Picking the right running shoes as a beginner can be tricky. With dozens of brands all claiming to have the most comfortable, stable and cushioned options, spending your hard-earned money on the shoes that work for you can take a lot of work.
In this video (also the podcast), Nick, Kieran and Tom chat through the things that beginner runners need to know about shoes, from forking out for the latest models to getting gait analysis.
Check out the monthly podcast for the latest kit news and updates:
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
00:36 – What to look for
05:34 – Should you buy the latest model?
10:00 – How many pairs do you need?
11:52 – Do you need gait analysis?
18:30 – Our beginner picks
More ways to enjoy The Run Testers
Subscribe:
Follow Us:
Listen to The Run Testers Podcast:
Watch The Run Testers Shorts:
Hey Tommy from the Run testers and Welcome to another of our running guides In this video which is also the podcast So if you're planning on listening to The podcast maybe you don't watch this Video we're going to be talking about Beginner running shoes so we'll be Chatting through what beginners should Be looking for in running shoes what you Should be aware of and maybe not bu and We're also going to be talking through Our top picks for shoes for beginners Right let's dive in and do the chat [Music] Okay so beginner running shoes is Something that we mention quite a lot When we're doing our guides um when we Talk about different types of running Shoes but it's a tricky one because We've never really defined what beginner Runner shoes are and what beginners look For in or what they should be looking For in running shoes so let's kick this Off by saying what should beginners be Looking for when they're buying Runing Shoes who's going to say Comfort first I'm going say I'm going to say Protection Comfort yeah yeah you're Right there yeah yeah um well it obvious Depends on the beginner because some People can be super fit from other Sports coming into running but either Way I think if you're new to running It's quite high impact sport it's good
To have I think a shoe that can protect You so a fair bit of cushioning bit of Stability I would say rather than going For a super soft shoe I'd get a nice Stable cushion shoe and um I yeah just try and pick a pretty you Know kind of neutral shoe all around a Standard shoe and then kind of learn Your preferences after using different Shoes but just go for one that's pretty Mass Appeal at first rather than Something that's too Niche yeah I mean I I know there are sort of studies that Say that one of the biggest factors in Whether or not something is likely to Cause you an injury is whether or not The shoe is comfortable so you look at Get analysis and other things but Actually does the shoe feel Good it's one of the kind of close Linked to how well you running it and How well your form is and I think that's Yeah just going for there's a lot of Instinct I think in those kind of first Sort of shoes that you put on and if you Put something on and it almost feels Like it's not there or it just feels Right and you've got good comfort and it Sort of disappears on the foot that's Probably the one to go for I think you Could sort of trust your gut quite quite A lot on that and that's for me why it's Really important to get into if you're Going to do it first time to get into a
Shop and have a feel and have put your Feet in a lot of different shoes Initially but um yeah 100% Of talked about stability decent amount Of Cushioning yeah about the use case that You're going to have for it as well I Think yeah I can agree got to get into a Shop get some advice there try different Shoes try different drops try different Levels of cushioning try different Brands and yeah it's amazing the science On it isn't it because it all Justa Points the fact that no if your shoe Feels right it's probably the right shoe Don't don't be pressured into buying Something that doesn't feel right um Just go for what feels good yeah I I Think that what the definitely Comfort Is is a big one because if you if we Take a beginner of somebody who's maybe Doing couch to 5K or just doing shter Miles at the start Comfort is such a big Part of that because you know it's when You're running along if if there even The slightest bit of an issue that can Have a big impact on your motivation When you start running so make sure it's Comfortable not you're not running fast You're not needing plates or anything Just just make sure you've got something That you that feels really nice uh Initially um and I suppose the other Thing as well is do we what about things
Like um uh durability stuff like that Are we worried about that I think if you Go for you know your standard big Cushion shoes from the main Brands That's kind of built in I would say I I Would necessarily have to try and try And I mean don't go for like a racing Shoe because that won't be very durable I guess but yeah if you're looking at The kind of shoes We're talking about I Think durability is kind of baked into It a little bit yeah yeah good outso get A good outs basically get a good outso And I always think uh ignore marketing Campaigns from shoe brands if you're a Beginner because they will all tell you The things that you want to know but Really the best the best things is one Is to listen to people that you know Already that are running in shoes that They can talk to you about and you can Have a look at and see um but also uh Stuff like us where we're explaining uh The different shoes that you can get so Every shoe that comes out the M moment Says it's the most comfortable says it's The most cushioned but um that's that's Not always the case and quite often You're paying a a premium for that as Well it's a quirk of running shoes that They are all advertised as being able to Do absolutely everything which makes it Quite hard to pick between them based on That yeah okay um all right then let's
