a concert or a festival? What song did you listen to with your friends on a road trip? These tunes are great reminders of the times when you felt free, energized, and spontaneous. When motivation starts fading and you need the race to feel enjoyable again, these songs can get you there.
- 🎶 Milestones and Achievements: Songs that Make You Feel Proud of Yourself
What was your graduation song? What was a song from a previous race that reminds you that you can do this? What about a song you listened to when you got your job? With these songs, you're reminding yourself of evidence that you can do hard things. - 🎶 Everyday and Ordinary Moments: Songs That Became Meaningful to You
What song do you listen to when you try to decompress while driving home from work? When you cook dinner? When you walk to town and first put your headphones on—or when you walk your dog? These songs can transport you somewhere that feels familiar and comfortable when the race miles start to feel the opposite.
Organize Your Playlist
You could always listen on shuffle and leave it to fate (the algorithm) what comes up next throughout the race.
If bpm is your jam, you could also increase its number throughout the race to help you hit negative splits or otherwise support your race-day strategy.
But you could also let your playlist build emotional intensity during the race. Start with the songs you connect to the people you love to feel their support, followed by songs covering who you were that provide motivation. Next, think about what you’ve overcome, songs to help you build confidence and determination, and where you’ve been for excitement and distraction from fatigue. Finally, list songs that cover where you’re going or what makes you feel powerful. The journey could follow a path like this: connection → nostalgia → growth → freedom → resilience → achievement → celebration.
My playlist was shorter than my race, and I started to listen to it from the top in the last few kilometers. I loved it! My ears were filled with the same favorite tunes, but this time, I was in a completely different mental state and stage of the race. The song I listened to during the first few miles, when I was nervous about perhaps not being able to cover the distance and having to drop out, now reminded me of how far I made it in the race—the race itself being a journey.
Pavlína Černá, an RRCA-certified run coach and cycling enthusiast, has been with Runner’s World, Bicycling, and Popular Mechanics since August 2021. When she doesn’t edit, she writes; when she doesn’t write, she reads or translates. In whatever time she has left, you can find her outside running, riding, or roller-skating to the beat of one of the many audiobooks on her TBL list.