what are the LEAST DURABLE RUNNING SHOES you've worn?

300-400 miles is pretty average for running shoes, and better than I'd expect out of a lightweight shoe like the Kinvara.

I loved the first generation of Asics Gel Lytes back in the 1980s, the black/orange ones. Most of the guys on the XC team wore them. And every single one of us had holes in the mesh where our big toes hit it. They make running shoes better now.

I really like my NB Zantes, but I only use them for races and workouts, and that must wear on them more than easy running because the outsole has worn through in front and I'm wearing into the foam under my toes after 150 miles.

Mizuno's adhesive wrote:

Mizuno wave sayonara. 100 miles,

I've had tons of problems with the adhesive keeping the outsole attached with mizunos.

Wierd. I have a lot of pairs of sayonara 3s that I have put 500+ miles on and still are great. I found it super durable

Klompenwinkel unsanded clogs. Two words: supportive.

Nike Terra TC

I thought of another shoe, one that lasted even shorter than the ones I listed earlier. Its surprise, surprise, another pair of nikes, but to be fair this time they were honest and advertised that it would wear out around 100k and thats about how long it lasted, the Nike Mayfly. Because of the warning label, I used them almost exclusively in races. They lasted me a season of 5ks and 10ks with an occasional short run or track session in them.

Can't recall or easily find the model, but a set of Brooks that I bought in 1995. One of the experiments with "pods" or grooves that exposed too much soft foam and shredded before 100 miles.

Asics GEL-Super J33

The exterior started showing wear and tear less than 100 miles in.

Started getting affecting my runs shortly afterward, so they were immediately retired.

I don't like all the talk of Kinvaras. I have a Kinvara 9 at the moment. I got them recently, and I hope they last. I did have Kinvara 5s, and they seemed to last a long time. I probably ran a lot more than 1,000 miles in them(I run a lot on grass, and I'm only low 130's lb's).

I also got the type A racers from Saucony recently. They are really fast. I hope to make these last as long as possible too. I don't throw away anything until I can get as many miles as possible from them. It feels like you get better value for money that way. I have the brains to train smartly, so I'm less likely to get injured, evan if I have high miles in a pair.

Mizuno's adhesive wrote:

Mizuno wave sayonara. 100 miles,

I've had tons of problems with the adhesive keeping the outsole attached with mizunos.

I was thinking about mentioning these. I have the Wave Sayanora 4. The durability of the upper and outsole has held up, no complaints about there. But the midsole seems so thin or stiff or something that I can't wear them for any runs over an hour without noticeable foot pains. I ran into some issues at mile 9 in a half marathon because the foot pain was so severe. It's a shame, because I did not wear them for too many miles before they basically became unusable for anything besides short recovery or shakeout runs. One would hope to do faster training runs with lightweight trainers, but not the case here, for me at least.

Switched to Brooks Launch in the last year. Love the shoe, but hate how quickly the rubber disappears. I'm used to getting more than 500 miles out of my shoes, but I'm lucky to get half that out of the Launch. Good thing it's easy to find them on sale.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by Kinvara 8s in terms of durability. Got 870mi out of my first pair before I started to feel calf and Achilles tightness, and every pair since has passed the 850mi mark. Midfoot strike, most runs are sub-6 pace. Makes for a fun training shoe

kinvararunner wrote:

I was actually pleasantly surprised by Kinvara 8s in terms of durability. Got 870mi out of my first pair before I started to feel calf and Achilles tightness, and every pair since has passed the 850mi mark. Midfoot strike, most runs are sub-6 pace. Makes for a fun training shoe

Haha - Most runs at sub-6 pace. Let me guess, +$100k/Yr, hot wife, lambo in the garage too?

First couple versions of Saucony Fastwitch. Pretty much the entire medial portion of the upper would start to separate within 100 miles. The first time it happened I sent them to Saucony, and they sent a new pair. Same thing happened. I tried again with the next version, which touted an improved upper, and the same thing happened. I asked one prominent Saucony runner if he had the same issue and he said yes. I otherwise really liked the shoe, but gave up on them.

In terms of the shoe quickly losing its original feel, whoever said Nike Terra TC is wise. Amazing shoes that went dead way too soon.

I believe it was the Saucony Guide probably the model from 6 years ago. They didn't hurt me, but after about 100 miles on them the tread was already smooth on the bottom. I returned them for another pair and they did the same thing, however, the new pair was free (Road Runner Sports). Went back to wearing the Omni after that.

I love the Hoka Clifton 1-3 but for me they get flat/compressed after appox. 300 miles. I usually get 500 or so miles out of trainers. I live on a mountain and I think the daily downhill pounding likely decreases lifespan. Generally I find the softer the cushioning is a shoe, the shorter the lifespan. That and even though I am light, I don't run lightly on my feet.

Anxious to try the Clifton 4 and see if the durability is better as claimed by the manufacturer.

maybe this wrote:

I had a pair of New Balance 980s or 890s that I liked, but didn't get many miles out of them.

Same. My original 980 fresh foam had the uppers blow out in like 130 miles. I had to retire them around 300 as my toes were handing out of the toe box.

My cascadia 10 were similar with the way the overlay caused the toe box to crease.

Believe it or not I use to get around 1,000 miles on a pair. Of course, I used shoe guy or my trusty glue gun. They were a racing shoe, but I ran all my miles in them back in the early 80’s.

Spikes should theoretically last years, even if you use them for workouts, because overall volume is low. 2000 meters twice a week for a twelve week season is only 48 kilometers.

But Nike spikes fall apart anyway because the adhesive they use is inferior and degrades quickly over time. I think it's deliberate because there is plenty of quality shoe cement that lasts basically forever.

NB Fresh Foam Zante needs to make an appearance in this thread. You'd be lucky to get 250 in them.