Runner’s World Subscription Box #011 Review – February 2018

Runner's World Box is a monthly subscription box from the magazine of the same name. They send gear, snacks, and accessories curated by Runner's World editors.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

Everything arrived neatly wrapped within the box this month.

About Runner's World Box

The Subscription Box: Runner's World Box

The Cost: $29.99/month (Save 20% with a 6-month subscription)

The Products: Gear, snacks, and accessories from the editors of Runner's World Magazine

Ships to: United States for $8; maybe more in some areas. Extra shipping costs to Hawaii.

My Runner's World Box #011 Review

Runner's World Box focuses on sending you the best running products picked by the editors of Runner's World Magazine. The items usually span multiple categories, including gear, snacks, and other running related items. There is no longer a theme each month and this month, they even reused the same card as last month... and forgot to update box #. Oops.

This month's box again features full-sized products, although we've only got 4 items this month. This box has varied a lot in the # of items sent in each box, but usually, if there are fewer items they are valued higher.

Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Flapjack on the Go – Listed Price $2.50 (Get a pack of 12 here for $20)

So, I've totally seen these on grocery store shelves. I always assumed they were individual servings of mix that you make just like regular pancakes, but no! You add liquid and then microwave until you get a cup full of fluffy pancake! Mind. Blown.

This being a fitness-focused box, this is a protein-packed "Power Cakes" product. This convenience food boasts 10 grams of protein per serving (12 if you make the mix with milk).

I had very mixed feelings about this. I love me some pancakes and we usually make them a couple times a month at least, so the idea of having a single serving whenever is pretty appealing. I'm not sure if it's due to microwaving or just the protein-heavy nature of this blend specifically, but the first bite reminded me of a fluffed up warm protein bar... not delicious. I really wish I had maple syrup to top this, which would have really helped.

It did really keep me full all morning, though. For what it's worth, my favorite "protein pancakes" are these greek yogurt pancakes from The Pioneer Woman. So easy and downright delicious, way better than the Power Cakes I tried, and one serving has about as much protein (depending on the brand of yogurt you use).

Granger's Odour Eliminator, 3.4 fl oz – Listed value $14 (Available here for $6.99)

This is advertised as "effective on all footwear and helmets" and "especially effective on smelly sandals," which sounds awesome quite frankly. The value does seem way overstated though; this is $3.50 as an add-on item from Amazon, who lists the full regular price at $7, which matches the price I found above at Cabela's. Granger's website also appeared to be down when this review was written.

This is a UK brand so not one I'm super familiar with, and the product itself is VOC free, water-based, and environmentally friendly. It smells like absolutely nothing, which delights me to no end as someone who is sensitive to fragrance and hates the smell of Fabreeze.

I feel like I haven't really been able to put this to the test yet, but this bottle should probably last us at least a summer of stinky, sweaty footwear.

SKLZ Mini Bands Resistance Band Set – Listed Value $29 (Available here for $19.99)

Once again, the value seems overstated for this product; pretty much every retailer online sells this for $19.99.

The yellow band is light resistance, the red is medium, and the black is heavy. They're really small and compact and would be easy to keep at your desk for a quick 5-minute exercise break during your day.

And thankfully, it comes with a training guide to show you how to use them!

I will say that even the medium level felt challenging to me after a couple of reps.

The best part about this though is how it's completely silent. When I have a chance to do yoga or other workouts, it's often when my son is asleep one room over, so I appreciate being able to stretch and challenge my muscles a bit without the same level of noise as say a kettlebell workout.

RW Branded Rainier Cooling Towel – Listed Value $18 (Estimated Value $5?)

Googling "Rainier Cooling Towel" basically only brought up branded promo items that can be purchased for a few dollars each per 100 units. Anyone who runs in the occasional 5k or half marathon probably has received a bunch of these for free, so I'm skeptical again of the assumed value here.

That said, these things do come in handy, and I like that this one is white and should also reflect some light during the summer. It's certainly a nice big size too, and would also work for me to tie around my head bandanna style. If you've never used one of these, you basically just wet it down with water and wear it around your neck; the water evaporates and mimics sweat, cooling your skin. Totally useful but just not terribly exciting and, again, most runners probably have a couple of these floating around already.

Verdict: This Runner's World Box was, unfortunately, kind of a miss for me. I surprised myself when I realized the resistance bands were my favorite item this month! Even though I also think the odor eliminator spray will go to good use, I was put off by the discrepancies between listed value and apparent retail price in this box specifically.

In general, I find that Runner's World Box seems to oscillate wildly in how much I like it from month to month: it's either great and feels like it's got a ton of product, or I'm left wondering how they thought it made sense to include a branded promo item as one of only 4 items.

To Wrap Up:

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, if you sign up by March 31st, your first box will be the April box.

Monthly boxes are generally delivered by the last week of each month. If you signed up for a subscription at the end of the month then your first box will be shipped the following month.

Value Breakdown: Using the listed values on the info card, this box was worth $63; however I think the actual value is more like $34, when I look at the retail prices I found. That's a big difference and comes in under the price of the box this month– which might be a first for this box. For the $37.99 price of the box (including $8 shipping), we paid about $9.50 for each item on average.

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

Check out all of our Runner's World Box reviews and more boxes for runners in our Fitness Subscription Box Directory!

What do you think about Runner's World Box?

What do you think about the items we received this month? Tell us what you think in the comments!