Hi, my name is Rebecca, and I am a runner with wide feet.

That sounds like I’m in a self-help group, right? 

But, in a way, that’s what it is. Women with wide feet. All are welcome. Or, in my case, not my feet, just my left foot. 

I started playing soccer at age 5 and squeezed my toes into my very narrow Adidas cleats through my senior year in high school. At some point a bunion formed on my left foot and it has grown slowly but steadily over time. It is not yet a problem, per se. As long as I find the right shoes. But today, unlike back when I started running marathons in 2007 and could wear almost anything, I can only wear a wider shoe that works for my left foot. 

Do I wish I could order one regular shoe for my right foot and one wide shoe for my left? Yes. Yes, I do. But, alas, that is not an option. 

So, in the last few years I have been scouring the market for wider running shoes for women, specifically in hopes of finding something that works for my training needs. Note how I said “for women.” Oftentimes I will go into a run specialty store and the sales associate will suggest I try the men’s shoe in the equivalent size as it tends to be wider. And this is true. Men do tend to have wider feet. But, I don’t want to wear a men’s shoe. 

I am 50 years old. I run about 60-70 miles per week when I am continually training for a marathon. I do track work, road work, long runs, recovery runs; all of it. I have a small frame and a small foot and I’m a mid-foot striker. I need a shoe that works with all of these variables and optimally fits my foot. Not a men’s shoe, designed for a man’s foot and meant for training done by a man. 

I started reading reviews, talking to other runners—basically doing anything and everything I could to dig up a solid list of shoes for women in my situation. And I found many. None of them are perfect, mind you. But I found several solid options all things considered. That said, my search continues today on account of the fact that some of my choices go into the abyss when the shoe company launches the next model of a specific shoe. 

Take, for example, the Saucony Endorphin Speed 2, a speed-day training shoe that hit stores in 2021. Saucony offered this shoe in a wide version and it was perfect for my needs. I loved that shoe, and probably went through about six pairs. The subsequent Endorphin Speed 3, which came out the following year, however, was not offered in a wide version. A Saucony rep told me it didn’t sell enough of the wide version of the Endorphin Speed 2 so they didn’t make one for the Endorphin Speed 3. (And subsequently haven’t offered a wide version for the Endorphin Speed 4 or Endorphin Speed 5.) Sigh. Herein lies my problem. 

There are some brands, notably Saucony, New Balance, Hoka that do a great job offering some of their most popular everyday training shoes in a wide version (see details below). There are other brands like Topo or Altra that are specifically designed with a wider toe box and are ideal for runners, both male and female, with wider feet. So this isn’t an SOS. I know there are some decent options out there. But, I’ve yet to find a single brand that I can count on every time I need new shoes, which is frequent given my mileage. 

Alas, I forge ahead on my quest to find the ideal shoe for a woman runner with wide feet. Or foot. You know what I mean.

Your feet are made up of an incredibly intricate system of muscles, tendons and bones.  We can make them more comfortable, but beyond that, they are what they are.  Some choose to have surgery if they have an issue that can’t be ignored. But ideally, you work with what you’ve got.  Thankfully, there are now a lot of great options for those that need this type support.

Shoes for Women with Wider Feet

Several brands offer shoe models with more than just a standard width. Here are a few that I’ve enjoyed wearing.

Everyday Training Shoes

New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 v14 – Wide

Saucony Hurricane 24 – Wide

Hoka Cliton 10 – Wide or Extra Wide

*Saucony Endorphin Trainer

Up-Tempo Training Shoes

New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainer V3 – Wide

New Balance SuperComp Elite V4 – Wide

*Note:These do not come in wide, but work for my wide feet due to the soft upper mesh and wider toe box.

TIps For Finding New Shoes 

All this said, what I can offer you are some solid tips if you’re a runner with wide feet, both as far as what to look for in a shoe as well as things you can do to work with the situation. Whether your toes are just naturally wider or you have a specific issue like a bunion or a neuroma, these are things to look for and tips to make the situation more manageable. 

1. Test for a shoe’s width. First, when you’re trying on a regular-width shoe, ideally in a running specialty store, take the insole out, place your foot in it and stand up.If your forefoot is wider than the insole’s toe box, you probably need a wider shoe or to go up a half size. (Running Warehouse also offers from tips to understand if you need wider shoes.)
   
