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

Saucony Ride and Brooks ghost did not last long for me. Rubber came off of the Ride when I ran in the rain with them, I land forefoot though so this impacts how I wear them out. Nike pegasus has been great 1000+ miles on them.

Agree with the Kinvaras. I burn through them so quickly. The lateral edge of the lower is foam and is toast by a couple hundred miles. I'm a light guy too (5'8'' and 118 pounds).

this is the best thread

Original Hoka Bondi B. You were burning through the outsole foam after mile 1. Even the Mayfly held up better.

Way back when, I ran in New Balance 850's they were probably the first of soft cushioned shoes and were a not a bland gray color that new balance usually made plus a sales price of 69.99 was a bonus. The draw back was they only lasted about 250 -300 miles and if you got them wet the fell apart.

Bad Wigins wrote:

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.

Nuh Uh Bad Wiggins! You're supposed to use your spikes on the treadmill too!

Recently:

1. Ghost 7, and 8's blew out the sides after 150-200 miles (less than a month) 8's were worse that 7's

2. Saucony Ride 6: Same as above, but the upper completely shifted to the outside of the shoe as well. Had a New balance shoe do this as well can't remeber the model (too many number changes)

3. Kinvara 6. Only wore them to race and the tread was gone after only a few months (amounting to about 30 -35 miles of racing)

Just wanna throw the DS Trainer into the mix here. The 16 and 17 were incredible shoes and they've been getting heavier and less durable ever since with each new release. If anyone has a recommendation for a different shoe then let me.

I barely got 200 in the original fresh foam zantes before the foam in the forefoot felt dead and flat

New Balance Borocay...200 miles

I see mention of Hokas and the Brooks Ghost, both of which have held up fine for me. Hokas I've had the Bondi 2 and 4. The 2 I got about 650 training miles out of then did a bunch of hiking with them. The 4 I got spring 2016 and they're still my go-to trainers mixed in with the Ghosts. I'm not doing a lot of training these days, probably only 400 or so miles on them but they're still good. I also had the Huaka's. Put about 400 miles on them. took them out of my rotation because I wasn't crazy about how they fit, but I still wear them kicking around. Last spring I got the first version of the Speed Instinct. That's the only Hoka I've had that didn't hold up. The sole is fine, but where the upper joins the sole basically "stress tore" doing mountain running. If it wasn't for the web-like overlay, those shoes would be in 2 pieces by now.

The Brooks Ghosts, I've had 2 recent versions, not sure which ones. Zero issues.

Historically I've been someone who gets 700-1000 miles out of a pair of trainers, 350-400 out of a pair of flats. I'm not small, 5'8" 190lbs, but I land pretty efficiently. I still have some Reebok Infernos from the mid 1990s in the closet that get a couple runs a year - my all-time favorite shoes.

Least durable for me is a pair of Loco shoes, can't remember the model. Lightweight trainer, my go-to type of shoe. It was comfortable, felt good to run in. But the sole, my gosh that thing was sub-par! I sheered the outside corners off within about 75 miles. By 150 miles it was not safe to run in, or walk around in. I swear, on an out-and-back run you'd see dust from the sole on your way back. I liked the Loco concept, too bad the product didn't match.

Is it really that normal to get 1000 miles out of a pair of trainers? I feel like I'd definitely get injured like that. Honestly after 400 miles on the kinvaras barefoot running on grass is better than kinvaras on grass. And my legs get so banged up.

How is everyone so dang durable?

Nike Elite 9s. Heel started fading after less than 100km. Of course it is mainly my fault, my stride needs to be corrected, but this didn't happen even with Kinvaras that everyone is pointing as less durable than glass slippers.

The Brooks ghost had the least durable outsole of any shoe I have ever worn in the past 35 years. I don't do much running these days, owing to chronic metatarsalgia, but I still walk anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes a day (4-5 days a week) as a second workout to cycling. Now, I am not speed walking or suffering from a biomechanically challenged gait, but these shoes wore through to the midsole in a matter of months. I have had racing flats that held up better.

Going back to Saucony. Most underrated and most durable running shoes on the market.

Any HOKA by far.

Saucony triumph ISO...got maybe 200 max miles out of them...no bounce or support, zapped the life out of my legs every time I wore them...waste of money

On cloud flow... I kind of like the concept of ON but they are just that...a concept shoe...ran in them for 6 weeks and also left me feeling drained all the time...maybe if I ran on soft surfaces that would be different but I have to run on mostly roads

Don't understand the hate on the mizuno wave sayanora...the original of that shoe is my 2nd favorite shoe of all time...held up nicely and was super versatile

I'm rotating through 5-6 pairs at a time, mainly Zante and Kinvara. 200-300 mile is about what I get on them. I would get similar mileage on Fastwitch/Frees 3.0 when I was wearing those as well. This is about what I'd expect... anyone have any recommendations for similar shoes that last longer?

epicTCK wrote:

how many miles until you got injured (due to shot shoes) or couldn't comfortably run in them any more?

I run exclusively in kinvara 8s (i'm on my 4th pair so far) and can only get around 300-400 miles in them before my legs start getting banged up. The feeling banged up correlates with slight tearing in the upper and worn tread. I still love kinvaras to death, as they are comfortable, responsive, and fine for longer runs, but man do they burn up quick.

Barely snagged an edge of something during a run and tore the top of brand new Zoom Fly's.

Very bummed to have to use duct tape on these otherwise fine shoes. Getting close to 500 on those with tape dangling!

SameSame wrote:

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.

New Balance 890s. I loved the feel when they were new, but give it a few weeks and they fell apart and the toe blew out every single time. I probably went through a half dozen pairs before I switched back to Asics.