What is your preferred heel-toe ratio?

One heel for every five toes works for me. YMMV.

Anything from 4 mms to 12 mms.

4-8mm feels natural without feeling too taxing on the legs. I've loved the Beacons, Cliftons, and Freedoms for this. I've had 0-12mm shoes and have liked all, but right in the middle still feels the best personally.

The most comfy running shoes I've used are 4-8 mm in drop.

But I'm not sure it's all about the drop. Lower drop shoes tend to have less built up heels, and also are often narrower under the heel. This is what bothers me of some 10-12 mm drop shoes - clunky heels.

For instance, the Reebok Forever Energy - 10 mm drop (I think) but not overly wide under the heel. Smooth and comfortable ride.

The other problem with higher drop shoes is that they're often a bit thin under the forefoot. This difference in cushioning between the back and the front of the shoe... I guess I like a more consistent feel from the midsole.

The shoe I enjoy the most, in terms of comfort and smooth ride, is the Saucony Freedom ISO v1. Great daily trainer. For picking up the pace, though, the NB Zante Pursuit is super fun as well. 4 and 6 mm.

All time favorite shoe? Adidas Boston 6, probably. 10 mm drop.

JamesD2 wrote:

One heel for every five toes works for me. YMMV.

You beat me to it.😂

Mahmood wrote:

You are free (and encouraged) to go into some detail as to why.

I’ve never found a good, scientifically rigorous answer for exactly what heel drop (not “ratio”), i.e., the difference in stack height between the heel and the forefoot, matters. I have tried running in shoes with 10, 6, or zero drop but am unable to attribute any tangible aspect of my running form, stress points (foot, knee, quads etc), or injury risk to the drop as opposed to just the overall cushioning mostly in the mid-to-forefoot area and to a lesser extent to that in the heel area.

Being a mid-to-forefoot striker, my heels don’t take much impact anyway, so maybe that’s why heel drop — the difference in heights — seems largely irrelevant to me.

I totally agree on your points on the high-drop shoes. My Ghost 11s felt super clunky under the heel, especially with a blue Superfeet thrown in which I believes add another 2mm of drop on top of the already existing 12mm. I also have a pair of Pegasus 36s where the forefoot cushioning feels negligible although the narrow heel doesn't feel clunky at all.

Lower-to-moderate-drop shoes having that consistent midsole thickness is exactly why I think I like them so much. They roll so much smoother than 10+mm drop shoes through a stride.

The Freedoms I had were the ISO 1s and I loved them for all types of training runs too. I would've tried a Reebok or Boston by now, but they don't make them in my size. I'm hoping that Reebok expands its running shoe size range under their new ownership, but I doubt it.

heelacious wrote:

Being a mid-to-forefoot striker, my heels don’t take much impact anyway, so maybe that’s why heel drop — the difference in heights — seems largely irrelevant to me.

Na, it is Totally relevant:

The drop of a shoe aids mid-to-forefoot runners with calf&achilles relief. Without a drop/heel, as their forefoot touches down it is followed by the heel lowering to the ground then lifting back up again prior to toe-off. This heel down&up requires the calf&achilles to absorb a significant load (which depending on the runner/event could be considered wasted energy and create unwanted/excessive fatigue). Simple solution. Add just enough of a heel to the shoe so when the the runners forefoot makes ground contact the heel only has to drop a couple mm prior to making contact.

Depending on you preferred ankle flexion/extension angle there is a benefit to selecting the proper drop. This angle may vary with speed which is why some people rock 4-6mm trainers then step into 8-10mm for raceday.

1 heel per 5 toes... it’s the only ratio I’ve ever known and I’m quite accustomed to it ;)

Y’all both beat me to it... I’m not as clever as I imagine I guess.

6mm

6-10mm for me with 6mm preferred. I used to run in lower drop shoes but after injuring my calf in low drop shoes I've mostly stayed away and when I've tried to consistently run in anything less than 6mm I can really feel it in my calves. In fact when I think back to those days I always had some kind of pain going on, but now that I have stayed more in shoes mostly in 8mm drop I never have much problems.

I have to heels and 10 toes.

What about you?

Running: 6 (sweet spot for me is 20-26)

Racing: 8-10, but only because shoes are 20 and greater forefoot now. I've waited a LONG time for this. (sweet spot is 20-28/30)

drop matters for me wrote:

6-10mm for me with 6mm preferred. I used to run in lower drop shoes but after injuring my calf in low drop shoes I've mostly stayed away and when I've tried to consistently run in anything less than 6mm I can really feel it in my calves. In fact when I think back to those days I always had some kind of pain going on, but now that I have stayed more in shoes mostly in 8mm drop I never have much problems.

The preferred median heel-toe drop on here is 6mm, but is that a common size in shoes? Most appear to be zero, 4, 8, 10/11. For me 4 is too little a drop and 8mm is too much of a drop, so 6mm would be right in my wheelhouse.

Should your heel-toe drop be less in racing than in training? Eg. 4mm for racing and 6 or 8mm for training?

Also, is there a go-to website out there that lists the heel-toe drop of most all modern running shoes? Or do you have to research each individual shoe individually?

Finally, does heel-toe drop (your favourite and your least favourite) impact positively or detrimentally your running form? Arguably the single most important question ever asked on LR?

All heel baby.

I thought this was about the angle at which your foot hits the ground.

bubbadeebooos wrote:

1 heel per 5 toes... it’s the only ratio I’ve ever known and I’m quite accustomed to it ;)

+1

JamesD2 wrote:

One heel for every five toes works for me. YMMV.

+2