When to replace your running shoes?

This is a question we get asked a lot here at Podiatry Mackay. Often our shoes still look in perfect condition on top, so if they “ain’t broke, why fix em”? But once you pull out the insert, add up their mileage or even just turn the shoe over and look at the tread, we start to see a different side to the story.

No shoe is designed to last forever. After a certain amount of use, the integrity of the shoe can start to be affected. Every time your foot hits the ground while wearing your shoe, you are compressing the midsole. Eventually that midsole will start to deteriorate and will no longer be ‘structurally sound’. Basically – the longer you run in your shoes, the more the components and technology they were designed with starts to break down.

So – when to replace them? Ideally, we measure shoe life in kilometers, not months or years. We recommend that you should consider replacing your shoes at around 500km. If you insist on using months (because who doesn’t live by their training calendar), about every 6 months is your goal.
Keep in mind, this all depends on your weekly run distance. If you are training for a marathon or do high km’s per week, you will start to wear out your shoes quicker than the average person.

Our last piece of advice when replacing your shoes is take the time to get them fitted properly. Often, we find that people out of habit will just buy the next model up in the same brand, not bothering to try them on. Every 18months to 2 years, shoe manufacturers will redesign their shoes. Which is why your new Kayano 27’s don’t feel the same as your trusty old 26’s – you’ve put your foot into a totally different shoe.

We hope this has given you some helpful advice on when to upgrade your shoes. Total km’s and not relying on “oh they still look ok”, is the best way to determine when to front up to your local shoe store for a fitting.