Do you need special running shoes to start running?

You don’t need expensive running shoes. You do need shoes designed for running rather than for the gym, tennis, or walking around and if you already own a pair that aren’t worn out, you can start this week without buying anything.

Here’s what genuinely matters, and what the industry would like you to believe matters.

What running shoes actually do differently

Running shoes are built for repetitive forward impact. Compared with most other trainers they typically have more cushioning under the heel and forefoot, a flexible forefoot that bends where your foot bends, and a lighter, more breathable upper.

Shoes built for other purposes make different trade-offs. Gym and cross-training shoes are flat and stiff for lateral stability, useful for lifting, poor for absorbing thousands of impacts. Basketball shoes are heavy and high-cut. Walking shoes are often too stiff through the forefoot. Fashion trainers usually have very little cushioning at all.

Running in the wrong shoes for a few weeks won’t necessarily hurt you, but it makes shin and foot problems more likely, particularly as your volume increases. Why do my shins hurt when I start running covers that.

What actually matters when choosing

Fit, above everything else. Your foot shouldn’t slide around, and you want roughly a thumb’s width between your longest toe and the end of the shoe. Feet swell during a run, so shoes that fit snugly in the shop will feel tight at kilometre three. Try them on late in the day.

Comfort on the spot. If they need breaking in, they’re the wrong shoes. Modern running shoes should feel good immediately.

Being genuinely a running shoe. That’s most of the requirement.

What matters much less than you’re told

Pronation and stability categories. Shops have historically assessed how your foot rolls inward and matched you to a “stability” or “neutral” shoe. The evidence that this reduces injury for recreational runners is considerably weaker than the marketing implies. Comfort is the more useful guide.

Price. The relationship between price and injury prevention is not what the pricing suggests. A mid-range shoe from any established running brand is entirely adequate for a beginner. Last season’s model at a discount is often the best value available.

Carbon plates and racing shoes. Designed for fast running over short periods by experienced runners. Not appropriate for beginner training, often less stable, and considerably more expensive.

Minimalist or barefoot-style shoes. Transitioning to these requires a slow, deliberate adaptation period. Starting your running journey in them is a reasonable way to acquire a calf or foot injury.

Getting fitted, if you want to

A specialist running shop will watch you walk or run, offer several options, and let you try them. It’s genuinely useful, mostly because you get to compare multiple shoes on your actual feet.

Be aware they’ll usually steer you toward the pronation-matching model. Take the fitting for the fit and the comparison; treat the category advice as one input rather than a diagnosis. If a “neutral” shoe feels better than the “stability” shoe they recommend, trust your feet.

When to replace them

The usual guidance is somewhere between 500 and 800 kilometres, though it varies with your weight, running style and the shoe itself.

More practically, replace them when the midsole foam feels flat and dead underfoot, when the tread is visibly worn smooth, or when you start noticing new aches with no other explanation. Uppers usually outlast midsoles, so shoes often look fine long after they’ve stopped cushioning.

If you’re doing three short runs a week, a pair will typically last many months.

The practical answer

Check what you already own. If you have running shoes that aren’t obviously worn out, start in those. If you don’t, buy a comfortable mid-range pair from any established running brand, in the right size, and don’t overthink the rest.

The shoes are not what determines whether you succeed at this. Getting out three times a week is, and if you’re at the very beginning, How to start running when you’re completely out of shape is the better place to put your attention.

Pace works with whatever’s on your feet: it’s a gentle Couch-to-5K app with run/walk intervals that build to continuous running around week six and finish at a full 5K, free the whole way. Try Pace.