As a regular runner, I sign up to quite a few organised races, from trail runs to marathons. During most of them, headphones are not permitted — with a few exceptions.
Those exceptions are open-ear headphones and bone conduction headphones, which allow runners like me to hear the world around them while listening to motivational tunes, podcasts, and taking calls. Open ears allow you to hear traffic, pedestrians and other hazards on training runs, and instructions from marshals and guides during races.
I met one runner at an event who runs as a guide for blind runners, and in-ear headphones means his shouts and whistles for them to get out of the way and mind the blind runners fall on (literally) deaf ears. Open-ear headphones are about more than just your own safely, but others’ safety too.
Shokz is the biggest name in open-ear headphones, and right now is offering a selection of ‘back-to-school’ deals until 31 August. I often use both the Shokz OpenFit true wireless earbuds and Shokz OpenRun bone conduction series, and there are deals on the budget options from both lines here, making them even better value.
You can get the older Shokz OpenRun discounted from £129.99 down to £94 on Amazon, while the true wireless Shokz OpenFit Air are discounted from £94 down to just £64 on Amazon. The OpenFits would be my budget running headphones pick, but you can view both deals below.
Today’s best Shokz deals
You can save £35 on the original and still-very-good Shokz OpenRun, available in slate blue or fetching grey. Immersive stereo audio is delivered to your ears via transducers, and 8 hours of playtime will see you through runs and commutes alike.
Small head? Get the OpenRun Mini for the same price. View Deal
A great deal, and my budget pick. These true wireless earbuds allow you open-ear freedom, although they use speakers to project sound rather than bone conduction, but they still sound great. We rated the Shokz OpenFit Air 4.5 stars out of 5 in our review. View Deal