Let's the big question uh price for Beginners there's a I think there's a General consensus that beginners Possibly don't want to spend loads and Loads of money on shoes because they've Just starting out and maybe one one side Of that is if you're just starting out You probably don't know what type of Sho You necessarily want so you don't want To go and spend 200 quid on a you know The latest training shoe and then Realize you don't like that sort of shoe And you you're going to go somewhere Else um but also there's probably a Level of um you know you don't want to Spend a load of money if you're not Entirely sure if you're going to enjoy Running um long term so value is a big a Big thing when it comes to um buying Running shoes which obviously comes down To uh the big decision of buying new Shoes or buying old shoes so what do Views on [Music] That I I think you Can I think as Technologies kind of move On there are some technologies that you Tend to find in the newer shoes that you Might not get but I we're at a point now Where you go back one or two generations On the shoes and on the whole you're Going to be able to find shoes that are Cheaper that will do the job that you Need them to do you know we we sort of
Draw out the nuances between different Generations of shoes but if you take us All back kind of two years we were Running perfectly happily in shoes back Then we were talk about how good they Are and things might move on but you're Not you're not necessarily sort of Missing out on across the kind of broad Range issues I don't think by going Older generation and you can get some Real good deals and some good value in There so I think yeah definitely keep That an open mind and I would say you Don't have to don't the more you spend Doesn't mean you're going to get a Better shoe overall the right shoe for You if you're lucky will be the one That's two gens older and cheaper yeah I Think the only problem with buying older Shoes is that it's hard to get info Necessarily on the ones that to find you Know how to find them how to find the Sales that kind of thing I I still so if We're sticking with the premise we all Agree go into the running shoe shop try On a load of shoes try on the latest Models find out what the model is go and Then look at research at the older Models see if they're still around in Running shoes in running shops you know In because if you talk to the guys at The Running Shop they might as well have The old model there they might be Talking about sales and that kind of
Thing and definitely I would looking at An old Sho this it really is just the Tricky bit about that is how do you know Which one to go for an older shoe other Than watching you know talking looking At videos like this kind of video but Yeah that's the one I would definitely Go for I think that applies actually to Runners any level not just new Runners It's just if you're looking for kind of General daily shoes there's so much Value in looking at the previous gen It's it's especially with how pricey the New shoes are now yeah I if you do yeah As you say if you do that you need to Have some sort of knowledge about you What I find with a lot of my friends who Start running is that they will Instantly go to the sales section of a Running shoe website and they will just Go through and find one that they like The look of that's really cheap and They'll buy it they won't have any Knowledge of if that shoe is any good And I would also say there is a reason a Lot of the time why there are those Shoes are in a really cheap section of The S section of a website because Nobody bought them um so uh if so even Though they may seem really cheap and Really good you probably not getting the Best deal it doesn't mean that you can't Buy a shoe that's the same price that Isn't far superior
It just means that if you're going for The easiest possible option to find a Pair of running shoes when you start It's probably looking in the sales of of Running shoe shops and most people who Are beginners probably know the brand Names so they'll go Nike are good aex Are good Hawker are good but they won't Know anything about the actual Individual shoes that those brands have Got so some of those brands or all of Those brands have shoes that probably Aren't very good for beginners um so if You pick up one of those you're not Going to you're not going to get the Right shoe so um at the end of this Video we will be giving some of our Suggestions of oh yes the best options Uh that you can get uh from old the Versions it's really easy to get drawn Into looking at those big kind of hero Shoes the big races I've just been Through helping somebody actually find Their first set of shoes they're just Training for their first half marathon They started running in January and they Went out on a Saturday went into the Nike store and everybody's like you need The you need the alpha flight and it's Like you do you do we're going to say That at the end Kier I think and it's Like well and they look great you know And everyone's talking about them I've SE seen people they will say all my
