The short answer
What to wear running depends on the feels like at your pace, not the air temperature alone. Dress as if it's about 5–8 °C (10–15 °F) warmer than it is: shorts and a T-shirt from about 10 °C (50 °F), long sleeves below that, and gloves, tights and a windproof jacket near freezing.
Key takeaways
- Dress for 5–8 °C (10–15 °F) warmer than the air: running makes heat.
- The breeze you make by running lowers the feels like on cold days.
- Strong sun can add about 5 °C (9 °F) to the feels like on a warm day.
- Wind and rain mean one band colder; sun and humidity one band lighter.
On this page
- What should you wear running at each temperature?
- Why should you dress as if it's warmer than it is?
- How does feels like at running pace change what you wear?
- What should you wear running in hot, humid weather?
- What should you wear running in cold, wind and rain?
- How do you choose your kit for a specific run?
- Questions runners ask
- Sources and method
Words this guide uses
- Feels like at running pace
- How warm or cold the air feels on your skin with the breeze you make by running, plus the wind, sun and humidity.
- Base layer
- The thin top next to your skin, ideally a synthetic or merino fabric that moves sweat away rather than holding it.
- Dew point
- The temperature at which the air would be saturated; the higher it is, the less your sweat can evaporate to cool you.
What should you wear running at each temperature?
What to wear running comes down to one rule: dress as if it's about 5–8 °C (10–15 °F) warmer than it is, then adjust for wind, rain and sun. The table below gives the standard kit for each band. It's part of our guide to running weather apps and kit.
| Air temperature, °C (°F) | Top | Legs | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| Above 25 (above 77) | Singlet or light vest | Shorts | Cap, sunglasses, sunscreen, water |
| 20 to 25 (68 to 77) | Singlet or T-shirt | Shorts | Cap and sunscreen in sun |
| 15 to 20 (59 to 68) | T-shirt | Shorts | Cap in strong sun |
| 10 to 15 (50 to 59) | T-shirt or thin long sleeve | Shorts | Light gloves if your hands get cold |
| 5 to 10 (41 to 50) | Long-sleeve top | Shorts or tights | Light gloves, headband |
| 0 to 5 (32 to 41) | Long-sleeve base layer, windproof jacket | Tights | Gloves, hat or headband |
| −5 to 0 (23 to 32) | Thermal base layer, jacket | Thermal tights | Warm gloves, hat, neck tube |
| Below −5 (below 23) | Thermal base, mid layer, windproof jacket | Thermal tights | Mittens, hat, face cover |
Move one row colder for wind, rain or a slow pace. Move one row warmer for strong sun, a dew point above 15 °C (59 °F) or a hard session. To see the feels like along your own route at your pace, use Map your run.
Why should you dress as if it's warmer than it is?
Because running makes a lot of heat. A few minutes in, the jacket that felt right at the door feels like too much.
Sharp HealthCare's advice is to dress as if it were 10 to 15 °F (about 5 to 8 °C) warmer than it is. That heat is also why the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM, 2007) warns that exertional heatstroke can strike healthy athletes even when the weather is fairly cool.
Bodies differ, so treat the table as a starting point. The ACSM's cold-weather position stand (2006) says clothing should suit each person, not be one uniform for a group.
How does feels like at running pace change what you wear?
It moves the answer by several degrees either way. Running makes its own breeze, which chills you on a cold day, while strong sun warms you on a hot one.
A weather app's feels like doesn't include the breeze you make by running. Here's the same air felt by a runner at 6:00 per km (9:39 per mile):
| Conditions | Air, °C (°F) | Feels like at running pace, °C (°F) |
|---|---|---|
| Still, cold morning | 0 (32) | −4 (24) |
| Cold, into a breeze (air past you 25 km/h, 16 mph) | 0 (32) | −7 (19) |
| Warm, strong sun, 50% humidity | 25 (77) | 30 (86) |
| Warm, cloudy, 50% humidity | 25 (77) | 25 (77) |
Real races agree. At the 2018 London Marathon, the air peaked at 21.6 °C (70.9 °F) for a 4-hour runner, but the feels like in the sun reached 26.2 °C (79.2 °F). At South Africa's Comrades in 2023, the start was 4.9 °C (40.8 °F), and an 11-hour finisher's feels like dropped to 2.9 °C (37.2 °F).
Our guide to feels like temperature for runners explains the maths.
What should you wear running in hot, humid weather?
As little as is comfortable, in light colours, with a cap and sunscreen. Then slow down: no fabric fixes heat stress.
Sharp HealthCare advises avoiding dark colours, which absorb more sun, and wearing a hat or visor, sunglasses and sunscreen.
Humidity matters more than the label on your shirt. The higher the dew point, the less your sweat can evaporate: RunFast grades 15–18 °C (59–64 °F) as sticky and 18 °C (64 °F) and above as hard going. Our hub on running in heat and humidity shows what that does to pace.
