The 8 Best Running Shoes for Wide Feet and Big Toes
Find the perfect fit, no matter your foot shape.
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The perfect pair of running shoes is the one that fits just right. It’s nice when they look good, but you can’t feel how a shoe looks. A poor-fitting shoe, on the other hand, you feel with every step: Overly narrow shoes can blister your feet from rubbing against the upper, and may even cause more structural injuries due to your feet and toes not adequately splaying outward as you touch down. Lack of cushioning is tied to an increased risk of stress fractures, and it’s important to remember that your foot is your first line of defense.
If you have wide feet, you need running shoes that come in wide sizes. (That sounds obvious, but not everyone wants to follow the rule.) It limits your options a bit, but most running shoe makers have at least a couple running shoes for wide feet, and brands like New Balance, Altra and Topo Athletic specialize in shoes with wide shapes to give a wider range of feet plenty of room to stretch out without feeling sloppy. Some of us here at Runner’s World have wide feet, too. We picked the best running shoes for wide feet to help you find a pair that feels right run after run.
The Best Running Shoes for Wide Feet
- Best Overall: Asics Gel-Kayano 30
- Best Value: Asics GT-1000 12
- Best for Long Runs: Altra Paradigm 7
- Best for Tempo Runs: Hoka Mach 6
- Best Trail Shoes: Altra Lone Peak 8
The Expert: I’m a casual runner who likes a reasonably wide and stable shoe after years of training and racing in lightweight trainers and spikes. Having previously worked in a running store and as test manager for Runner’s World, I’ve watched the industry catch up with the shape of real people’s feet.
I’ll never forget being fat-feet shamed by a set of Adidas Bostons I really wanted back in college, and that was before my arches collapsed. While I run in a standard width most of the time, I still find the sides of my feet blowing out of many of the shoes I try on for the first time.
How to Know If You Need a Wide Toeox
If you’re experiencing shoe discomfort while running, you should get your foot measured at your local running store. There’s a good chance you’re wearing a shoe that’s too small—particularly if, like most of us, you haven’t been fitted in the past 10 years.
Ari Perez, an Operating Partner at Fleet Feet, says roughly 75-percent of the runners who come into his downtown Austin store with foot pain could benefit from a longer or wider size. His store fits customers using a 3D mapping system to get metrics on foot length and width, instep height, arch height, and ball-of-foot girth. In the end, 20- to 30-percent of its total sales are in wide sizes.
Not all cramp-footed runners need an overall wide-sized shoe, though. Sometimes the problems stem from the length of the shoe, or width and depth of the toebox alone. There are a few brands proven to work better for those of us who prefer a broader forefoot, like Altra and Topo Athletic.
How to Shop for Wide Shoes
The terminology for wide shoes is different for men and women. In women’s shoes, “B” is the standard width, while standard men’s shoes are “D” width. That means an “A” would be narrow for women and a “B” would be narrow for men. For women, wide sizes start at “D” and go up to “E” and “2E.” For men, an “2E” is considered wide and a “4E” is extra wide.
A shoe that fits properly should be immediately comfortable when you step in and lace it up. If you can find the shoe in person, check it by removing the sockliner and stepping on it to make sure no part of your foot is spilling over the side. Then, put the sockliner back in and lace up the shoe so the tongue is snug against the top of your foot, but not uncomfortable or constricting.
Slide a finger between the knot and the tongue to check if it’s too tight. Finally, stand up and check for a thumbnail’s worth of distance between your longest toe and the front end of the toe box. If you’ve got all that and nothing more than a subtle pressure from the laces on the sides of your feet—which you can verify by walking or running around for a few minutes—then you may have found your next shoe.
Why Trust Us?
Since 1966, Runner’s World has been the go-to resource for runners at every level, from casual folks who hit the gym a couple times a week to competitive marathoners. Our essential gear recommendations for running shoes, shorts, shirts and more come from the Runner’s World test team, which takes the time to test and analyze the latest and greatest in high-performance equipment for runners. In 2024, the test team includes Runner-in-Chief Jeff Dengate, and Test Editors Amanda Furrer and Morgan Petruny.
In addition, the test team manages the Runner’s World wear-test program, a network of over 275 runners, who provide additional feedback on the gear we test to ensure that our recommendations reflect a wide range of runners. (Runner’s World+ subscribers can apply to join the program!)
Our recommendations for the best running shoes for wide feet were selected by Test Editor Amanda Furrer based on her general expertise and test experience with various running shoes, as well as feedback from the wear test program.
Author Dan Roe, a former Runner’s World Test Manager, provided additional insight based on his years of training and testing experience. Though Roe doesn’t always wear wide sizes, he appreciates shoes with a wide platform and a large toe box.
How We Selected the Best Running Shoes for Wide Feet
We curated this list of flat- and wide-foot-friendly shoes based on the testing of the Runner’s World test team and feedback from our wear testers. We picked these shoes for their wide, accommodating toe boxes in their standard sizes. Many of them also offer availability in wide sizes (2E and 4E).
We also looked for feedback on the shoe’s overall fit and comfort to ensure testers weren’t sloshing around in flimsy uppers. Most people’s ideal fit is some version of a heel that stays comfortably locked in place, a supportive midfoot that still allows the foot to expand, and a roomy forefoot that allows the toes to splay. These shoes satisfied those requirements for a majority of people who tried them.
![Headshot of Dan Roe Headshot of Dan Roe](https://hips.hearstapps.com/rover/profile_photos/9ca7473d-b02c-4784-a65e-1634d89ce501_1548190826.jpg?fill=1:1&resize=120:*)
A former Division 1 runner, Dan grew up riding fixies and mountain bikes and now reviews everything from performance running shoes to road and cross bikes, to the latest tech for runners and cyclists at Bicycling and Runner’s World.
Amanda is a test editor at Runner’s World who has run the Boston Marathon every year since 2013; she's a former professional baker with a master’s in gastronomy and she carb-loads on snickerdoodles.
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