12 Anti-Chafe Products Distance Runners Swear By

Running has always made me feel unstoppable—that is, until I started training for a marathon. All of the awesome benefits I usually experience from running managed to stick around during the early stages of my training: the sensation of a runner’s high, the endorphins I feel after crushing a challenging hill, and of course, an excuse to treat myself to a new pair of leggings.

But once my run distances got up to 13+ miles at a time, I started discovering red chafe marks in my post-run shower (“discovering” is a nice way of saying “screaming bloody murder from the water hitting my burned flesh”). They were showing up on my armpits and my lower back where my leggings have a pocket. My inner thighs took a beating the one day I decided to wear shorts.

With race day quickly approaching, I knew I had to put an end to my chafing woes, and fast. So, I decided to ask a handful of distance runners what they personally use. Their recommendations helped me figure out my own plan: I ended up using a combo of Vaseline on my toes and TriSlide spray basically everywhere else. I had periods of rain and sunshine on race day and managed to be chafe-free by the time I crossed the finish line. (My toes had a few blisters from the wetness, but hey, after 26.2 miles, that one’s a tough battle to win.)

For anyone else who’s searching for a legit anti-chafe product, here’s the full list of balms, sprays, and creams that came highly recommended to me.

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