With the registration figures of the European Running Championships (this weekend) and the Brussels 20 km proving that more Belgians are turning to recreational running, consumer organisation Testachats has tested ten popular running shoes for amateurs.
Novice runners are seemingly willing to spend large sums of money on good running shoes. However, Testachats has found that more expensive shoes are not necessarily better: the best of the test are available for as little as €90.
"The Hoka running shoes score well, but there are better and cheaper ones," said Laura Clays, spokesperson for Testachats.
Close up of American Michael Johnson's golden running shoes prior to the start of the men's 400 m final during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Credit: Belga
The consumer organisation bought ten pairs of popular running shoes from well-known sports brands, aimed specifically at recreational runners who go running a few times a week.
They only chose "normal" running shoes for hard surfaces and everyday use (meaning no trail shoes, spikes, barefoot shoes or competition shoes) and shoes with a neutral foot roll-off, normal width and standard cushioning (according to the manufacturer).
- Adidas Run Falcon 5
- Asics Gel-Excite 10
- Brooks Ghost 16 GTX 020
- Hoka Clifton 9
- Kiprun (Decathlon) Cushion 500
- New Balance FuelCell Propel v5
- Nike Winflo 11
- On Cloudsurfer Next
- Puma Electrify NITRO 4
- Saucony Ride 18
Good running shoes for recreational runners are comfortable, provide sufficient shock absorption and do not wear out after that first half-marathon. Additionally, they also help keep a runner's pelvis stable while running, so not too much energy is lost on lateral movements.
To test these qualities, 32 runners were allowed to try out the shoes on the track, with sensors to measure the stability, shock absorption and efficiency of the shoe. They also rated how comfortable the shoes were.
The shoes also went to the lab, to measure how resistant they were to wear and tear: the sole was bent as many as 30,000 times, and the heel pressed 100,000 times, for example. Finally, the shoes were also pulled apart to measure how strong they were.
Credit: Testachats
Among runners, the Hoka, Brooks and Saucony have the biggest hype on social media. Unsurprisingly, these shoes are also more expensive: the Brooks Ghost 16, the Hoka Clifton 9 and the Saucony Ride 18 cost €140 or more.
While all three running shoes scored reasonably well, they did fall outside the top three with scores between 62 and 64, Testachats stressed.
"The worst score out of the ten was given to the cheapest shoe in the test: the Adidas Run Falcon 5," said Clays. "But that does not mean you have to look at the more expensive segment to find a comfortable, sturdy running shoe."
Top three
The Asics Gel-Excite 10 finished in first place and costs €90. Meanwhile, the pair of Kiprun (Decathlon) Cushion 500 shoes costs just €70, but was the second-best in Testachats' test – giving it the best price-quality ratio. In third place was the Nike Winflo 11, for €110.
"If you want to be sure to find a shoe that is comfortable, we do recommend testing a number of running shoes in shops. That way you can decide for yourself which shoe fits best for you," she added.
More information about good running shoes, as well as all test scores, can be found on Testachats' website.
