Using Apple AirPods When Running

I recently picked up a pair of Apple AirPods 2 whilst in Malaysia. It took me a while to find them because everywhere was out of stock. So far, I’ve had a pretty good experience with them for daily use (and I haven’t lost one yet!).

It’s pretty rare that I listen to anything when running, but with my increased training schedule recently I thought it would be a good opportunity to listen to a few podcasts. When I did used to listen to something, it’d be with wired headphones but that became terribly annoying. It was time to try AirPods out.

So armed with my new pair of AirPods, I recently took them out on a 20km run. I carried my phone in my hydration vest with a podcast playing. It was a hilly road route with plenty of kerb jumping, dodging thorny vines and swinging my head around to check for traffic.

My main concern was whether or not they’d stay in my ears. My friends reported theirs would fall out on a treadmill, and they ended up buying some small attachments to hold them in place.

Luckily, mine were fine and I had no problems even when sweating pretty hard. AirPods are somewhat water-resistant so a little sweat isn’t going to cause an issue (although I’d be sure to wipe them dry afterwards). I can’t attest to using them in rain, but I’d probably leave them at home.

In terms of battery, they’re likely going to cover most runs. Mine are brand new, so they last ~5 hours. Over time, the battery life has been known to decrease but if you carry the case, you could pop one of them away to charge.

So if you’re looking to save on buying another wireless headset and use the AirPods for running, I’d say yes, they’re totally fine.