Friends have got them and I they say These are great and yeah so you it's It's very easy to get suckered sort of Into sort of moving towards those shoes But you Often you know the the the less obvious Shoes are probably uh good for beginners As well yeah definitely okay so what we Saying on that one only go for up for Sales or older versions if you know what You're buying there are some there are Some really good shoes that are fairly Cheap on RP and if you are stuck and You're not really sure and you know Those shoes will be picked out as really Good options for beginners and you're Prepared to pay the full price then you Know don't feel put off like there are Still really good shoes for beginners Know that areful price but um you know If you if you're looking for value and We kind of like we said at the start we Kind of think beginners often are uh Then you can definitely find it in the Previous version or even two models back Of a shoe you know like the Brooks ghost Brooks Glycerin the Nike Pegasus all These shoes have got like 20 or 40 Versions in the case of the Pegasus you Can definitely get a good deal on an Older one Okay and then the age-old question do You need more than one pair of Shoes I mean I my take on this is I I
Think no not initially if you choose if You choose the right pair and a good Pair that's know we talked about earlier It's nicely versatile a lot of your Miles at sort beginning probably going To be or should generally be anyway but Going to be at the slower end so if You've ticked off that sort nice cushion Comfort and protection but a shoe that Also can do a little bit of Tempo so it Has that kind of broad utility I think You can definitely get away with having One sh it'll obviously depend on you Know your Fitness as Nick said or what You're training for or what your Ambitions are and what your goals are You might want to have more but I think If you're really just starting out and You're on that sort of couch to 5K or You're just feeling your way and Deciding whether or not you're actually Going to like running I don't think you Need more than one shoe at that stage I Think there are plenty of shoes that Will cover enough the types of run that You're going to be undertaking for for That first part of your your running Definitely yeah career of all of that And also stick with one shoe because you Don't know if you're going to like shoe What shoes you're going to like so if You bought two and you're not not really Keen on that Keen on either maybe you Just get one shoe you're probably not
Running every day uh when you start out You probably shouldn't be anyway and so You know you're using it every other day Every three days whatever just learning If you like it learning if you like Running and even if you're going Straight into a marathon training block Which again I don't think is necessarily The best idea but lot of people do Obviously because you get into something Like London you're going to try and run It start yeah start with one shoe a nice Comfortable shoe and um you know go from There plenty of time running is a sport For life so it's lots of time to buy More shoes down the line yeah I agree Although I've got many friends who've Went a bit mad when they started running And B like four pairs of shoes and they Shoes and like that um and they don't Use hardly any of Them okay then let's talk about gate Analysis something that most beginner Runners probably hear at some point Point especially if they've been into Running shoe shops um gate analysis is Where uh they don't running Sho you can Do it you don't have to do it on Treadmill but quite of running shoe Shops will have a treadmill in there Where you run on it and the uh people in The shop will either watch or record Your running and they'll be able to see Your form whilst you're running so they
Can see if you uh the positioning of Your feet and ankles and use that Information to see if you need a special Type of shoe does that cover it Nick Yes it does uh yeah they're looking for Pronation mostly and if you have like High archers and that kind of thing I'm Trying not to use pronation because it Sounded too use it in the shs easy to Get wrong pronation if you're rolling Excessively inward on your foot when Landing which is quite a common thing to Do um which is in the past would Le you Automatically be recommended a stability Shoe I would say there's not much Backing the aring until like here and Said at the start all the scien seems to Points to use a shoe that you feel you Like the feel of and that's usually Going to be the best case scario but I Would say the good thing about the state Of the market right now of running shoes Is there's a lot of inherently stable Shoes instead of shoes aiming for Stability with medial posting that it's Just lots of wide bases sidewalls of Foam big comfy shoes that are naturally Quite stable and the kind of shoes I'd Be using for easy runs anyway and I Think it beginner should be using for All runs anyway and I wouldn't Necessarily so by all means get gate Analysis can give you some interesting Information about your archers or stuff
Like that but more important is just to Run in a few pairs of shoes and I the Big thing is if you're running in a few Pair of shoes and making sure the Different types of shoes is the most Important thing so look at 10 mm drop Shoes 4 mm 6 mm drop shoes just find Something that feels nice to you um Rather than worrying about the results Of this this uh this gate analysis which You know it gives some information and You might want a really stable shoot you Might need a stability Sho and decide That's what feels best but that the Feeling is the most important thing I Think and listen I I I'm going to be a Bit mean now but if you think about Getting kind of expert advice you're Going into a shop and you have to think About who's giving that advice and what Their experience is and what their you Know what their aim is their aim is to Basically sell you shoes that they need To sell from the shelves as well as that So if you're going into one of those Environments in a shop where you're Getting gate analysis if it's not like An independent specialist run store who Maybe has a different take if it's one Of the brand stores they're going to Recommend your search atan doe I've I've Had gate analysis about three four times Every time I've got off the treadmill They say you need a stability shoe I
