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Walk This Way A Guide to Walking Shoes (and You)
What is your favorite song?
What is your favorite food? Who are you voting for this November? If it is raining outside, do you still go for your walk…oh yeah, how much do you overpronate?
By Dave Harkin
Knowing yourself is as important as knowing anything about the vast selection of performance walking shoes. When you consider your next purchase, you should know about your feet, your injuries, your preferences and tendencies, and your fitness goals.
Maybe your walking program was recommended by your doctor. Perhaps you have decided to walk a marathon to raise money to fight disease or world injustices. For many, walking is the solution to life’s little stresses. Get a handle on your needs and buying your next shoe will be a breeze.
Although walking is among the fastest growing sports in the country, the walking shoes category stills lags behind. For most walkers, a running shoe is best suited to the walking motion. The running category has a broader range of support systems, fits, and performance qualities. Your style of walking, coupled with your specific set of foot characteristics, biomechanics, and injury history will produce a concise plan for finding the perfect shoe for you. A good running shoe store is a good walking shoe store. Employees there will watch you walk, evaluate your gait, the interaction between your feet and the rest of your body, ask about previous injuries, and provide you with valuable feedback.
Walking has many different definitions so it is also important to categorize your walking style before you buy your next shoe. Recreational walkers should consider fit, feel, and function, but may also want a particular color, or some weather protection. Speed or endurance walkers, those of you who have some time goals or who are preparing for an event like a marathon, half marathon, or other endeavor, should focus on fit and performance. Racewalkers focusing on form and speed should consider midsole height and weight along with fit and performance. No more leather uppers. You need flexibility, breathability, and most of all, stability.
“Although our name indicates a focus on running, walkers make up approximately 30% of our business. We have been selecting shoes and accessories based on the popularity of walking for over 10 years. There is no denying that walking is here to stay and that we believe we can help walkers reach their goals,” claims Paula Harkin, director of Run with Paula Events and co-owner with Dave Harkin of the Portland Running Company.
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Adidas adi-zero RC DC
This is a racing shoe intended for racewalkers or speed days. It is low profile and light. Adiprene+ compound in the forefoot helps to cushion. Responsive, great arch fit, very low heel height. $75
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Mizuno Wave Rider 11
Responsive and stable, yet lightweight and cushioned, the Wave Rider is a great choice for making a transition from recreation to time-or speed-focused goals. It has Wave Plate Technology, giving the Rider a smooth feel, and yet provides ample protection for your foot. $95
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Brooks Defyance
Providing standard neutral support, the Defyance is one of the most stable neutral shoes on the market. Taking many of the qualities of their top-performing stability models, the Defyance provides neutral walkers with support and performance. $95
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Saucony Grid Ride
Just trying to get from point A to point B? The Saucony Ride offers the subtle but substantial quality of being durable. Many walkers (and runners) do not replace their shoes often enough. If you need cushion and durability, the Ride will give you both. $90
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Asics DS-Trainer 13
With an asymmetric fit, and strategic Gel cushioning in both the heel and the forefoot, the DS-Trainer has long since established itself as a great platform for everything from recreational walking to racewalking. This is the best version in several years, so those of you who abandoned your original DS-Trainer, it is definitely worth revisiting. $100
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Nike Zoom Elite 4
Zoom Air and a supportive arch piece allow the Elite to live up to its name. This is a performance shoe with flexibility in the upper, a soft, yet responsive, midsole, and a durable outsole. If you are in a motion control shoe and you seek a lighter alternative, the Zoom Elite is definitely worth checking out. $100
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Nike Structure Triax 11
Offered in widths, Nike has perfected the marriage of cushion and stability with the Structure Triax. With aggressive Zoom Air technology, the Structure brings you closer to the ground without sacrificing cushion. It is versatile, comfortable, responsive, and performance-friendly. $95
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New Balance 768
Absorbz cushioning technology, and a supportive upper and midsole, give the 768 a versatility not seen in every shoe. If you are likely to wear your walking shoe to coffee afterwards, or to school to pick up the kids, the 768 provides durability and comfort. $95 |
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Adidas Supernova Sequence
Replacing the Supernova Control, the Sequence has a nice rear foot cushioning mechanism that incorporates both technology and common sense. It’s called 3-D ForMotion and it is designed to reduce the shock of every impact. The Sequence is stable and cushioned. Recreational and fitness walkers will enjoy the post-walk comfort as well. $95
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Asics GT-2130
Continuing a heritage of active stability without bulkiness, the Asics GT-2130 is offered in widths and is often referred to as the “desert island shoe.” If you called our shoe store from a desert island (on a high-range cell phone), this would likely work for almost any foot. The Space Trussic System offers maximum support without the stiffness of traditional support shoes. $95
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Saucony Grid Omni 7
With a broad forefoot base, a great heel fit, and a soft, cushioned ride, the Omni is well-suited for those of you looking for a “foot-shaped” shoe. Pro Grid technology (like a tennis racquet) absorbs shock and redirects or guides the foot through the cycle of impact to toe-off. The Omni is both stable and smooth. $100 |
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Mizuno Alchemy 5
Unlike many of its competitors, the Alchemy incorporates a double-fanned wave plate made of thermo-plastic instead of gels or foam. It offers a responsive stable ride with fantastic durability. The Alchemy also incorporates Mizuno Intercool which is a unique full-length ventilation system. It is a light motion-control shoe designed to push the envelope of this traditional control category. $100 |
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Asics Gel Evolution 4
With a smooth landing pad, an extra broad base for superior stability, the patented Biomorphic fit, Gel in the heel and forefoot, and a slightly lowered overall midsole, the Evolution is a motion control shoe fit for the walking world. The supportive arch piece and a flexible forefoot combine to make the Evolution the most versatile structured support shoe on the market. $110 |
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Brooks Ariel (men’s version is called the Beast, shown)
If you could have a hero among the safety of support and durability, the Ariel would be it. With a focus on maximum support and guidance throughout the foot strike, the Ariel also manages to feel smooth and cushioned. Low arches and chronically injured walkers take heart. The Ariel’s broad base, great fit, and durable midsole may introduce you to a world of pain-free walking. $120 |
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