Marathon Running Shoe Guide By an UltraMarathon Runner

How to Pick your Perfect Running Shoes to Conquer the 26.2

A happy runner needs happy feet. When you’re running marathons, choosing the right shoes is mission critical. Most runners spend between three and seven hours locked into their marathon footwear. That’s a long time to live with a bad shoe choice. Lacing up the wrong running shoes can not only seriously impact your race goals but it also makes for a miserable – and sometimes painful – day out.

To make buying running shoes more complicated, we’re all unique. From our physique, to the way we hit the ground and the forces we exert, we all run differently. Subsequently, the running shoes that work for your running buddies might not work for you and taking recommendations is a bit of a minefield.

How then, do you choose the right running shoes for your marathon? Well, I’ve run 53 official marathons, a dozen ultras and plodded my way solo across Europe conquering the equivalent of 67 marathons in 67 days. I’ve also tested hundreds of shoes. And made every mistake you can make. That’s great news, because now you don’t have to. Here are my hard-learned top tips for buying running shoes for a marathon.

Are There Special Marathon Running Shoe Brands?

Some brands market harder and make more noise about the potential gains their shoes offer. But I’ve learned that it pays to keep an open mind about which brand might make your ideal marathon running shoe. It might not be the one you know best – or think sounds coolest.

On a related note, that shoe everyone else is running in might not be your best marathon shoe. I’ve often been surprised in treadmill efficiency tests to find shoes I’d usually avoid, worked best with my running style. So it pays to drop the preconceptions and be open to trying different brands and different styles.

How Much Should You Spend on Your Marathon Running Shoes?

While more expensive shoes often tend to feature a brand’s top midsole, upper and plate technology, the best shoes are not always the most expensive. Paying more doesn’t guarantee you’re getting better performance. There are very good marathon-ready shoes in the mid and lower price ranges and if you’re lucky, your best shoe will be the $100 workhorse, not the $500 elite racer.

How Should Your Running Shoes Fit?

Good fit is critical. You want a shoe that feels secure, with no slipping in the heel. They should lace comfortably across the top of the midfoot, holding your foot firm without lace pinch.

When it comes to size, shoot for a roomy toe box with at least a thumb’s width between the end of your toes and the end of the shoe. Some clearance across the top of the toes will also help prevent the bashing that causes the dreaded black toenails.

Your instincts are important here, too. I look for shoes with a good step-in comfort and a disappearing feel. They almost melt into the background when you first put them on. If they feel awkward when you try them, that’s a red flag. There are a few shoes that buck this trend (see the Adidas Adios Pro 3) but more often than not if it feels odd when you first lace them up, it’ll feel much worse after 2.5 hours running.

Top tip: If you’re buying from a shop, take your race-day running socks with you to check the sizing. If you run in a sports bra, take that too as there may be some treadmill running involved too.

How Much Cushioning Do You Need?

How much cushioning you want comes down to personal preference. But in most cases, more is better than less. The current trend in shoes is towards higher midsole stacks of lightweight but responsive foam that offers spring and impact protection.

Your marathon shoes need to protect your feet for the whole marathon, not just the first 60 minutes pounding the asphalt. Good, balanced cushioning takes the edge of the impact without being heavy and cumbersome.

You want energy and response to spare your tired legs without sacrificing too much stability. When your form gets somewhat ragged beyond mile 20 – and it probably will – you’ll want a shoe that provides a reliable platform to run off with a bit of protection in the heel and crucially not too much wobble. You don’t want any potentially uncertain steps being amplified.

Pronation - Understand your Mechanics

It’s important to understand your unique mechanics. Two areas to pay particular attention to are arch support and pronation/supination – how your foot rolls inwards or outwards when you land.

The wet foot test – standing on a sheet of paper with wet feet to see your imprint – is useful for identifying if you have high, medium or low arches and need extra arch support.

Meanwhile, a quick gait analysis can help spot if you need any kind of pronation control. However, be warned: lots of gait analysis is done quickly, in less than ideal conditions by well-meaning but not always experienced staff. Finding a reliable place to get your gait tested is important.

Once you’re armed with this info, though, you’ll be able to choose shoes that work with your personal run print.

Are Carbon Plate Running Shoes Good for Marathons?

Ever since Nike introduced the Vaporfly, marathon starting pens have become a sea of runners shod in carbon-plate race shoes. There’s good research that suggests some – but crucially not all – carbon shoes can boost the efficiency of runners at a wide range of paces – not just the fastest.

However, before you rush out and drop $400 on a Nike Alphafly, it’s worth noting that many carbon shoes are built with big stacks of wobbly superfoam and ultra light minimal, race-fit uppers that aren’t alway the most comfortable or protective when you’re running ragged late into a race. And those efficiency gains can quickly be replaced by discomfort.

Some carbon plate race shoes like the Saucony Endorphin Pro and the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Plus recognize this and offer a more accommodating midsole design but if you’re expecting to be on your feet for 5 hours, you might be better off choosing a shoe that guarantees comfort and stability. Shoes like the HOKA Mach 5 or the Puma Velocity Nitro 2, for example. These shoes are also considerably cheaper, plus you can do more of your training miles in them which is a bonus.

How Much Should Your Running Shoes Weigh?

The weight of your running shoes can be important. Some studies suggest that lighter shoes might offer running efficiencies for some runners. But there’s a trade off and for many runners, lighter isn’t necessarily better.

Comfort is king over 26.2 miles and the risks of not having enough protection underfoot come mile 22, far outweigh any potential gains you might get from dropping 50g on your running shoes.

I’ve made this mistake and believe me, there’s not much worse than being in a hyper-minimal shoe with the ground battering your feet every step when you’ve got heavy-footed with 10 miles still to run.