How to find the lowest cost running shoes in the UK

At the time of writing I have 26 pairs of running shoes. I’ve spent a lot of time since lockdown browsing and buying them. During this period I developed a routine with how to find the cheapest pair of shoes pretty quickly.

Sometimes friends tell me they’ve bought a new pair of shoes, only to discover they paid full price for them. Most of the time this can be avoided by spending a few minutes doing research. So here’s an outline of the steps I take to make sure I’m paying the lowest cost, before hitting that buy button.

1) Researching the shoes before I buy

The most comprehensive site for finding out if a pair of running shoes is suitable is Run Repeat. Here you can search for shoes by their user rating and features, like heel drop or midsole height. This is a great way to find shoes based on the same spec of a shoe you already like. And if you’re buying your first ever pair of trainers for running, check out our guide here. The reviews have links to where the shoe has the best prices, but it isn’t very reliable. Some of the lesser known sites and prices are not always shown. That’s why I do my own research to find the best price, once I’ve found the shoe I like on Run Repeat:

Check out the heel stack on those shoes, 50mm! Which is the highest you can go based on England Athletics regulation.

2) Check this site first for the lowest prices

From my experience, the most reliable, affordable site to buy running shoes from is Start Fitness. They don’t have the biggest range, and some trainers aren’t always in stock. However, if you’re happy buying a previous year’s model at a great price, this is the place to start. Also, they throw in a pair of ‘Mile More’ running socks for free with most pairs. Shh, you can also get 10% off on your first order by signing up to their newsletter.

These are are the socks you get for free when you order from Start Fitness. They’re better quality than a lot of socks that sell for £10 or more.

3) Check this next site for the biggest range

If Start Fitness don’t have the shoes I want, then I go to Sports Shoes. It has a wider range of stock and sizes available compared to Start Fitness, with a discount price on most items. They have seasonal sales throughout the year on certain brands which also helps. Though the cheapest way to buy a pair of shoes from them is to be a member of a running club to get a discount code. This allows customers to get 10% off, plus free delivery on orders over £75. Without a discount code, Sports Shoes doesn’t tend to be as cheap as Start Fitness, though it’s still a lot cheaper than going to a shoes own brand website like Nike and Adidas.

4) And if all else fails…

Use Google to find a reputable site, or check out the shoes own brand website. However, brands like Nike and Adidas are only good value when they have a seasonal sale. And even then, the same shoes are usually still cheaper on Start Fitness or Sports Shoes. Though on the other hand, smaller brands like Puma and Reebok have pretty good quality beginner shoes (for ~£50) for racking up the miles, without relying on a discount.

If you must use a site that isn’t mentioned in this article, do your due diligence. There’s a few third parties out there that sell trainers for “good to be true” prices that are usually fake. Hope this helps. Over and out.