I've been running for I don't know 15 Years whatever it is now long time done Lots of running I've never ever really Run significantly in a stability shoe Apart from for testing for this Um you fall over every three miles Kieran you're Famous but yeah touch W i' I've very Rarely injured so I think you've got to Think about that I think there's may be A difference between a gate analysis in A store as well and going to get some Specialist gate analysis might other Things around your running form and I Think there's also a distinction between What's happening with your archers and Your ankles as opposed to what's Happening higher up the chain and Running through a bunch of different Shoes and seeing I mean Tom I don't know If you remember we actually went down And did one with Muna where they looked At our running economy and our running Efficiency in different shoes and I Thought that was a slightly different Approach that actually looked at what Shoes made you kind of run more Economically and that was it wasn't About injury it was about actually so I Did a podcast uh couple of months back Now with a company based over in the US Which is all about getting analysis and That if you if you're listening to this Or watching this and you're really
Interested in get analysis go and listen To that podcast because um we talk about A lot of that stuff on the podcast but What where where we got to with it on a Lot of things is that I think gate Analysis it is useful for some people Some people have really bad Overpronation and if you're a beginner You don't know that you it's a useful Thing to know straight away if if if it If it's really clear that you're going To have a problem straight away when you Start running then that's information You need to know but most people it's Like marginal gains isn't it like you Might have a little bit of overpronation Little bit of underpronation if it's not A problem it's not really going to make A difference that the way that they look At it is um they're looking at one side For people who are basically beginners Trying to understand if they've got the Okay form the other side is elites to See if there's any marginal differences They can make with their running form And gate and everything um and they do The thing with with multiple shoes so They'll test multiple shoes to see how Your gate is in in all those different Shoes so there's a level of gate Analysis but I do think there's an Argument for if you if you um if you can Get it done and it's not costing you Loads of money it's worth having done
Maybe um initially as long as you sort Of take it with a pinch of salt and just Don't buy the first stability shoe that You get told to buy um but definitely It's a nice piece of mind to go I'm Actually there's nothing major wrong With my you know pronation or anything Like that that I need to worry about um Yeah I think in general people don't Need to worry about their form as Beginners at say develops it form Develops as you run and when you if you Take a beginner Runner and you look at Them run they're probably going to be Running very oddly because they've not Done it before um they're not fit they Haven't got the efficiencies of the body To run the body hasn't worked out the Mobility and everything but the body is Quite clever and it will adapt as you Continue and you will just get better at Running same way as you get better at Most things um so yeah there's Definitely an argument for just just go Out and run and and just just just get Better at it um until you need to really Look at something yeah and if you've set If injuries and stuff arise that's when You start talking to physios and working Out what that cause of that is but yeah And there was there's one just to finish Like there's there was one study this I'm going to read this out from 2022 I Found it it was I sort of was
Researching this for a piece of while Back and there quot is the best General Recommendation based on evidence on the Evidence available considering the least Likelihood of harm is to recommend the Shoe there's lightweight comp Comfortable and has minimal as minimal Pration control technology as possible That was what they found to be the one That would be the best way to recommend The shoe to people so it's those things We were talking about you know it's Light it's comfortable it feels good Yeah I mean it's fair to say since Stability shoes are introduced the rate Of running injuries hasn't changed at All in the last well 40 years so Whatever it is so yeah if they work for You great please use them cuz they're Going to be the shoe that works you and That's the way everything should be I Think All right so the uh the final question The one that we all like uh answering um If you were to pick shoes for beginners What would your top picks be uh Kieran Do you want to start that off uh I'm Going to go with one that I've tested Recently it's probably a little more Pricey maybe than I might recommend but I think overall I would think about that It's got good value because it is quite A versatile shoe and you can use it for All kinds of runs and it it's looking
Pretty durable I think the N Pegasus the Nike Pegasus 41 is a good utility shoe That has just about right amount of Cushioning it's not too heavy uh it's Fairly balanced it's got good stability I think that one's kind of a good Allrounder I really love the sakon ride 17 again I think it's got really good Balance it's not over cushioned some People may feel like they want a bit More but I I feel like it's got good Protection it's got a really nice fit From the uppers Uh medium weight uh pretty good value in Terms of the price I think it's £40 in The UK I think that's quite a good entry Level shoe um those would probably be Two of my big recommendations for people Who are just starting Out and I would so I think kieran's Nailed the the exact area I think Beginner should look at which is this Across all running Brands is this band Of shoes that is their so it's still a Performance shoe it's a high level shoe It's not like a you know one of their Really cheap shoes uh and it's but it's The not the expensive shoe in their Range it's the Pegasus from Nike it's The ride from sakon it's the Nova Blast From aex the uh Brooks ghost or glycerin Is like a step up but the ghost the Pummer velocity Nitro all those shoes I Think are really good solid option
