Running Shoes with a Wide Toebox

[OakLeaf]

I had to replace my Nike Zoom Triax Structure 13's so I went to the running shoe store.

After showing the guy that yes, my feet really are that big (he said several times he couldn't believe how big they are ) he brought me a pair of Sauconys to try in addition to another pair of Triax (half a size bigger than my old ones ). I didn't even pay attention to what model Saucony ... but they had a very pointed toe box. They were probably as wide as the Nikes across the metatarsal arch, but they squished my toes all together. No go on those.

I also tried on a pair of Nike Free just for grins. There was a whole lot I liked about the way they felt. They don't come in Wide, so I tried on men's shoes. They had just as much room for my toes as the Triax, and I really liked not having the huge built-up heels. Downside, they were a lot wider in the heels than the Triax - but I don't know whether that's because they were men's shoes, or whether the women's version is made the same way. They also don't lace all that high on the instep and don't have an angled second hole, so I couldn't get as good a heel lock with the laces as I normally do.

Since I obviously was not going to race in the Free's two weeks from now after training in the Triax all summer, I didn't buy them, but they're still in the back of my head.

Just a fit note for you.

[zoom-zoom]

I also tried on a pair of Nike Free just for grins. There was a whole lot I liked about the way they felt. They don't come in Wide, so I tried on men's shoes. They had just as much room for my toes as the Triax, and I really liked not having the huge built-up heels. Downside, they were a lot wider in the heels than the Triax - but I don't know whether that's because they were men's shoes, or whether the women's version is made the same way.

I'll bet it's because they are men's. This is why I have never bought men's shoes, even though a men's medium (D-width) would likely fit me well through the toes...that heel thing would be a deal-breaker. Men's heels aren't as narrow as women's. Plus men's shoes often don't come small enough to fit. I typically wear an 8-8.5 in women's running shoes.

[KnottedYet]

I run in Chaco Z1 and Z2 sandals.

Very wide "toe box", no heel-toe drop (I measured it with a caliper, ignore the medial and lateral walls to the heel, it only *looks* higher), good arch support - including a long metatarsal portion, quite breathable, can be resoled and rewebbed, come in regular and wide widths.

[OakLeaf]

Knott - or anyone else who runs in sandals or huaraches - how long did it take you to develop the calluses you need between your toes and across the tops of your feet?

And what do you do for blister prevention on the bottoms of your feet and toes? Will Compeed pads stay on, and/or will they get road grit underneath?

[snapdragen]

I needed a bigger toebox too, my LRS put me in a pair of Nike Zoom Vomero+ 5s. I really like them, but they might be too much shoe for your taste.

One thing you might try is roadrunnersports. com -- they have a shoe search, it helps you find shoes that might be a good fit for you.

It looks like the NB Minimus is scheduled for March 2011. Even though my "marathon career" is over, I'd be interested in seeing these.

[OakLeaf]

Well, as long as a spammer has revived this thread ... as I posted elsewhere, Altra Intuition has a very square toebox, which is great, although unfortunately for me they're not particularly wide in the forefoot and don't come in widths.

According to the staff at a NB corporate store I visited recently, NB Minimus series uses the same last for women's and men's shoes, which is kind of odd, since they really pioneered women's athletic shoes back in the day. I'm wearing a pair of men's wide NB Minimus cross-trainers in the gym now and the heel slip isn't intolerable, so I'm considering a pair of the road shoes, even though the toe box is pointy and leaves a lot of clown shoe. Next year's model is supposed to have zero heel/toe drop (the current ones have 4 mm).

[GLC1968]

The Altra's weren't wide enough for my toes even though the shape is correct. I suspect if they came in a wide-width, they'd be perfect.

Currently, I'm now happily running in the NB Minimus trail (women's D width) and they are perfect for me, even for road running. I tried on the Minimus road (last years version) over the weekend and found them too cushy and not quite wide enough. Of course, the store didn't carry women's D width, so I was trying on the regular width. I had NO intentions of buying anything from them purely because the sales associate was horribly ill-informed and I didn't want to give them my business for that reason alone. She was rambling off all sorts of misinformation! She insisted that NB didn't make the Minimus in a wide width for women (multiple times) even though I told her that's what I run in. She told me I must be mistaken. Wrong thing to say to a customer - even if I had been wrong (which I wasn't, of course ).

[OakLeaf]

Anybody run in the Brooks Pure Connect yet? (2 mm drop) I wonder how they fit ...

ETA - but they don't come in wide. Sniff.