Is there any reason a female shouldn't wear men's running shoes? (Read 2023 times)

I ended up at the running store tonight looking for a new pair of shoes. I am a hard fit because my feet have been widening more and more with running. Two years ago I wore size 10 shoes, but now I am up to 11 wide. I still have very high arches and wear custom orthotics which puts my foot even higher up in the shoe so the top of my foot is snug in a lot of brands. I tried on at least a dozen women's shoes and while some felt close to a good fit, they all seemed to have minor issues (toe rubbing, heel slipping, etc). There were a couple of shoes that would have felt better if I went up a size or width, but the store didn't have them at the moment. I was going to settle for Asics GT 2130s with some minor heel slipping when the owner suggested trying a men's shoe. He pulled out the men's Adidas Supernova Sequence in 9.5 and they were perfect. Nice and roomy in the toe box, snug heal, good length. It was love. So my question is... is there any reason a women can't wear men's shoes? The owner of the running store didn't think so and since it's a very reputable place and I have loved the past 2 pairs of shoes they recommended, I trust his opinion but want to see if anyone else had thoughts about it. Are the biomechanics so different that women shouldn't wear men's shoes? The only information I can come across online is that mens's shoes are generally wider and made for heavier people (which isn't a bad thing since I have put on some weight recently putting me near the upper end of the recommended range for my height). Other than the fact that my dad runs in the same shoe and we will probably get them mixed up next time I go home to visit, is there a good reason to take these shoes back and keep searching?

triangular? what the heck's that mean? I like women's XC shoes. Less support, and lighter. If you pass me during a race, feel free to chuckle.

Women tend to have a narrower heel in relationship to the width of the ball of the foot. More like duck feet.

Yes. Shaunna, one other thing to try might be something like the NB 768 in a wide (or maybe the 1223 or new 1224 that are their top-of-the-line stability model). I'm stuck with NB because of my own "duck feet" issues. I had a pair of the 768s, but they were too stiff for me. I had the same issue with the Asics GT2130. Overall the shoes are VERY similar, but the 768 had a better fit. They also have a very deep toe box (most NB shoes do) and fairly roomy midfoot, so they may accommodate orthotics better for you, too. Other than that, I'd say if the guys' shoe works better--go for it. Sometimes they get better color options, too.

You might grow testicles and become infatuated with your own chest. Other than that, perfectly safe.

I think I will stay with these shoes. I have 30 days to try them out, and if they don't seem right I can go off in search of the right size of NB 768's. Thanks again!

Good plan! And I think the 769s are to be released soon, so you could probably get a good deal on the 768s in another month, too!

You might grow testicles and become infatuated with your own chest.

hah!

Bump. I'm interested to see how the shoes are working for you. I can relate to some of your sizing issues. Did you keep them?

Sorry, I just saw this. Yes, I kept them and I really like them. The fit of the shoe is great. I ended up taking them with me when I was traveling for 5 weeks so I wore them for running as well as walking and day-to-day activities. They felt really good the entire time, but got beat up pretty quickly from all the use. So even though they only have 260 miles or so on them I, I have pretty much limited them to a mostly-walking shoe and am rotating some other kinds in (including the female version of the shoe, which is ok though it doesn't fit as well as the male version.) I think if you have similar sizing issues then it is definitely worth looking into a male version.