Running shoes

[LokeyCokey]

I started running for fitness last summer (had a break through winter! 😬) and got some basic running trainers but trying to take it a bit more seriously now and thinking of upgrading. I know I need to try a few on but what are your personal recommendations for running shoes that won’t break the bank i.e. under £100? Mostly running on pavement/ road but a few routes take me across grass/ paths…

Not sure on price but if you can afford Brookes they are the best I have found (after extensive research as I have foot issues)

Go and measured at a running shop. Thry can recommend brands/styles that will be most suited to your feet.
It's really worth doing.

You do need to try on different brands and see which feel “right” for your feet
it’s pretty much a Goldilocks thing
what works for one person will feel awful on another

Recently bought the ASICS GEL-EXCITE 10, really comfortable and a lot of support, would throughly recommend. If you buy them direct from asics sign up to their rewards and you’ll get a discount code

I have a neural gait and run in Brookes Glycerine or Hoka Clifton 9. It maybe best to have a gait analysis so you know what sort of trainers would be best for you.

I love my asics novablast 5s. They’re super comfy to run in. They’re £135 at the moment though. But if you sign up to the assics club thing (it’s free) you get 10% off your first order. The asics outlet are also selling the novablast 4s for £94 and can get 10% off your first order.

if you’re not sure though I’d go and try some different brands on and see what suits you.

Thanks for the advice, all the places near me that do the gait analysis thing only seem to stock the more expensive shoes sadly and I’d like to keep to under £100 if i can..

You won't get anything good for under £100 full price, sadly, but that's where sites like sportsshoes come in. Go into a running shop, try a few cushioned neutral shoes on (Asics, Nike, Saucony and Brooks are the best to start with) and then buy previous seasons' colours online for a fraction of the price.

Gait analysis is pretty much nonsense - they'll tell you you overpronate because pretty much all new runners do - but it's useful just to get to try on a few different pairs of shoes, see what feels good and see what size you need.

Sportshoes currently have some Nike Pegasus and some Nike Vomero (both great shoes) at around £80. They would be well worth a try as they're a classic cushioned shoe that suit most people. Unlike, say, Hokas or On which are marmite.

Another one here who loves my Brooks Glycerin. You can get the 20s for £99 on line.

But you’d really be best trying a few pairs on @LokeyCokey . I went shopping convinced I wanted ASICS but after trying a pair and the equivalent Hoka ones there wasn’t anything as comfy as the Brooks for me.

100% get a gait analysis, especially if you plan to up your mileage/speed.

I say that as somebody who didn’t, bought a cute and popular pair and was out of action with plantar fasciitis for over a year because of it! (Genetics also exacerbated my PL, but I’d never had it until then).

Gait analysis is snake oil

Unless you are having pain/injuries when running just stick to something that is comfy.

Agree with @FeelinTwentySixPointTwo

The classic running shoes are classics for a reason

Nike Pegasus
Brooks Ghost
Saucony Ride
Asics gel nimbus

Find last year's model on sportsshoes, buy a half size up from your normal shoe size unless there's size info that suggests something different. Buy one of them and wear round the house. If it's not instantly comfortable, swap it for one of the others.

What @CanOfMangoTango said. The classics she listed have stood the test of time. The Pegasus are on model what, 44, now?

But all those listed are quality cushioned running shoes that will suit the vast majority of people. And you won't know if they suit you until you've got a fair few miles out of them.

Gait analysis is a very handy way of getting people to part with their money but nothing more than that. If you are having foot problems then go to a podiatrist and have someone qualified look at the issues. Not a salesperson.

In gait analysis, all that will happen is you'll run on a treadmill for a bit and if you're a new runner then chances are they'll tell you you overpronate and heel strike (because almost everyone does). They'll then tell you that you need to spend £150+ on supportive shoes to "correct" this.
This is patently nonsense because sticking more cushioning on your feet is not going to correct the issues, which are usually being caused by weak glutes, poor form, and just running slowly (it's almost impossible to run slowly with good form). Instead you're putting the equivalent of a mattress on the bottom of your feet which is not going to help your form improve - if anything it'll make it worse as you've got more weight on your feet.

Good form comes with time, experience and speed. When I was a 60-min 10k runner I was a terrible overpronator. Now at 40 min 10ks I still overpronate a bit, but nothing like to the same extent, mainly because I'm moving quicker and I'm also stronger in the legs and glutes so I'm not just sinking into my feet. If someone in a running shop tells you that buying built-up shoes will help "correct" your gait then you need to run in another direction!

There are great bargains to be had out there OP, it just takes a bit of trial and error to see what suits you.

Thanks @FeelinTwentySixPointTwo I think if anything I under pronate as the wear on my current shoes is to the outside… I just need to find a decent sports shop where I can try several on. Locally I seem limited to Sports Direct at one end and high end gait analysis places at the other!

My local running shop can usually pull out something suitable at a discount from old season colourways which keeps the price down around the £100 mark.

I don't recommend specific running shoes because the odds are that you don't have wide, knobbly-arched size 2 feet with a tendency to achilles tendonitis which tends to render my preferences rather unhelpful to 99% of people

I think there are some bargains to be had, as every range has a new version every year. A few years ago I went for gait analysis and was sold Brooks Ghost 14 (the newest Brooks Ghost at the time, a neutral gait shoe) for maybe £120 ish. I got on well with these so next time I needed new shoes bought more Ghost 14 online but this time for £65 because they were now “old”. I highly doubt there’s any noticeable improvement with newer versions. So if you’re confident you don’t over pronate then I’d go for one of the “best” neutral shoes but pick an older version online.

ChatGPT / similar can help make recommendations if you tell it what kind of running you want to do, where on the foot you strike (most people heel, I strike with mid foot), whether you over pronate etc.