Different types of running shoe explained
What you really need to know about buying running shoes.
One of my jobs is testing and reviewing running shoes. I do this for Women’s Running magazine and The Run Testers on YouTube. I’ve run in a lot of different pairs of running shoes over the past couple of years, which is a great perk - I get to try shoes often before they’re released and see which ones live up to the hype and which don’t.
Having run in lots of different pairs of shoes from different brands gives me a good frame of reference against which to judge shoes. I have my own personal tastes when it comes to running shoes - I like a big, squishy sole for ultimate comfort - but I have to set this aside and judge a shoe against what it’s promising rather than what I want it to be.
2023 was a great year for running shoes and I feel like all brands could do with taking a year off and putting their feet up. There have been a lot of developments and shoes are really good right now. Do we need them to get any lighter, softer and faster? I think probably not. And I definitely don’t believe we need a $500 pair of shoes that can only be used for one race. We owe the planet more than that.
The most important thing to know about choosing running shoes is to go with a pair that feels comfortable for you. No matter what the sales assistant or someone on the internet says. If it doesn’t feel comfortable on YOUR feet, it’s not the one for you.
For this reason it’s a good idea to go to a shop where you can try them on. You might be able to try them on a treadmill, which can be handy however treadmills have a softer surface than roads and pavements. So also try running up and down in the shop to get a feel for them. A lot of brands are now offering generous returns policies so you can try shoes at home and return them if they don’t work for you.
Below is a brief explainer of different categories of running shoe and what all the different technical details mean. I’m not going to recommend any specific shoes.
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