Running Shoes for Wide Feet – Advice & Shop the Range

RUNNING SHOES FOR WIDE FEET
ARE YOU RUNNING SHOES WIDE ENOUGH?

This seems obvious.. but how should your running shoes fit ?

The most important point to take away is that there should be plenty of room in them. There are many brands out there that offer wide and extra wide road and off-road running shoes to ensure you have that space. Whether you land on your heel or your mid-foot, your foot will change shape as you go through the running cycle. Your foot spreads out as it touches the ground to absorb shock and to load your planta fascia, which then springs you off the floor.

If your running shoes are too narrow and don’t allow for this movement then you will lose your body’s natural shock absorption, stability and propulsion. This means that your hips and knees take more force, which means more wear and tear and potential injuries. An additional complication to consider is that your foot also expands as it gets warm. A symptom of this expansion and shoes that don’t fit include like black toe nails, pins and needles in your feet and after prolonged use, even bunions and neuromas.

When your running shoes are laced up with your favourite socks on and you are stood up, you should have a thumbs width between the end of your longest toe and the end of the shoe. You should also be able to freely wriggle your toes. The shoe should have hold of your heel so that the heel doesn’t slip up and down as you run and also be a comfortable fit around the mid part of the foot. As everyone’s feet are a slightly different shape, we stock different width fittings in our most popular shoes as well as ½ sizes.  

CLICK HERE TO BROWSE ALL WIDE FITTING SHOES

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Key Brands’ Width Fittings Explained

Men’s D Width = Regular

Men’s 2E Width = Wide

Men’s 4E Width = Extra Wide

Women’s B Width = Regular

Women’s D Width  =Wide

Precision Fit = Narrow (specially designed to stay snug on harsh terrain)

Medium Fit = Regular (roughly equivalent to Men’s D or a Ladies B)

Standard Fit = Wide (roughly equivalent Mens 2E  or a Ladies D)

Natural Last = A more rounded toe box, less shaping through the midfoot so the foot can relax and a broad toe box equivalent to Inov-8 Standard Fit. Used in Inov-8’s zero drop shoes like the Terraultra G260 and Terraultra 260

All Altra running shoes are designed with a Foot Shaped Toe Box to allow the foot/toes to spread when they touch the ground and encourage improved foot function. N.B. Altra shoes are also Zero Drop, so they discourage heel striking. You’ll need to transition slowly to Zero Drop from most regular running shoes. Get in touch for advice: Contact Us.

All Topo shoes have a rounded foot shaped toe box like Altra. They aren’t quite as wide as Altra in general but, broader than a regular fitting shoe. Like Altra they made shoe designed to allow the foot to function when running so all their shoes have a low heel to forefoot drop. The highest being 5mm and lowest being zero. As with Altra (or any low drop shoes) if you aren’t used to a low drop then it’s best to gradually build up the time to spend in the shoes.

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CLICK HERE TO BROWSE ALL WIDE FITTING SHOES