Running Shoes with a Wide Toebox

[OakLeaf]

FWIW, the One and the Torin are on a last that's wider in the forefoot than Altra's other models.

I've always had to lock-lace my shoes. I don't consider it special or fancy. Lots of runners do that. I do have to cushion my flexor tendons with a little foam rubber though, so they don't get irritated by the laces.

I ran my first three or four marathons in the Nike Structure 13. Then they went through a few generations I couldn't wear at all. When they came out with the 17 (not sure what they're up to now), those would go on my feet, and I bought a pair, but the sole was super rigid, the "high heel" irritated my Achilles, and I wound up giving them away with less than 100 miles on them. I ran one in the Brooks Adrenaline in men's EEEE, even though they're heavy as concrete on my feet, because they were the closest to fitting I could find at the time, but my feet were in agony by the finish because they're just too narrow.

The other day I tried on the Hoka One One Bondi in men's wide, and they fit wonderfully. Significantly wider in the forefoot than the Altra Torin 1.5, without being any looser in the heel. Unfortunately (contrary to the reputation) the maximal sole is VERY squishy. They let me run outside in them a little bit, I just went up and down the sidewalk, and I could feel my weak ankle working very hard to stabilize. That is their most maximal shoe, and they have another model that comes in wide, but the store didn't have them in stock in my size, so I might yet try those. I think if the Brooks Adrenaline fit you, you should be good in most Hoka models in Medium width.

I've ordered a pair of the Skora Form (similar to the Tempo, but with a goatskin upper). They're way expensive, but Skora has a reasonably generous return policy, plus they were on sale, and I think the leather might solve some of the issues I have with the Tempos chafing. Then again, the soles on my Tempos are wearing out very, very quickly, and if it's the same sole, I don't know if I can justify a $180 shoe that only lasts 250 miles, unless I can't find anything else that's even close to fitting.

I'm intrigued by Carson. They've got foot outlines on their site for sizing, but for the life of me I can't get it to print in actual size. I have a feeling they'll be both too narrow and too minimal for my needs, but I love that they're USA made, so if I can't get the stupid thing to print I'm just going to measure with a ruler for proportions and do the arithmetic by hand.

I'm down to the last two pairs of Altra Torin 1.5 I stocked up on when they discontinued them - 100+ miles on one pair, just a few on the other. Need to find something else that works, pronto.