   
2. Seek shoes with pliable upper materials. Look for a shoe that has a soft, stretchy mesh upper or lighter material that has some give. If it’s too tight or constricted, your toes will be constrained and rub against the fabric, and that will lead to hot spots, blisters, and general irritation. If the upper material is looser, then you’ll be comfortable because your foot will be able to go where it needs to go. (By the way, if you’ve worn shoes and you wear a small hole in the upper material (often at the pinky toe or the ball of your foot on the medial side), it’s a certain sign you need more room in the forefoot of your shoes.
   

3. Avoid tight shoes. Your toes should never feel tight or snug in your shoes. In an optimally fitting shoe, your transverse arch (that spans across the metatarsal bones in your forefoot) should be able to naturally flex and allow your toes to splay for optimal propulsion before and during the toe-off phase of a stride. I always recommend going up a half size because in the heat my feet will swell. So even if the shoe feels wide enough when you try it on if you’re rubbing up against the edge consider trying a slightly bigger model.
   
   You can also re-string your laces to give your toes more wiggle room. Take the laces out and restring them without putting them through the first eyelet. Gives your toes some breathing room, but it won’t impact your gait.
   
4. Use toe spacers. If you have a specific issue, like a bunion, toe spacers are your friend. Or, at least, they’re mine. Sometimes if your toes overlap it causes blisters which is just the worst. There are so many great options for adding extra space between your toes for both walking around and even for running. Just moving my big toe slightly away from my second toe creates some space and relieves a ton of pressure, and it feels so much better when I’m running.
   
   I use Welnove Foam Separators for running. They’re nice and light and you don’t notice them at all. I also like these latex Zen Toe Spacers for walking around and sleeping. I wouldn’t run in these as they’re a bit more noticeable but for everything else they are super comfortable.
   
   
5. Wear thin socks. Give yourself as much room as you can. Plus less fabric means less likely that the toes will rub against something and form a blister. My go-tos are the Balega Blister Resist Light No-show and the Feetures High Performance Ulltra-light.
   
   
6. Avoid too-narrow shoes. Don’t wear shoes that are too narrow, running or other. Like, ever. Throw away the heels and the boots with pointed toe boxes. If you have a wide foot or an issue like a bunion and you squeeze your feet into a mold that is too small, it will inevitably exacerbate your issue. Trust me, I know.

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Tips for Toe Strength and Balance 

My friend and running partner, Frankie Brilliante, PT, DPT, is not only a physical therapist, but also happens to be a woman runner with wide feet. Here are a couple of exercises she has some of her patients do. Whether you have specific issues or not, each of these drills will benefit your feet and help to improve your running in the long run. Pun intended.

Strength Drill

Toe yoga. Yes, yoga for your toes specifically. It strengthens all the little muscles in your feet (foot intrinsic muscles) that have been gradually weakened over time due to shoe wearing and inactivation. 

How to do it:

Begin in the seated position with your feet flat on the floor. 

1) lift your big toe and maintain all little toes on the floor and return to starting position

2) lift your little toes and maintain your big toe on the floor and return to starting position

3) Starting with your big toe, lift one toe off the ground at a time and then bring one at a time back to the ground.* 

* At the start you may need to use an item like a dowel or your hand to block the other toes from moving but after practice you will be able to perform without the assistance.

4) Engage in plantar fascia/arch activation by activating your arch by bringing the ball of your foot and your heel closer together. Hold it for 5 seconds and then relax down, ideally trying to avoid curling your toes under. 

You want these muscles to be activated with an endurance focus so do sets of 20-30 at a time. Begin doing these from a seated position, then when they become easier, progress to doing them in standing position.

Balance Drill

Barefoot balance is also a great way to keep the foot intrinsic muscles strong. If you’re going to give these a try, make sure you’re safe, do this next to a support surface to hold on to in case you lose your balance. 

How to Do It

Begin standing barefoot on one foot. Start on a nice flat surface and if that’s easy you can make it harder by standing on the grass, or a pillow. Eventually you can make it more challenging by doing it on a piece of equipment like a bosu ball or a stability cushion.

With balance exercises, you can start with 30-45 second intervals and increase to 1-2 minutes. You can also begin with a finger supported on a counter then when comfortable no support, especially as you progress on the unstable surfaces. 

Boston-area contributing writer Rebecca Trachsel is a mom, a competitive age-group marathoner, a high school cross country and track coach, and music lover with a coffee problem. She’s still chasing big goals and having a blast along the way.

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