Are expensive running shoes worth the money? Not always, according to a website that specializes in running shoe reviews.
The 10 most expensive running shoes, with an average list price of $181 per pair, were rated 8.1 percent lower than the 10 cheapest models with average price $61, The Washington Post reported, citing data from runrepeat.com.
"Affordable mid-range running shoes are very nearly the same as expensive running shoes,” runrepeat.com’s founder Jens Jakob Andersen told the Post.
The Danish site analyzed nearly 135,000 customer reviews.
A running store employee in Seattle, Ty Whitten, agrees. The mid-range shoe at $120 is the best value, he says.
“You get consistently good product so the midsole material is consistent shoe to shoe,” Whitten explained.
He showed off shoes at three different price points.
The cheapest one was $90. “It's a nice little running shoe but there is no structure to it,” Whitten demonstrated by twisting the shoe. It may last half as long as more expensive shoes, he said. And the quality control may not be there with a cheaper shoe.
The most expensive shoe carried at his shop, Super Jock ‘N Jill, is priced at $160.
“They put more of their technology, more of their gel, more of their cushion protection,” Whitten explained, but he said he doesn’t think it makes much of a difference and people shouldn’t spend more if they don’t have to.
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