Shoes to Wear for Walking a Marathon Menu Verywell Fit Nutrition Weight Management Nutrition Facts Nutrition Basics Diets Meal Plans Meal Delivery Services View All News Fitness and Nutrition What to Buy How We Test Products Fitness Gear Nutrition Products Tools Recipe Nutrition Calculator Weight Loss Calorie Goal BMI Calculator Body Fat Percentage Calculator Calories Burned by Activity Daily Calories Burned Pace Calculator About Us Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Search Walking Shoes, Apparel, and Gear Shoes to Wear for Walking a Marathon By Wendy Bumgardner Wendy Bumgardner Wendy Bumgardner is a freelance writer covering walking and other health and fitness topics and has competed in more than 1,000 walking events. Learn about our editorial process Updated on March 27, 2020 Fact checked Verywell Fit content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by Shereen Lehman, MS Fact checked by Shereen Lehman, MS Shereen Lehman, MS, is a healthcare journalist and fact checker. She has co-authored two books for the popular Dummies Series (as Shereen Jegtvig). Learn about our editorial process Print Panuwat Dangsungnoen / EyeEm / Getty Images If you've decided to start training to walk a marathon, your first step is to get the right shoes. They are your most essential gear, and you'll likely be spending many days and miles in them over the next few months. Your same old sneakers probably aren't the right choice. The day you make a commitment to training for the marathon, commit yourself to find good footwear. Choose Shoes With Cushioning and Support Save the minimalist shoes for shorter-distance workouts—they aren't appropriate for walking a marathon. For the long slow distance days in training and for the 26.2-mile marathon itself, you need shoes with adequate cushioning. Look at shoe ratings for the recommended distance for each shoe model and discuss it with your shoe dealer. Cushioning will reduce the leg and foot fatigue you feel during the event. Your marathon shoes also need to provide good support as your gait will get sloppy as you tire at long distances. Shoes vs Boots Marathon walkers in Europe often wear hiking boots for long-distance walks. This may have evolved out of the military traditions of their longer walking events. For walking overland on trails, lightweight boots or trail shoes may be a good choice. But for road race marathons, a flexible running shoe with moderate support is the best choice for most people. Check the course of the marathon you plan to walk and see whether it will be mostly on streets and paved paths. You shouldn't need trail shoes or boots unless it is going to be on gravel or dirt paths. Because you probably won't be carrying a heavy pack on marathon day, you won't need heavy hiking boots. How to Shop for Marathon Shoes Your best bet is to find a local athletic shoe dealer that caters to serious runners and walkers. Tell the salesperson about your marathon goals and mileage plans. They will check to see if you overpronate and need a motion control shoe or not. Then they will work to get you into a pair of shoes that are properly fitted. Remember that your feet will swell with distance walking, and you may need wider and bigger shoes for the marathon. These local stores rely on repeat customers and they will work to ensure you have the right shoes for an endurance event. Rotate Your Shoes Many serious runners and walkers recommend having two different pairs of shoes in which to train and trading them off each training day, never wearing the same shoes twice in a row. This extends the life of the shoes. A day off also allows the shoes to fully air out between sessions. Some marathoners recommend training in two different models of shoes. The advantage of this is that the muscles and joints get variety in their workouts rather than falling into one pattern. Others don't think this is necessary. It's your choice. Replace Shoes Often Most athletic shoes wear out after 300 to 500 miles. Expect that you will need to replace your marathon training shoes at least once during training. Once you find a model that works well for you, buy an extra pair or two so you can be sure to have a fresh model when the older pair begins to lose its cushioning and support. It is best to have a pair with only about 100 miles of wear on them for the marathon race itself. You want shoes that you have worn several times but that are still fully supportive and have full cushioning. The rule of "nothing new on race day" applies, especially to your shoes, as well as any insoles or orthotics you are used to using. If you are traveling by air to your marathon event, don't trust your race shoes or race gear to checked luggage. Bring them on board in your carry-on luggage or wear them on the plane. Avoid wearing your marathon shoes the day before the marathon. You want them to be fresh for race day. If your race has a timing chip to attach to the shoe, attach it carefully the night before so you don't forget that important step. Now you are ready to lace them up on race day and go the distance. 2 Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Rethnam U, Makwana N. Are old running shoes detrimental to your feet? A pedobarographic study. BMC Res Notes. 2011;4:307. doi:10.1186/1756-0500-4-307 American Podiatric Medical Association. What is a foot or ankle sprain or fracture?. By Wendy Bumgardner Wendy Bumgardner is a freelance writer covering walking and other health and fitness topics and has competed in more than 1,000 walking events. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit Related Articles The Best Treadmill Running Shoes of 2022 for Logging Miles How to Prepare to Walk a Marathon How to Buy the Right Running Shoes: What to Look for How Far Can a Healthy Person Walk in a Day? 12 Best New Balance Shoes for Walking and More, Tested by an Expert When Should You Replace Your Walking Shoes? How to Prepare for Walking a Half Marathon How Long Does It Take to Run a Marathon? We Tested the Best Walking Shoes for Overpronation by Walking 100 Miles The 10 Best Walking Shoes of 2022 for Any Distance 8 Best Insoles for Plantar Fasciitis of 2022 for Walking in Comfort The Best Insoles for Your Shoes of 2022 Expert Tested: The 10 Best Cushioned Shoes for Walking The Best Insoles for Flat Feet That a Personal Trainer Recommends Running for Beginners: How to Get Started How to Care for Running Shoes to Make Them Last Longer When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept All