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Big guy shoe recommendations (Read 92 times)


King of PhotoShop

    My son is 5' 10" and has a big upper body.  I'd say he's 190 lbs., fit not fat. He runs a bit and wants to train for a Half, which he has done before.   He mentioned that he is looking for a new pair of shoes and as his birthday is coming up, I'd like to get them for him.

     

    He doesn't need any motion control but certainly needs cushioning and support.  For any of you bigger guys, can you suggest a brand and model that would give him that support but also a good "feel"? What's a great feeling, fairly light shoe that also has some support to it?  Thanks all.  Spareribs

    npaden


      I think I qualify for a "big guy", at least in the running community.  I'm over 200lbs and wear a size 13 shoe.

       

      I started out wearing ASICS cumulus shoes because my wife is a runner and that's what she has always worn.

       

      They were okay, but expensive and I looked into other options.  I tried Vibrams for a bit and then went toward Innov-8's as a intermediate shoe and then saw some Skechers on sale at a low price online when they introduced the original "GoRun" and bought a pair to try out and I've stuck with them or a variation of them ever since.

       

      Right now I'm running in GoRun2's and have some GoRun3's about to hit the rotation as well.  I have some GoRun Ride 3's that I wear and some GoRun Ultras as well.

       

      I like the GoRun's for running on asphalt, concrete, etc. and when doing speed workouts.  The GoRun Ride's have more cushion and are good for long runs and easy runs where I might have a mix of asphalt and gravel roads.  The GoRun Ultras are my trail running shoes right now.

       

      I've also tried the GoRun Bionics and they were my speed shoe for a while, but they are very minimal and I've started just wearing my GoRuns instead in races.  I have a GoRun Bionic Trail and they are collecting dust as I like the Ultras better when running on rocky trails that we have around here.

       

      I would suggest trying out the GoRun Rides and seeing what he thinks of them.  They are so light compared to traditional trainers like the ASICS Cumulus shoes.  I don't think I could ever go back to that type of shoe.

       

      Probably a longer answer than you wanted and you may think that Skechers are sketchy, but I really like them.

      Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

      Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)

      xhristopher


        Hey Spareribs, I'm 5'10" and almost 190lbs. Though not an ideal runner's frame, I don't think it's extreme at all and I don't need anything different.

         

        I don't wear anything special. Racing shoes have been Asics DS racers. I've worn the last three models. For training I've been wearing the regular adidas line for the last year and a half: Adidas Boston, Glide, Adios, Tempo. Nike LunarGlide have been good trainers. I've had 6 or 7 pair those.

        PDoe


          Can't really go wrong with Hokas when it comes to cushioning. I've also had success with New Balance and Asics. I've also found it's a necessity for 'bigger' people to keep track of mileage on shoes. About 400 miles per was about my limit for well cushioned shoes. Less cushioning = less mileage.

          180#

          bblack


            You should buy him a gift certificate to a running specialty store. If they are any good they should be able to fit him, tell him what shoes would be good for him, and they will let him try on a variety of shoes. Then he can pick what feels good. This lowers the chance that you buy a pair of shoes that just are not comfortable on his feet.


            King of PhotoShop

              Thank you all.  Bblack, of course the gift certificate idea is a great one, but the problem is that the kid gives me a gift certificate every birthday, Christmas and Father's Day for a hundred bucks at a running store. So I was hoping to choose a shoe for him and if he doesn't like it, take it back.  Otherwise it would feel like we're just giving gift certificates back and forth.  Spareribs

              rmcj001


                Funny, seem to recall a recent study saying that for the receiver the order for enjoyment was "Gift certificate", "Cash", "Gift".  For the giver, "Gift" > "Gift certificate" > "Cash".  As a receiver, I've never been disappointed to get a gift certificate and/or cash, but greatly disappointed by the gifts I've received.  YMMV...


                Ray

                 

                  I'm 5'6 and 200 lbs, have been running in the Skechers GoRun Rides, love them, started trail running recently been using the Ultra2.

                  Birdwell


                    I'm in the large fellow camp.
                    I like Saucony Kinvaras and Brooks Ghosts.


                    Chasing the bus

                      I love my Brooks glycerines. On my second pair. My new balance 1210's have been awesome. Just got the fresh foam trails, and just wearing them around a bit, they feel gooooood...we'll see after I get some mileage. They'll replace the Brooks glycerine 9's with 900 miles on em.

                      “You're either on the bus or off the bus.”
                      Tom Wolfe, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

                      beat


                      Break on through

                        I like the Brooks Ghost, too.  Also New Balance 1080.  I'm 6'1", 185#, with high arches. Those are both around 10 ounces, so not super light, but not as heavy as some...

                        "Not to touch the Earth, not to see the Sun, nothing left to do but run, run, run..."

                          You should buy him a gift certificate to a running specialty store. If they are any good they should be able to fit him, tell him what shoes would be good for him, and they will let him try on a variety of shoes. Then he can pick what feels good. This lowers the chance that you buy a pair of shoes that just are not comfortable on his feet.

                           

                          +1 - take Uber to a specialty store -- let him get "fitted" and then the two of you run home together.

                           

                          I am 6'5" and 225lbs - I have cycled through at least a half dozen brands changing often bc the mfg's mess with design or discontinue a model that I really liked.

                           

                          Good luck

                          2012= under-goaled

                            5'8" and started running @ 264 lbs, I'm @ 220 right now.

                             

                            When I started running I ran in Nike Air Pegasus, but over the years they changed them quite a bit and I'm not as comfortable in them anymore. I've tried the Brooks Ghost but was not a fan. I wore them for about 150 miles then turned them into my walking around shoe.

                             

                            My latest running shoe is the Hoka Bondi 3. I chose that shoe as it was one of the wider models. Its got a lot of cushion but doesn't have a lot of heel lift which is also something I was looking for. I like it but the shoe fits really deep in the heel, meaning the ankle bone cut out on the sides are very high and can irritate my ankle bones at times. Apparently the Bondi 4 has fixed that issue.

                             

                            My son is 5' 10" and has a big upper body.  I'd say he's 190 lbs., fit not fat. He runs a bit and wants to train for a Half, which he has done before.   He mentioned that he is looking for a new pair of shoes and as his birthday is coming up, I'd like to get them for him.

                             

                            He doesn't need any motion control but certainly needs cushioning and support.  For any of you bigger guys, can you suggest a brand and model that would give him that support but also a good "feel"? What's a great feeling, fairly light shoe that also has some support to it?  Thanks all.  Spareribs

                             

                            The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

                             

                            2014 Goals:

                             

                            Stay healthy

                            Enjoy life

                             

                              truth

                               

                              Funny, seem to recall a recent study saying that for the receiver the order for enjoyment was "Gift certificate", "Cash", "Gift".  For the giver, "Gift" > "Gift certificate" > "Cash".  As a receiver, I've never been disappointed to get a gift certificate and/or cash, but greatly disappointed by the gifts I've received.  YMMV...

                               

                              The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

                               

                              2014 Goals:

                               

                              Stay healthy

                              Enjoy life

                               


                              King of PhotoShop

                                Thank you all.  I got him the Brooks Ghost.

                                 

                                I understand and agree with all of you re the gift card idea, but this is different. For one thing, he makes a ton of money and a gift card would not mean much to him. Also, he thinks of me as the runner in the family and my guess is he would think I would choose a good shoe for him, so I decided to do so.  OTOH, if some non-runner were going to give me shoes, I would rather the gift card than a guess at shoes.  I think he will appreciate that I was trying to put him in a shoe that works well for him.  Spareribs

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