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Give your toes a break with these roomy picks for wide feet. High Top Work Boots
If you have wide feet, it can be hard to find high performance running shoes that fit right. Not to point fingers, but brands that rhyme with “Mikey” and “Bandidas” have made a lot of pointy shoes with narrow fits, without wider options for those of us who need more room in the toebox. They may look fashionable, but that won’t help you run faster or train harder.
Thankfully, more running shoes feature wider designs nowadays, and manufacturers like Altra and Topo Athletic make shoes that match the curves of a foot, rather than a triangle. That’s good for your toes, which tend to be healthiest when they can splay out laterally and evenly distribute weight across your foot, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
You’ll also avoid pressure points, hot spots, and bunions when you wear shoes that fit right. If you’re looking for a new pair of running shoes in wide sizes, we can point you to the best wide toebox running shoes for training, trails, and more.
More From The Best Brands For Wide Feet: Best Asics Running Shoes ● Best Hoka Running Shoes ● Best Brooks Running Shoes
If you’re experiencing shoe discomfort while running, you should go get your foot measured at your local running store. There’s a good chance you’re wearing a shoe that’s too small—particularly if, like most of us, you haven’t been fitted in the past 10 years.
Ari Perez, an Operating Partner at Fleet Feet, says roughly 75-percent of the runners who come into his downtown Austin store with foot pain could benefit from a longer or wider size. His store fits customers using a 3D mapping system to get metrics on foot length and width, instep height, arch height, and ball-of-foot girth. In the end, 20- to 30-percent of its total sales are in wide sizes.
Not all cramp-footed runners need an overall wide-sized shoe, though. Sometimes the problems stem from the length of the shoe, or width and depth of the toebox alone. There are a few brands proven to work better for those of us who prefer a broader forefoot, like Altra and Topo Athletic.
The terminology for wide shoes is different for men and women. In women’s shoes, “B” is the standard width, while standard men’s shoes are “D” width. That means an “A” would be narrow for women and a “B” would be narrow for men. For women, wide sizes start at “D” and go up to “E” and “2E.” For men, an “2E” is considered wide and a “4E” is extra wide.
A shoe that fits properly should be immediately comfortable when you step in and lace it up. If you can find the shoe in person, check it by removing the sockliner and stepping on it to make sure no part of your foot is spilling over the side. Then, put the sockliner back in and lace up the shoe so the tongue is snug against the top of your foot, but not uncomfortable or constricting.
Slide a finger between the knot and the tongue to check if it’s too tight. Finally, stand up and check for a thumbnail’s worth of distance between your longest toe and the front end of the toebox. If you’ve got all that and nothing more than a subtle pressure from the laces on the sides of your feet—which you can verify by walking or running around for a few minutes—then you may have found your next shoe.
To curate this list of flat- and wide-foot-friendly shoes, I pulled from my experience testing shoes as an editor at Runner’s World, and the experiences of wear testers, including RW staffers and RW+ members in the community. A diverse group of testers told us these shoes had wide, accommodating toeboxes in their standard sizes, and most of the shoes are available in wide sizes as well.
We also looked for feedback on the shoe’s overall fit and comfort to ensure testers weren’t sloshing around in flimsy uppers. Most people’s ideal fit is some version of a heel that stays comfortably locked in place, a supportive midfoot that still allows the foot to expand, and a roomy forefoot that allows the toes to splay. These shoes satisfied those requirements for a majority of people who tried them.
Asics’ legacy stability shoe has always been a friend to runners with wide feet. The latest revision, the Gel-Kayano 29, helps it feel a touch sportier underfoot while maintaining the plush ride the shoe is known for. By using a lighter foam, Asics cut the shoe’s weight by 4% while thickening the midsole by 2mm in the heel and forefoot.
Asics also subtracted a plastic stabilizing truss in favor of rubber and high-density foam at the arch, improving the ride of the shoe without compromising stability. That stability now encircles your foot more than it used to: The new Gel-Kayano 29 features reinforced material behind the laces to keep your foot centered and outsole rubber that adds support through your arch.
That more effective stability and pillowy ride earned the Gel-Kayano 29 a spot among our favorite running shoes of 2023.
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The Asics GT-1000 11 is one of the few great shoes left for $100 or less. Asics tweaked its FlyteFoam cushioning in the shoe’s 11th iteration, going with a lower density to soak up impact more effectively. Meanwhile, gel in the heel takes care of impact forces upon touchdown.
A mostly neutral shoe, the GT-1000 11 has an external heel counter and high-density foam beneath the arch to gently guide your foot through its stride. The shoe isn’t as soft as pricier Asics shoes like the Gel-Kayano 29, but at 9.5 oz for men and 7.9 oz for women, it won’t weigh you down for daily miles, long runs and tempos.
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The latest rendition of Altra’s Rivera features 2mm more cushioning in the midsole for stack heights of 28mm in the heel and forefoot. Testers said the extra cushioning made the shoe feel more supportive than its predecessor and helped them traverse uneven terrain more easily in the zero-drop shoe.
