Which running trainer for wide feet? Asics, Under Armour or something else?

[Ironfloor269]

I'm on a tight budget. I was looking on Sports Shoes and they have Asics and Under Armour running trainers for about £20 (70% discount). My current trainers are New Balance and I LOVE them. But the mesh on the top is torn. Annoying, as the rest of the shoe is still in perfect condition, even after 4 years.

So which running shoe is the best? Asics or Under Armour?

Thanks.

I like Asics.

It sure how much you are like to spend but I have Hoka One One trainers and they are amazing, my feet are wide. They're the best trainers I've ever had

I have really wide feet and love my Saucony Peregrines. They are ££££s if you buy the latest model but I bought mine bnwt off ebay for about £40. If you are happy to go for an older model, you can get some good bargains.

New balance for me and I have proper ducks feet. 4 years is an awful long time to wear the same shoes, mine are normally dead after 500 miles.

Altra are foot shaped so very wide toe box and extremely comfy

Should of said ASICS are very narrow in the heel , no experience of under armour

I have wide, flat feet and the best running shoes I’ve found have been the Asics Gel Kayanos in knit/mesh design. Wide toe box and really light.

I switched to Hoka when Asics went too narrow. Lovely big toe box. I've heard Asics have got wide again but I'm wedded to Hoka now . You can get some good deals on them on sportshoes too.

If it has to be Asics or UA then definitely Asics.

Love ASICS

Hoka are very wide. I can't stand them personally, but a lot of people love them - so I'd recommend trying and see how you get on.

Saucony Triumph are also wide and work well as an all-round road shoe.

Definitely don't buy Under Armour.

I had ASICS, new balance and brooks. I find brooks quite heavy and probably wouldn't get them again. My new balance ones were only 30 quid on m&m direct

New balance for me too

You really won’t know unless you try them on. And after 4 years the cushioning in your NB could be as shot as the uppers, just not as visible!

I find Under Armour really narrow, as are Asics. I tried Mizuno Wave which were supposed to be wider but the overlay sat in the wrong places and rubbed.

Some Saucony are wider than others. The peregrines mentioned are great but they are a trail shoe, not road. The good thing about Saucony is they tend not to have an overlay so the mesh upper is accommodating.

I’m currently trying Hoka Clifton and like them a lot.

It also depends if you are a neutral runner or if you under / over pronate to which shoe you need. Have you had gait analysis?

I have extremely wide feet and square toes and just got Brooks. Super comfortable and seem to give me extra energy somehow.

Brooks agrees the best for me too, though Asics and Under Armour are fine too.

If your feet are big enough my best tip is to choose a men's pair, they are much wider.

Thanks for your replies. They are immensely helpful.

@BabbleBee - no, I've not had a gait analysis. I've always had flat feet though. Does that make me an over pronated runner?

Another vote here for men's trainers.

They come up just right for my wide feet and you can usually pick up a bargain as well. Because you are likely to be at the 'small' end of their range of sizes, which don't sell out and then get reduced.

Works for hiking boots too, or any "performance" footwear.

I buy men's trainers from Decathlon. I am pretty heavy too so they have slightly better support (as men are on average bigger), as well as being wider. Last ones were £35 plain black and super comfy for aerobics and Step.

It v much depends on what type of running you do. Is it road, track, trail or fell?
I suggest you get your gait analysed at a running shop and take advice from them re: whether you need any specific features. Some people pronate (roll inwards) and others supinate (roll outwards) and getting the right fit is essential in helping combat this, which can then help prevent a raft of other associated msk injuries.
Also, you need to think of what kind of drop you want (ie the difference in height between heel and toe). Some people like a flat shoe, others like a decent heel stack. Again, this differs on whether you plan to race and on what terrain.
The other thing to consider is lugs on the sole. If you’ll be running over winter on grass etc you might want a trail type sole with decent lugs to give you stability & traction. But if you’ll be just on pavements you should go for a road shoe with minimal lugs and lots of cushioning.
You should always replace your running shoes after 500miles or a year or so, depending on how much running you do.

The wrong shoes and/or worn out shoes can be catastrophic for causing imbalance and injuries, so getting the right ones is worth all the money you can afford.

Altra are amazing. I have very wide feet indeed and have run with every other brands and orthotics and slways gotten knee pain that I thought was just part of running for me. Altra high toe box and zero drop have made all the difference. My feet now have the room to do their job.

@Ironfloor269 flat feet don’t necessarily mean you pronate.

Having said all that, if you’ve been running reasonable distances over 4 years in your current shoe without injury you’ve probably been in the right type anyway. Do you know which type of NB you have?

I have wide feet and wear Saucony too. They're not cheap but I took the hit as I'm middle aged and they're cheaper than physio.

Another vote for Saucony. I wear men’s as well, much more space around the toes.

I got them in the sales last year for a good price. They’re blue and pink, so although men’s, they look a lot like women’s trainers (hence available in the sale I suspect).

Depends how wide.. I have wide feet. Nike do a wide style but they were too much for me. I tried Asics, they gave me blisters. Now I swear by Brooks, I’ve had two pairs now, must invest in a new pair soon. They often sell off older styles on Amazon if new ones (around £100) are over budget.