When to replace running shoes

The rule

Running shoes last about 500 to 800 km, or roughly 300 to 500 miles, for most runners. Podiatry guidance sits in the same range: the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine says every 350 to 500 miles (about 560 to 800 km), and advice from the American Podiatric Medical Association is often quoted as 300 to 500 miles.

Where your pair lands in that range depends on the shoe. Racing shoes with light, soft foams sit at the low end. Daily trainers and max-cushion shoes sit higher. The figures below are the typical starting points this calculator uses. They are LeCoach rules of thumb, not manufacturer data, and real life varies a lot with your weight, stride, surface and how you treat the shoes. This page is one of the free LeCoach running calculators.

The range runs from a heavier runner (85 kg or more) to a lighter runner (under 60 kg) or someone running mostly on a treadmill.

The signs: how to check

Kilometres tell you when to start looking. The shoe itself tells you when it is done. Check these every few weeks once you pass about 400 km:

• Midsole creased or flattened. Look at the side of the foam. Deep, permanent creases, or foam that no longer springs back when you press it with your thumb, mean the cushioning has packed down.
• Outsole worn through to the foam. This is a hard sign. Once the rubber is gone in the areas you land on, replace the pair, whatever the kilometres say.
• Heel counter soft or twisted. Squeeze the heel cup. If it folds easily or leans to one side, the shoe no longer holds your foot.
• Uneven wear that tilts the shoe. Put both shoes on a table and look from behind at eye level. If they lean inwards or outwards, the wear is changing how you land.
• New aches after runs in these shoes. Pain in feet, shins or knees that only shows up in this pair is worth taking seriously.
• Feels flat compared with when new. Try on a new pair of the same model in a shop. The difference is often obvious.

In the calculator, one hard sign means replace now. Two or more of the other signs move the verdict to "Check it soon", even at low kilometres.

Estimate yours

The calculator starts from a typical life for your shoe type and adjusts it for the things that wear foam faster or slower.

• Kilometres on these shoes. Your watch or running app can usually count this for you if you add the shoes as gear.
• Shoe type. Sets the starting point: about 400 km for racing shoes, 650 km for daily trainers, 700 km for max cushion and 600 km for trail shoes.
• Body weight. At 85 kg or more the estimate drops by 15 %. Under 60 kg it rises by 10 %.
• Surface. Treadmill running adds 10 %. Road and mixed surfaces use the starting point.
• Rotation. If you rotate two or more pairs, the estimate rises by 10 %.

The progress bar shows how much of the estimated life you have used. Under 80 % is "Fine for now", 80 to 100 % is "Check it soon" and 100 % or more is "Replace it".

Common mistakes

• Judging by the upper. A clean, intact upper says nothing about the foam underneath.
• Replacing on kilometres alone. A pair can be finished early or still fine past the estimate. Use both the number and the signs.
• Wearing running shoes all day. Walking, gym sessions and standing at work all wear the foam, but rarely end up in your log.
• Using racing shoes for every run. They wear out fastest. Keep them for races and key sessions.
• Switching to a very different shoe just before a race. Break in a new pair of a familiar model over a few easy runs first.

When the estimate changes

• Your weight changes. More load per step shortens shoe life; less load extends it.
• You move indoors. Treadmill belts are kinder to outsoles than rough tarmac.
• You add a second pair. Rotation spreads the kilometres and lets you compare how each pair feels.
• You go off-road. Rocky trails wear lugs and scuff uppers. Check the outsole more often.
• Your training load rises. A marathon build can use up a whole pair in one training block. Use the marathon pace calculator and the how long to train calculator to see what is ahead.

LeCoach builds your running plan from your threshold pace and recovery data, so every kilometre has a purpose. To set your training paces, try the running pace calculator or the VDOT calculator.