Father’s Day 2016: What should you get dad this year?

Got a running dad in the family? Getting the right gift for Father’s Day can be a bit of a battle when it seems you’ve exhausted all gift ideas already. (Hey, he has enough ties and barbecue equipment already right?) If you’re old man is a marathon fanatic or is into recreational running during the summer months, we’ve got you sorted with gift ideas. Here are a few ideal gifts that cover a variety of price ranges. Now you just have to plan your Father’s Day running route!

Asics Packable Jacket, $90

When running in rainy or chillier temperatures, every runner needs some kind of shell to keep them dry and comfortable. A running jacket will double up as an essential piece of gear if your dad is going on a camping, hiking or cottage trip this summer. This piece is slick looking and will go well with a lot of your dad’s running staples. Plus, as it’s name suggests: it’s packable. That means it will be easy to stash along in a day pack or fold up during the run.

Shoes for the trail

Got an outdoorsy sort of dad? If he likes the outdoors and loves running, trail running shoes could very well be the way to go. The good thing about buying a runner shoes as a gift is that you can’t go wrong. Even if it seems like he has enough pairs already, that’s not the case. We runners go through a pair of sneakers real quick. A quality pair of shoes to take on rocky trail runs this summer would be well suited if he’s always sneaking off to get in a “quick few kilometres” in the woods on summer evenings. Consider a shoe like The North Face Ultra Cardiac ($130). The shoe (pictured left) is tough, sturdy and despite being so durable, it still has the flexibility needed to go fast.

A performance top for his next race

Playing it safe isn’t a bad idea. If he’s a runner, he will always need a good selection of breathable performance short sleeved shirts to run in. Runners go through these fairly quickly too and ones that come in a basic (but not boring) colour scheme are sometimes the smartest way to go. Chances are, if he’s active, he’s going to need gear items like this just for hiking, mowing the lawn or wearing casually. New Balance has a great smattering of options this summer. Check out a t-shirt like the New Balance Trinamic Short Sleeve Top ($79.99).

A race entry

Dad not so into material gifts? Why not pick a fall race to run together and pay his entry fee? From a quick 5K to a full marathon to relays racing, there is no shortage of Canadian races to pick from. Go big and enter the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, take him on the quirky Not Since Moses race along the exposed Nova Scotia sea bed in late August or enter in an affordable MEC race.

Garmin Forerunner 630, $560

This is a bit of a splurge and one for the dad who is really quite the avid runner. Perhaps this is the gift to get when the whole family is chipping in to split the gift. This Garmin is easy to use and will feel light on the run. We named it “Best of the Best” in a recent issue because it’s super simple to navigate. The only downside is that the family is going to have to hear all of his daily running stats because he will very likely become obsessed…