Paying more for your running shoes doesn’t necessarily mean you get better quality. New Scottish research finds no difference in comfort or shock absorption between running shoes that cost $80 a pair and those made by the same companies that sell for more than $150.
The 43 men in the study tried on nine pairs of running shoes - three models each from three of the world’s leading manufacturers. None of the participants had any foot or gait abnormalities.
The price of the three shoes within each brand ranged from $80-$90, $120-$130, and $140-$150, respectively. The men did not know the brand or cost of the shoes they were testing. They rated the shoes’ comfort after running while wearing high-tech sensors that monitored pressures at various points on the foot, including plantar pressure - the force from the impact of the sole hitting the ground.
Results show no big differences in the comfort of the shoes, no matter how much they cost. Some shoes had better shock absorption than others on different parts of the foot, but there was no clear pattern.
Researchers say fit - not cost - should be the most important thing to consider when buying running shoes.
The study is published in the October 10 online edition of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
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Tags: Exercise, running, running shoes, shoes, sports
