Insole Test

Publication date

24 Aug 2023

Estimated reading time

1 min read

The test comes from Jay Dicharry — Anatomy for Runners:

Since sta­bil­ity (which is only achieved through free toe move­ment, espe­cially of the big toe) is so impor­tant, toe free­dom — and there­fore shoe width — is the most crit­i­cal factor when choos­ing run­ning shoes.

The sug­gested insole test when buying shoes: remove the insole, place your foot on it, and make sure noth­ing hangs over the edges. If noth­ing hangs off, the shoes fit.

Also Peter Attia recently had a foot spe­cial­ist on his pod­cast (Courtney Conley is an internationally renowned foot and gait specialist), who once again reminded us that footwear must have a wide toe box — and cited this same “insole test”.

So, let’s apply this test to my shoe closet. Here are the results:

• Mizuno Neo Vista 2
• Mizuno Wave Rider 29
• Asics Noosa Tri 15
• Brooks Glycerin Max
• Altra Escalante 3
• Zuzu Flow Sandals
• Adama Sandals
• Vivobarefoot Primus Light III
• Saucony Kinvara 13
• Mizuno Wave Rider 26
• Altra Torin 6
• Saucony Endorphin Speed 2
• Asics Evoride 2
• Mizuno Wave Rider 24
• Nike Pegasus 37
• Saucony Hurricane 23
• ASICS Noosa Tri 13
• Asics GT-1000 9 GTX
• Saucony Kinvara 11