You always see athletes equipped with the best things and equipment for their sport. From light but still protective gear, to proper tools. However, runners only need one thing to ensure they are ready. Specifically, a good runner needs shoes that are just as good, and today I wish to explain the needs for footwear in a running sport.

There’s 2 big running sports in high school with their own demands for running. I’ll start with Cross Country. Cross is, obviously, a VERY physically demanding sport because of the intense terrain that can be involved like hills, bumpy roads, or even just the hazard known as; other people. So, for an all weather, all terrain sport, you need flexible running shoes. The stuff like Nike running shoes, Brooks, Adidas, and stuff like that all work wonderfully as long as they are flexible. I highly recommend NEVER to use Sketchers for any running. They can be super stiff and more fit for slow wandering instead of pushing up and down a hill, or even good running due to their stiffness.

For Track, however, being a flat track that’s a big circle, the best shoe is a Flat-Top type shoe. A rubbery shoe, dubbed “Spikes” due to the attachments that you add to them, help runners grip the track and go faster. The same type of running shoes for Cross also do great if you don’t wanna buy a niche shoe or wanna have flexibility for running.

In general, NEVER use most modern cheap brand shoes. They might help you get to practice but they will break your foot and hurt your running style. A proper movement of a runner is to stand on the ball of your feet (The area between the toes and the arch of your foot), and shoes that don’t bend well can hurt to run in optimally! You wouldn’t use a baseball bat for a soccer game, so use good shoes for a running sport.