Getting used to heat helps more than kit. A 2015 consensus by Racinais and colleagues says acclimatisation takes repeated exercise in the heat over one to two weeks. Official race flags and medical advice override this guide, which is not medical advice.
What should you wear running in cold, wind and rain?
Layers you can open or remove, a windproof shell, and fabrics that don't hold water. As the US National Weather Service puts it, as the wind increases, it draws heat from the body.
Choose a wicking synthetic or merino base layer and avoid cotton, which absorbs sweat and keeps you cold (Sharp HealthCare). In rain, a light waterproof or windproof jacket matters more than an extra layer underneath.
Cover your hands, ears and neck first; those layers are easy to remove. The ACSM (2006) says the wind-chill index should guide frostbite risk, with closer watch below a wind chill of −27 °C (−18 °F). Below that, cover your face too.
How do you choose your kit for a specific run?
Check the feels like for the hours you'll be out, along your route, at your pace. Then pick the row in the table.
- Note your start and finish times; a long run spans several forecast hours.
- Read the feels like at your pace along the route, not the air temperature.
- Adjust a row for wind, rain, sun or a high dew point.
- Carry the layer you'll shed, such as gloves or a light jacket.
A tool that times the weather to your pace does the first two steps at once. Our comparison of free running weather tools lists the options.
Questions runners ask
What should I wear for a run at 10 °C (50 °F)?
Most runners are comfortable in shorts and a T-shirt or thin long-sleeve top at 10 °C (50 °F) once warmed up. Add light gloves if your hands feel the cold. If it's windy, wet or you're running slowly, choose long sleeves and perhaps a light jacket to tie round your waist. On a sunny, still day, the T-shirt will do.
Should I wear a hat when running in hot weather?
A light, breathable cap or visor helps in strong sun. It shades your face and eyes, and Sharp HealthCare recommends a hat or visor, sunglasses and sunscreen for summer running. Choose a pale colour and a vented fabric. Some runners find a cap too warm on a cloudy day, so try it in training first.
Is it bad to run in cotton clothes?
Not dangerous on a short warm run, but a poor choice for a long or cold one. Sharp HealthCare notes that cotton absorbs sweat and moisture and can make, and keep, you cold. It advises moisture-wicking fabrics instead, including merino or synthetic socks. Cotton also tends to stay heavy and wet, which many runners find rubs on a long run.
When should I wear gloves for running?
Many runners reach for thin gloves below about 5–10 °C (41–50 °F), because their hands feel the cold before the rest of them. Below freezing, warmer gloves or mittens help, as mittens keep your fingers together. Gloves are also the easiest layer to remove: tuck them in your waistband when your hands warm up, rather than overheating in a jacket.
Do I need warmer kit for a long run than a short one?
Often, yes. On a long run you may slow down, the weather can change, and you get colder quickly if you stop or walk. Carry a light windproof layer you can wrap round your waist, and check the hours you'll be out. At the 2021 Berlin Marathon, a 4-hour runner started at 16.5 °C (62 °F) and met 23.4 °C (74 °F) later on.
See the heat at your pace.
Drop in your route (GPX, FIT or TCX), pick the day and your pace, and see the feels like, dew point and heat stress for every kilometre, timed to when you’ll be there. Free, in your browser, no sign-up.
Sources and method
- Sharp HealthCare (2022). What to wear running, whether it's hot or cold
- Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (ACSM) (2006). American College of Sports Medicine position stand: prevention of cold injuries during exercise (Castellani et al.)
- Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (ACSM) (2007). American College of Sports Medicine position stand: exertional heat illness during training and competition (Armstrong et al.)
- British Journal of Sports Medicine (via PMC) (2015). Consensus recommendations on training and competing in the heat (Racinais et al.)
- US National Weather Service (2026). Wind chill chart
The clothing table is our editorial guidance, built on the rule of thumb that runners should dress as if it were 10–15 °F (about 5–8 °C) warmer than it is (Sharp HealthCare, 2022), and on the feels like at running pace. Feels like in the cold uses the wind-chill formula (US National Weather Service and Environment Canada), with the runner's own speed as the airflow, as RunFast's engine does: 6:00 per km (9:39 per mile) is 10 km/h (6.2 mph). Feels like in the warm uses RunFast's engine (Steadman's apparent temperature with sun): 25 °C (77 °F), 50% humidity and strong sun of 700 W/m² at 10 km/h gives 30.2 °C (86 °F); with no sun, 25 °C. The London, Berlin and Comrades figures come from RunFast's race-history data, ERA5 hourly reanalysis along the course. Dew point bands are RunFast's own grading.
Wes Thomson
Wes Thomson builds RunFast, which times the heat, humidity and dew point to a runner's own pace along the route, and its sister Windline, live wind forecasts for cyclists. Both run on the same forecast engine. He writes these guides with one focus: what the weather will do to your run, kilometre by kilometre, and how to plan around it.