Running Shoe Brands

I am on my second pair of Brooks in the model Launch. I love these because they fix my pronation and support my arch.

Go get fitted at a store that specializes in athletic shoes/athletic wear. Be sure to wear athletic socks. They'll have you walk, jog, and stand around the store to get a sense of how your feet move and where you need support. Within 5 seconds the store person told me that I had rolling ankles and that I'd need shoes that could help support me. It makes a world of a difference to workout in the correct shoes. He essentially narrowed it down to two shoes based on how I moved in a series of shoes (one over-corrected my ankles, another caused my stride to be short because the toe box was too small, etc). In the end, I got a pair of brooks that fit me like a glove.

Go get fitted at a store that specializes in athletic shoes/athletic wear. Be sure to wear athletic socks. They'll have you walk, jog, and stand around the store to get a sense of how your feet move and where you need support. Within 5 seconds the store person told me that I had rolling ankles and that I'd need shoes that could help support me. It makes a world of a difference to workout in the correct shoes. He essentially narrowed it down to two shoes based on how I moved in a series of shoes (one over-corrected my ankles, another caused my stride to be short because the toe box was too small, etc). In the end, I got a pair of brooks that fit me like a glove.

I have heard to get fitted before, but I'm curious if that costs more? Or if they're just going to recommend the super expensive shoes? I'm super suspicious of salespeople sometimes, and I'm willing to splurge on nice shoes but I don't want to end up over paying just to get a pair that have unicorn dust sprinkled on the shoelaces, lol!

Make sure the store has a decent return policy: 30 or 90 days where you can try out the shoes and make sure they work for you. If they don't then return them. If they are a decent store they should have this type of policy. It is worth it to get the correct shoes for you.


Try them out in the store, run in them, run outside in them, make sure they fit and feel good. Then try them out at home to be certain.

After I purchased my first pair from the running store, I got the same model, but one year older, for about 50 dollars less. Very satisfied.

http://www.runnersworld.com/shoe-finder/shoes-like-mine

put your current model in there, and this can recommend similar type shoes if you are happy with the feel of your current shoes.

Go get fitted at a store that specializes in athletic shoes/athletic wear. Be sure to wear athletic socks. They'll have you walk, jog, and stand around the store to get a sense of how your feet move and where you need support. Within 5 seconds the store person told me that I had rolling ankles and that I'd need shoes that could help support me. It makes a world of a difference to workout in the correct shoes. He essentially narrowed it down to two shoes based on how I moved in a series of shoes (one over-corrected my ankles, another caused my stride to be short because the toe box was too small, etc). In the end, I got a pair of brooks that fit me like a glove.

I have heard to get fitted before, but I'm curious if that costs more? Or if they're just going to recommend the super expensive shoes? I'm super suspicious of salespeople sometimes, and I'm willing to splurge on nice shoes but I don't want to end up over paying just to get a pair that have unicorn dust sprinkled on the shoelaces, lol!

My shoes cost $89. Yeah, that's expensive for sneakers. They told me they would last me 1 year. I've worn them for 3 now and they're only now getting to where I need to replace them. I did not have a budget when I went in because I wanted the perfect sneaker. I had rolled my ankles too many times and received too many skinned knees. My shoes were $15 more on the Brooks website. The price of the shoes was not artificially high because I was getting fitted; they're just expensive shoes.

My husband got fitted at the same store. He told them, from the start, that he wasn't paying more than $XX (I don't remember how much?) for a pair of sneakers and to find him the best shoes in that range. He was limited by that, but he loves the shoes they helped him find. Just give them your budget and, if you have a pushy sales person, don't let them try you in a sneaker that's too expensive.

Get fitted. Everyone's feet and stride are different, so what one person swears by could be nothing but pain and blisters on someone else.

My friend loves Brooks. I passionatetly hate them. I prefer Nike and Newtons for road running.

This. Except for the brands. :laugh:

Most brands are fairly equal when it comes to quality. What is "best" comes down to fit, and that is very individual.

I prefer Saucony and hated Asics. I tend to find that people love one and hate the other of these two brands for some reason. There is nothing "wrong" with either.

I also get that feeling like I wonder if I am missing out. I did try Mizunos for my second last shoe. I liked them but went back to the Saucony.
I've had some issues before and Saucony keep me injury free. At this point I have decided if it ain't broke I'm not going to fix it.

If you do decide to try another brand, like others have said, check the return policy.

Get fitted. Everyone's feet and stride are different, so what one person swears by could be nothing but pain and blisters on someone else.

My friend loves Brooks. I passionatetly hate them. I prefer Nike and Newtons for road running.

This. Get fitted.

I loooove Brooks Adrenaline. And Nike give me feet a panic attack :P

New Balance and Saucony are my go-to running shoe brands. I definitely recommend getting properly fitted, but I'm naughty and haven't done so quite yet. That being the case, I'm still running in a pair of New Balance that I've had for over a year with absolutely no issues. They're super comfortable and I haven't experienced any injuries!

Go get fitted at a store that specializes in athletic shoes/athletic wear. Be sure to wear athletic socks. They'll have you walk, jog, and stand around the store to get a sense of how your feet move and where you need support. Within 5 seconds the store person told me that I had rolling ankles and that I'd need shoes that could help support me. It makes a world of a difference to workout in the correct shoes. He essentially narrowed it down to two shoes based on how I moved in a series of shoes (one over-corrected my ankles, another caused my stride to be short because the toe box was too small, etc). In the end, I got a pair of brooks that fit me like a glove.

I have heard to get fitted before, but I'm curious if that costs more? Or if they're just going to recommend the super expensive shoes? I'm super suspicious of salespeople sometimes, and I'm willing to splurge on nice shoes but I don't want to end up over paying just to get a pair that have unicorn dust sprinkled on the shoelaces, lol!

As others said......go to a running specialty store. They will look at your gait and recommend some different models for you. I would stay away from the box stores. They wont charge you more for the shoes as most are priced from the manufacture. The ones that I have been to will recommend a number of pairs based on your feet and such and you can select from there. Some have treadmills to run on and such. When you start narrowing it down put one on the left, and a diff shoe on the right froot. This way you get a step by step comparision.

Right now I prefer the lunar platform from nike, but have used asics and new balance in the past.

I have a pair of asics gel kayano 20's and Saucony hurricane 16's. Love them both.

Howdy! Anyone have a particular brand of running shoe they are partial to? I have always been an ASICS gal but I'm going shopping tonight and I'm curious if I'm missing out on something better...

"Better" is relative.

I can't stand Asics, personally.

Everyone needs someone specific to their stride and foot, etc. I like Brooks.

Nothing beats Asics...

I'm currently using nike revolution 2 and they are pretty sturdy and fit me and my activities well. I use it for workouts too since I'm saving and don't have that much money to buy another shoe for training.

it's still up to you though! some shoes work well for others and some don't so I suggest that you visit your nearest athletic shoe shop or wherever you plan to buy it and try it on and see if it fits you well and makes sure it doesn't feel uncomfortable or painful when you run, walk or do other activities cause if it does, then it's probably the wrong pair for you

Saucony is my favored brand. I've been all over the place with trying the different brands and Saucony feels right. Don't know how to explain it more than that, comfort level for the exercise I do, they feel right.

Also, if there's a certain brand/model that you currently use and really like, just look for that online and in various store catalogs. The older models are often much cheaper. I got a pair of Asics trail shoes for $15 a couple years ago simply because they were so old.