Beginners and they all have previous Versions except the case in the ride Which I think is a slightly different Shoe but all most of them have previous Versions I think are very similar and You can look for in sales and I think That's the band I would look at if I was A beginner and if you're looking for More premium experience you then look at Stepping up to the Triumph from sakon or The glycerin from Brooks again looking At old models first and foremost to try And get that a little bit of extra value But yeah that is that band of shoes the Ride the Pegasus the over blast the Velocity fantastic shoes usually in Sales usually the first shoe that goes Into a brand sale even with the newer Models Black Friday coming up and then The previous models are always really Good and they just quite balanced shoes Like I say they're good for a bit of Everything they're not going to be Outlandish they're not they're probably The shoes the brand doesn't take too Many risks with because they're really Popular hoker Clifton that's another one Definitely sticking there um and they're Going to feel pretty good they're Designed to be OD ating to lots of Different Runners so they're probably Going to fit you quite well you can Start to learn about your preferences There's different drops and cushioning
Levels within those shoes and I think All of them would be a great option for Beginners and then you start working out Which one of them you like the most uh So yeah those would be there are Definitely other models from other BR Adidas is what the pro Supernova rise Yeah yeah um what brands have I talked About B all brands have got one I'm I'm Not leaving anyone out deliberately um And it's just that band of shoes that is Designed to be the biggest appeal stick Works lots of Runners and should Hopefully work for you and be cheap if You find a a discount all right well You've made my my pick hard cuz you Basically covered every single Shoe Sho the Tom like quickly um well I Was just going to go for obviously the Pub velocity Nitro range um I think that Probably would I don't talk about that Shoe as much as you Nick but I still Think it would be my top pick I always It's still the shoe I tell people to get If they're um I recommended that to Loads of Runners and they've all come Back saying they've all been happy and I And then if I'm not recommending that I'm recommending the Brooks ghost and They're again people are always pleased Yeah yeah yeah I'd even throw in if you Did want to spend a bit more money the New Balance 1080 uh actually I think the Nova blast
And the 1080 the most recent versions Are the versions that are better for Beginners I think if you go back a Version so the Nova Blast 3 and the 10 V13 I wouldn't suggest those two for Beginners um but obviously those Fresh Phone 1080 v14 is a bit pricier than Yeah you B they're kind of that price That out that rate but I suppose if we Were talking about shoes you could if You are not worried about price you just Want you know the ultimate cushion Beginner shoe I I would probably pick The socony Huracan myself as a stable Very comfortable pretty great shoe for Beginner it's really it's expensive you Can't go wrong with it yeah yeah and Actually this new bricks glycer Max Again if price is No Object it's an Amazing shoe beginners I think and and The good thing about those shoes is that If you're a beginner and you buy those Shoes or any of those shoes we've Mentioned even The Ghost and Pegasus Everything when you develop and you get More into running maybe start racing and You buy more shoes those Sho shoes are Still great you still use them for loads Of your run so it's not like you're Wasting money on a shoe that you'll Never use again they shoes that I I've Still got shoes that you know I've had For ages that I still use for my work or Stuff and just just clicking off the
Miles but um cool okay I would just say On those shoes like if you look just at The RP they are still look quite Expensive because all running shoes are Expensive these days but people once You're into the swing of it you're Probably not paying full price for those Shoes if just if you've got a bit of Patience if you don't have to start Running tomorrow you know you've got a Bit of time if you do have start running Tomorrow you can probably put down the Cathon and get a pretty solid pair of Shoes for1 but I'd say if you got a bit Of patience especially with the sales Period coming up you should be able to Get set of those shoes for under1 pound Under $100 I think yeah we've got Black Friday nor has a few Black Friday month So there's definitely be deals and Amazon actually if you're in the US I Have to look at Amazon us a lot in my my My actual job these days often has Pretty great deals on Brook shoes so Okay well I think that'll do the best uh Well beginner you guide um thanks very Much guys thank you Tom yeah you much Cheers thanks I'm glad someone said that Thank you Karen you thank you mate yeah Yeah bit awkward now see see you later See you lat bye bye that's it from us on This guide thanks a lot for watching Don't forget to like subscribe click the Little bell and if you go into the
Caption below you can find a link to the Podcast one of which is this video Thanks for watching catch you next time W [Music]