Running in sandals may be the greatest training hack to reduce washing. In addition, it is a water aerobics tool that helps athletes train their core muscles. Here’s the (somewhat nerdy) gear our editors love.
A pair of sandals you can run safely and comfortably in, a new gadget to train your core muscles in the pool, and an unsweetened electrolyte drink mix all made our editors’ list of favorite gear this month. (Photo: triathlete)
Published on March 27, 2026 at 06:00 AM
Spring has officially arrived, and with it comes some interesting fashion choices as we emerge from our winter cocoons and return to the outdoors. Our editor-in-chief defends ‘rondals’, which probably won’t win any fashion awards. But hey, it will save some time matching and folding socks every week, which is definitely a win.
Grab the gear that guides our team through these early spring days, and have fun Triathlon season is back!
Teva Aventrail R2T Trail Running Sandal
Well, there comes a time in many men’s lives where they fully embrace fatherhood. This means that they abandon themselves before the Father, repent of any previous aspirations to be quiet again, and move forward with confidence, on the path towards being a source of attention for everyone around them for life. But there are positives to this shift: you no longer care what anyone thinks and your role is simply to be comfortable and/or laugh (even if it’s directed at you, not with you, a laugh is a laugh).
With reaching this milestone, I’ve finally embraced not only wearing sandals more than I should, but also in places I normally wouldn’t — like after a workout, while on a hike, or even during a short run. Yes, I went running in sandals, and I’m proud of it.
My current choice is the hybrid sandal (but mostly sandal) Teva Aventrail R2T—a sandal designed for use on roads (with ease) and trails (with varying success). Although I wouldn’t wear these shoes for more than an hour, they are more versatile than 75% of the other shoes I use, and of course practicality at all costs is another true sign of total parenting. Join me, and leave.
-Chris Foster, Editor-in-Chief
Kiefer Aquatics Wonderboard
You might think this is a great painting, but you’re wrong. The surfboard is placed in front of the swimmer, isolating the leg muscles and improving body alignment while swimming. This is a wonder board, installed underwater to insulate the core while sitting, kneeling or standing on the foam.
Technically, the Wonder Board isn’t even a swim training tool. It’s probably more appropriate to fall under the “water aerobics” category, and that’s how I discovered it. At my local pool, swimmers share a pool with water aerobics machines several times a week, and the Wonder Board is part of the latter group’s training. Naturally, I was curious about this strange V-shaped piece of foam, and the more I learned, the more I realized this could be a useful tool for my own training.
Over the past few months, I’ve been adding five minutes of Wonderboard training to the end of my swim workouts, and it’s been really cool to see how it has affected performance on land. My core has gotten stronger without having to do 10 million boring exercises. My balance is better, so I have fewer sweeps when I stumble while running. And most importantly, my proprioception, A skill that is greatly underrated when it comes to strength and durability in triathletesSignificantly improved. It turns out that triathletes can take a page out of the water aerobics book after all.
-Susan Lackey, Senior Editor
Scratch Labs unsweetened hydrating sports drink mix
I’m currently on one of the toughest and longest endurance journeys: pregnancy, which Changes the electrolyte balance in the body. And although I don’t sweat much right now, since the winter weather is lasting much longer than I would like, I find electrolytes a few times a week really help with fatigue.
However, since I don’t sweat much, I also don’t need carbohydrate-rich electrolytes. Most light or Sugar-free electrolyte drink mixes Full of artificial sweeteners that my stomach can’t handle well.
Scratch Labs Unsweetened contains no artificial sweeteners. However, it is also light on flavour. It’s like drinking salt water with a little lemon, but gentle on the taste buds and stomach. Even as my pregnancy nears its end, I can see myself using it on tough days of yard work or post-zoo trips with my kids in the summer heat, where the intensity level of activity doesn’t require eating all the carbs. However, sweat levels make electrolyte replenishment valuable.
– Rebecca Pratley, associate editor
