Most expensive running shoes of my life

These have been and will be the most expensive running shoes in my life. 120 EUR, that’s around 240 Deutsch Marks or just above 700 FIM, utterly crazy to spend so much on a pair of running shoes! It’s insane. Back in the 90’s a decent pair of runnning shoes was 100 - 130 DM. I still remember me as a young bloke sneaking to the current top models, a latest Asics, Adidas or Nike and they were around 180 DM, a sinful price range. Of course they looked flashy and all but we knew back then that the best shoe isn’t the most expensive. For a runner with a normal stride or who needed a bit of support on the inner side of the foot, the midrange models were sufficient. We did our longer runs in a 3:45min/km pace without problems and it was the pace that counted, not the looks. The good old times. Has really changed so much with running shoes that justifies this mark-up?

There’s still a rubber sole, all the GEL, Torsion, Air or what-not systems were used already back then. Yes, all the current 2009/2010 models still look flashy, but the designer working at the big firms probably doesn’t earn double nowadays. The materials have improved, but all sourced stuff is priced for mass production. Although the bill of material might go up sometimes, it didn’t double or triple in the last 10 years.

One reason is the Asics brand, they have managed to be recognized as a running specialist and people believe that the products are really good, me included. A quick check on the internet brings up a lot of good stories on the GEL DS Trainer model line. Another reason of course living in Finland, you always pay a premium for living in this lovely country. Just checked UK online prices, they’re around 70 - 80EUR. Ah, what the heck, those will be the last pair of running shoes I invest in in this project. And I’ll just have a 40EUR higher incentive to use the shoes and get the potential out of those. I hope my running potential matches that

The picture features in addition to the shoes a lot of non-running gear. Well, I just got tired of clearing the living room from our little one’s Lego world conquers in half of the apartement. It’s easier to throw my stuff on top.

Tags: new shoes