In addition to keeping heel and stack heights the same, Altra is also known for supplying some of the roomiest toeboxes in the game. In the midfoot, the new Rivera 3 is on the narrower side of Altra’s spectrum, but it still offers more space in the forefoot than most of its peers.
Wide sizes are also available for anyone who needs more wiggle room. “I found the Rivera to be very narrow and snug in the midfoot. I actually liked that feeling, but for some it may be too tight,” said one tester.
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If you’re a fan of bouncy running shoes, you’ll love what Hoka has done with the Clifton 9. The new design has 3mm of extra cushioning in the midsole, bringing the front and rear stackheights up to a lofty 32mm / 27mm for men and 29mm / 24mm for women.
Despite adding more padding, Hoka managed to shave 0.14 ounces off the total weight. Meanwhile, a revamped engineered mesh upper cradles your foot and cuts inward near the arch to keep you stable atop all that foam.
A thicker tongue, more padding around the ankle and more substantial heel collar also aim to keep your heel in place. The toebox remains relatively generous, however, and the Clifton 9 comes in wide sizes for runners who need extra room.
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Trail runners with wide feet should consider the Altra’s Lone Peak 7, with its foot-shaped toebox and rock-eating 25mm of stack height fore and aft. The new version features a seamless upper designed to eliminate snags and pressure points. Altra also revamped the outsole with toothy, aggressive lugs to improve grip and carried over a full-length stone guard to prevent pointy rocks from poking you.
In our review, testers liked the shoe for a variety of terrains (rocky and soft), weather conditions (wet and dry), over both long and short distances. “The traction is fantastic, and the cushioning is ample, but still allows for ground feel and solid footing on rock,” said one tester.
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The Brooks Ghost 15 is an incredibly versatile daily trainer that can still knock out a tempo run on command. A new midsole foam lightens the shoe to 9.8 oz for men and 7.8 oz for women, while preserving the midsole’s cushioning and energy return.
Testers described the foam as initially spongy, taking the edge off impacts, and then firm, providing stability and control through your step. Meanwhile, the mesh upper is light, breathable and roomy. “They were great for my distance training because I did not have to worry about having to stop for fit issues or hot spots,” said one tester.
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We were huge fans of the Topo Athletic Phantom 2 last year, which had a two-piece midsole that provided shock absorption and firm cushioning that testers loved. The midsole and outsole return in this year’s Phantom 3, as do the stabilizing external heel counter and wide stance.
A new mesh upper made with recycled materials maintains Topo Athletic’s signature foot-shaped toebox, which makes the brand a go-to for many wide-footed runners looking to avoid pointy toeboxes. The heel counter and midfoot also work in concert to hold down your midfoot and heel, preventing you from sliding about within the otherwise roomy shoe.
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While technically a trail shoe, the Topo Athletic Ultraventure 3 also works as an excellent long-haul pavement pounder too, according to our testers. The latest version has a taller stack height that doesn’t add weight to the shoe, thanks to Topo Athletic’s use of lower-density midsole foam and a redesigned Vibram rubber outsole.
The anatomical shape creates a roomy toebox and accommodates a variety of sock thicknesses. With a thick midsole – 35mm in the heel and 30mm in the forefoot – and just enough outsole rubber, the Ultraventure 3 is ideal for runners whose routes span pavement and trails.
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RW: Do I need to ask for a wide size specifically?
DR: Yes, if you know your size and you need a wider size, you should ask your shoe salesperson for the specific size and width you’re looking for.
If you aren’t sure whether you need a wider size or not, start by trying on the standard width of the shoe you’re considering to see if it accommodates your foot. Ideally, you should be able to wiggle your toes, and the middle of your foot should feel snuggly swaddled by the shoe, but not constricted. (Also, remember to stand up and walk around to make sure your heel doesn’t move when you walk.)
Remember: Width and fit vary drastically between shoe companies, so you may want a wide size in some brands and a standard fit in others.
RW: How many wide and extra wide shoes are out there?
DR: It depends on the model and brand. Some manufacturers make more shoes in wide sizes than others. For instance, fewer than 10 Nike running shoes come in extra-wide sizes as of May 2023. Asics offers 20.
Beyond our picks, runners who need wide sizes should look at brands like Asics, Brooks, New Balance, Hoka, Topo Athletic, and Altra, which tend to design shoes with roomy toeboxes and make more of their shoes in wide sizes.
RW: What if I need two different widths?
DR: Unfortunately, most running stores and online retailers won’t sell you two shoes of different sizes or widths. You may not be totally out of luck, though. Shoe retailer Zappos sells individual shoes in select models and sizes, and sites like OddShoeFinder match people who want to buy and sell single shoes or mismatched sizes.
A former Division 1 runner, Dan grew up riding fixies and mountain bikes and now reviews everything from performance running shoes to road and cross bikes, to the latest tech for runners and cyclists at Bicycling and Runner’s World.
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