Buying advice

Where should you buy?

You've got a lot of choice when it comes to shoe shops:

Specialist shops

Specialist sports shoe shops have trained staff and special equipment, including treadmills and video and computer analysis, to diagnose your needs. But the shoes are likely to be more expensive, and they don't always get it right.

Sports shops

Sports shops come in two varieties. The more traditional sports shop will probably have trained staff, although their expertise is likely to be a peg or two down on the specialists'. The other sort (Rebel Sport, for example) is more focused on discount shopping. It's likely to have a very good range of shoes at good prices, but almost non-existent service.

General shoe shops

General shoe shops, conversely, may have staff who know a lot about shoes and feet, but may lack the range to offer good choices for you.

Bargain outlets

Bargain outlets like The Warehouse and direct-to-public discounters are at the bottom of the heap. They do not have trained staff and are unlikely to have good shoes either. Cheap shoes may not last for long, and do not usually have a lot of the basic cushioning, comfort and stability factors that are available in a mid-priced shoe.

Buying advice

• Get a diagnosis from either a podiatrist or specialist sports shoe shop for your first fitting. After that, you may not need to use a specialist store again, unless you think your running requirements have changed.
  
  
• If you do visit a specialist store, don't stand idly by during the recommendations. Let them know if you've got a price range in mind - and don't assume the first recommendation is the best. A shoe might have all the right features from a biomechanical aspect, but it still has to fit and feel right to you.
  
  
• Running-shoe retailers should ask about the frequency and distances that you're planning to run; the type of exercise you're planning to do; and on what surface you plan to do it.
  
  
• Buy a specific sports shoe for a particular sport. For example, runners aren't designed for tennis. The outer sole will wear quickly if you use them for sharp lateral movements and the carbon rubber tread might mark the court. Conversely, court shoes are not suitable for jogging long distances. (See Sports shoe types.)
  
  
• Go shopping in the late afternoon: your feet tend to swell as the day progresses. Get your shoes fitted when they're fully swollen.
  
  
• Bring along an old pair of training shoes - were they good or bad? An experienced salesperson will be able to judge your needs from the wear on the old pair.
  
  
• See if you can find a store that'll let you buy the shoes, jog briefly on a treadmill at home or in the gym, and return them if they don't feel right.

Does price matter?

Choice, the Australian consumer organisation, cut three pairs of mid-ranged runners in half to examine their components. All three pairs were "stability" shoes: there was a similar level of construction quality across the brands.

However, there was a noticeable difference between low-end (under $120) and mid-range ($150 to $220) shoes within the same brand. Differences were slight once you got past the mid-range point. For example, shoes under $120 may only have basic EVA mid-soles (EVA is a foam-like rubber) whereas most shoes over $150 will have proprietary cushioning technology such as Nike Air or Asics Gel.

Shoe Clinic owner Hamish French says that once you hit $200, price becomes irrelevant: "Depending on your gait, it might be that a $200 shoe is the most correct shoe for you in the shop. There's often no need to spend more."

The bottom line is that buying the most expensive pair of shoes doesn't automatically mean you'll get the pair that's right for you.