Oct

how long does a pair of shoes last?

micke-midlife on October 17th, 2008

click the picture to enlarge

day 55 since having bought this new pair of adidas response running shoes, i was wondering how long they might last. especially on today’s long run, 24km - the above picture was taken towards the end, it got dark at around 6:30pm, see this interactive map - i reached 500km in those pieces of training equipment since the beginning of september. i like to think of running as an uncomplicated and inexpensive sport, hence especially the sports equipment part should not in anyway be in the foreground and use much resources (= time and money). so asking a shoe salesman when to get new shoes is like asking a barber if you need a haircut!

having said that i was surprised to find that replies written by shops mentioned longer milages than the various running forums on the internet. of course, wear and tear of your shoes depends on your weight, stride or running style, e.g. pronation can use up a pair of shoes on the outside or inside depending on pronation. further the ground you run on plays a role, as does the climate and environment. assuming “normal” circumstances and the pair is used for running only (without kicking the football in-between!) here two selected recommendations from the top of a google search.

the runner’s guide, john hopple’s own extensive running guide says 300 - 500 miles (~ 500 - 800km)
running fit a shop in michigan (usa) recommends 400 - 600 miles (~ 650 - 950km) or every 12 month

there are of course more reviews and comments on this topic to be found.

one really good reply from adidas i got when sending over the question to them came from hans, a customer service consultant for their running products. assuming 75kg and 80km/week, and an approximate stride length of 1,40m results within half a year of running in a total load of 111.000 tons (=111.000.000 kg) per foot!!! this is indeed quite a heavy load to bear for both feet and shoes, whereas a normal running shoe weighs about 350g. hans still recommends for the adidas response 16 a milage of 800 to 900 km. one way to keep track of the shoes is to check the softer cushioning material in the shoe sole for horizontal crinkles (click on the picture to enlarge it). hans mentioned if those appear heavily it might be time to replace the shoe. let’s see, right now i feel still really great in this pair while running, wouldn’t surprise me if after 1200km they’re still stuck to me feet.