The Best Running Shoes for Newer & Beginning Runners

By Golden Harper

“It is critical for newer runners to choose a shoe that: A) doesn’t encourage poor technique, and B) gives the toes *a ton* of space so the foot can effectively absorb, control, and stabilize the forces of impact. Unfortunately, very few shoes meet this criteria.”

Running shoes for newer runners should not weaken the feet or make it hard to learn efficient, low impact running technique. Unfortunately, most popular running shoes contain elevated heels and tapered toe boxes that both weaken the feet and disrupt the body’s ability to move naturally with low impact.

The best shoe for any runners should encourage efficient, low impact running technique—and allow the feet to get stronger by encouraging the toes to spread out and absorb impact and stabilize the body.

I grew up working and managing my family’s running specialty store, which I now co-own. I studied biomechanics and running shoes at two universities, and work as a shoe design consultant and running coach.  So you can imagine I often get asked by people getting in to, or getting back in to running, “what shoes should I wear?” To which I reply, “That’s complicated, personal, and everyone is different.” With that said, there are a lot of important considerations and learnings that can come from that question, and I hope to address a few of them here.

First off, there’s not a ton of research to lean on when it comes to this. However, the best we have essentially equates to get the shoes that feel the most comfortable, relaxed, and free. “Barefoot with cushion” or “the shoe that makes you most feel like you’re running barefoot on the grass” is how many experts describe it. The research basically says “run in the shoe that lets your body move naturally or doesn’t change the way your body wants to move.” Famous studies by Benno Nigg, and the largest running shoe study ever (Ferber, Calgary) essentially tell us that the best shoes simply get out of the way, and generally don’t “support”, “control”, etc. The Green Runner Study in Calgary tells us that most injured runners—around 85%— do best in a shoe “that doesn’t change what the body wants to do at all.” Interestingly, of the 13% or so that do better in a stability shoe, many of those don’t necessarily have excessive pronation (foot collapsing inward—add link to how to read shoes article).

While I encourage people to find whatever feels best to them, there are several factors to keep in mind when looking for shoes for a newer runner:

• While cushioning will protect the feet, too much of it will also weaken the feet in the long term. This is important because statistically speaking, foot strengthening is the #1 way to reduce running injuries.
• Cushioning does NOT protect joints. Studies have shown repeatedly for 40 years that cushioning only protects where cushioning is, and that more cushioned shoes put MORE pressure on the shins, knees, hips, and low back
• Most running shoes still have elevated heels that disrupt natural, low impact running technique and essentially teach people to run in a way that is unnatural (& damaging) to their body
• Most running shoes still have tapered toe boxes, which bend the big toe in towards the other toes. This often causes the arch to not work properly and can lead to collapsing arches and unnatural foot motion. Because feet are naturally widest at the tips of the toes, this crowding of the toes towards each other also contributes to forefoot pain like neuromas and conditions like Plantar Fasciosis as well.

It is very important for newer runners to establish good habits early, so they don’t have to suffer through years of inefficiency or injury and/or go through months or years of un-learning bad habits. This is especially true when it comes to learning efficient, low impact technique—and teaching the toes to splay out to absorb impact, stabilize the foot at mid-stance, and push-off. For these reasons, I feel it is critical for newer runners to choose a shoe that: A) doesn’t encourage poor technique, and B) gives the toes *a ton* of space to spread out. Unfortunately, very few shoes meet this criteria.

There are exceptions of course, but in general, why would you give a newer runner a shoe with an elevated heel that actively teaches them to adopt unnatural, higher impact running technique?

For these reasons I typically recommend a mild to moderately cushioned low drop or zero drop running shoe with a foot-shaped toe box for newer runners. This is usually an Altra or a Topo brand shoe. Our #1 recommendation for most newer runners is the Altra Escalante. For those newer runners with weak arches or feet that collapse inward, we often recommend the Altra Provision, and typically pair up with an inexpensive pair of Bridge Soles and/or a StableToe if they want to feel a bit more arch and stability.

The Truth About Running Store “Gait Analysis”

It pains me to say this as a running store owner, but unfortunately, most running store “gait analysis” is mostly a marketing ploy that runs contrary to sound scientific principles. It should more accurately be called “pronation analysis”, and It helps the store establish some authority over you so they can guide you in to whatever shoes they think will be best for you—or most profitable for them. Unfortunately, the research shows us that assigning shoes by pronation pattern or by arch height or foot type actually causes more injuries.

Additionally, if it were truly gait analysis, why don’t they actually analyze your gait? They could just as easily show you that you’re overstriding (which around 80% of runners do to some degree), and quickly offer some tips on how to correct it—but that doesn’t help them sell shoes in the moment.

With all that said, I’m a huge proponent of running stores and the ability to run in shoes before you buy them. In my opinion, the best process is to actually run in the shoes you will buy, keeping the following things in mind:

• Only judge a shoe by how it feels while you’re actually running in it. How it feels standing or walking shouldn’t matter much.
• Try at least 4 different models on, preferably 6 to 8.  Try a few that you or the shoe sales person feel might likely be best. As a newer runner wanting to establish good form habits and foot strength, this likely means trying a few Altra’s and/or Topo’s. But also try at least one shoe out from left field and one from right field. This could mean trying a minimalist shoe and a maximalist shoe. This might mean trying a “stability shoe” if you’re neutral, or some neutral shoes even if the shoe salesman thinks you should be in a stability shoe.
• Keep in mind that a lot of cushioning is not necessarily a good thing. Most people will do best with an amount of cushioning that is enough to simulate the feeling of running barefoot on grass or dirt. Cushioning has been shown in studies to amplify forces at the joint level, while reducing forces in the foot and ankle area. Yes you read that right, studies have shown for 40 years that as we add cushioning to shoes, it amplifies the amount of force on the shins, knees, hips, and back. As such, I always recommend people buy a shoe with the least amount of cushioning they feel comfortable with.

Fitting Tips

Ask any shoe fitter and they will likely tell you the hardest part about fitting people for shoes is getting them to buy their shoe big enough. I would guess around 90% of the people I fit are wearing their shoes too short, or too narrow. Due to having many unique foot shapes and other factors, most shoes are designed to have about a full thumbnail’s width (around ¾”) between the longest toe and the end of the shoe while standing with the knees bent. This allows the heel pocket, arch, and forefoot flex zones to be in the proper place. Keep in mind that shoes will fit looser first thing in the morning and tighter in the evening. I always tell people that “If they don’t feel too big in the toes…they’re too small!” The benefits of giving your feet room to breathe and your toes room to spread are multitudinous. Generally it takes people anywhere from a couple of minutes to a couple of weeks to get used to this new sensation of not having their shoes strangling their feet.

As for width, studies show that the average women’s shoe is 2 sizes narrower than the average women’s foot. It’s about a size narrower for men. Look to see if your foot hangs over the sides of the shoe, even if it “feels” comfortable. If so, consider going with a wider shoe, a wide size, or remove the insole to create more room (most, but not all shoes work well this way).

Socks

Many experts recommend buying “nice” socks at least a size larger than the package recommends. Most expensive socks tend to fit too tight, restricting bloodflow, crowding toes, and even contribute to foot deformation and related injuries like bunions, forefoot pain, and plantar fasciopathies.