Running Shoe Review

Running-shoe reviews: Fit matters most

The best information on running shoes comes from specialty running and fitness magazines. Runner's World, in particular, offers the best reviews of new running shoes. In fact, it's hard to beat Runner's World's coverage, period. Their quarterly shoe guide has become the gold standard for running-shoe reviews and shoe manufacturers covet their Editor's Choice, Best Buy or Best Update awards. They, like most other reviewers, divide the running shoes into categories and list a few choices for each.

Running Times also publishes reviews of running shoes, but they don't compare models or pick the best shoes. However, their reviews of 30 new running shoes are detailed and credible. Other magazines, such as Men's Journal, Shape, Women's Adventure and National Geographic Adventure, also offer valuable reviews that include picks of their favorite shoes based on road testing.

User-opinion websites have traditionally been a poor choice for reviews of running shoes, but that is starting to change -- most shoes just didn't attract enough user reviews to make the ratings meaningful. However, Buzzillions.com lists numerous running shoes -- some with hundreds of individual consumer reviews culled from smaller websites. The majority of these reviews are useful cross-references for editorial reviews. In some cases, shoe reviews by users tend to the extremes -- either positive or negative -- which reiterates the point that one running shoe will not fit everyone.

A juicer and lawn mower can be graded by how well they do their jobs, regardless of the person using them. A running shoe, however, is graded by how well it does its job relative to the foot of the person wearing it. Choosing a great running shoe for the wrong type of foot will naturally lead to a poor review. For that reason, experts emphasize that reviews can only take you so far when choosing a running shoe. Reviews can help you narrow down your choices to a handful of models, but trying out shoes yourself is the best way to judge. A visit to a professional running store will always be your best bet. Most good stores will analyze your gait and let you try out shoes on a treadmill in the store. If you don't have a good running shop nearby, online shoe stores typically offer free return shipping.

Expect to shell out big bucks for running shoes in 2009. Prices for some of the best reviewed shoes have increased between $10 and $30 from last year's models. Runner's World believes the increase is a result of rising fuel and supply costs, but it's a real bummer for runners.