How Often Should You Replace Running Shoes? 300-500 Miles, and How to Work Out Your Date

The short answer: replace running shoes every 300 to 500 miles (about 500 to 800 km). For someone running 20 miles a week, that's roughly every four to six months. Heavier runners, road runners and people in lightweight or minimalist shoes tend to land at the lower end. Lighter runners who mix in trails can often go longer.

Most people don't know how far they've run in their current pair, though. This guide shows how to turn your weekly mileage into an actual replacement date, the signs that a pair is done early, and why owning two pairs may be worth it.

Where the 300 to 500 mile rule comes from

It's the range quoted almost everywhere, from shoe brands to running shops to podiatrists:

• ASICS: "Most experts agree that running shoes should be replaced every 300 to 500 miles" (ASICS).
• Nike: "Many experts recommend replacing running shoes every 300 to 500 miles (500 to 800 kilometers)" (Nike).
• Fleet Feet: "Most high-quality running shoes should be replaced between 300 and 500 miles" (Fleet Feet).

The reason is the midsole, the foam between your foot and the rubber sole. Every stride squashes it, and over hundreds of miles it gets less springy. Fleet Feet describes it simply: "Your shoes will feel flat." The upper can look almost new while the foam underneath has stopped doing its job.

Treat the range as a guide, not a hard limit. It's a rule of thumb from experience, not a figure from a single study. Shoes also vary a lot between models.

Where you fall in the range

Podiatrist Dr Dietmar Walter told NBC News Select that a running shoe "should last somewhere between 300 and 500 miles", and that it depends on your weight, the surface and the type of shoe. In his experience, runners over 200 pounds may only get about 200 miles from a pair, while runners under 140 pounds might get 550 or more (NBC News Select).

You're likely nearer 300 miles (or less) if...	You're likely nearer 500 miles if...
You're a heavier runner	You're a lighter runner
You run mostly on paved roads	You run a lot on trails or grass
Your shoes are lightweight or minimalist	Your shoes are well-cushioned daily trainers
You also wear them for walking, the gym or everyday	They're for running only

ASICS notes that "running on a paved road causes your shoes to wear out faster than when you run off-road", and that larger runners wear shoes out more quickly (ASICS).

Turn your weekly mileage into a replacement date

You don't need to log every run. You only need a rough weekly average:

Weeks until replacement = your target miles (300 to 500) ÷ miles you run per week

You run per week	300 miles	400 miles	500 miles
10 miles (16 km)	30 weeks (~7 months)	40 weeks (~9 months)	50 weeks (~11½ months)
15 miles (24 km)	20 weeks (~4½ months)	27 weeks (~6 months)	33 weeks (~7½ months)
20 miles (32 km)	15 weeks (~3½ months)	20 weeks (~4½ months)	25 weeks (~6 months)
30 miles (48 km)	10 weeks (~2½ months)	13 weeks (~3 months)	17 weeks (~4 months)
40 miles (64 km)	7½ weeks (~2 months)	10 weeks (~2½ months)	12½ weeks (~3 months)

In kilometres, use 500 to 800 km as the target. For example, at 25 km a week, 640 km (about 400 miles) is around 26 weeks, or six months.

Example: you bought new shoes on 10 October and run about 15 miles a week. Aim for 400 miles, which is about 27 weeks. That puts your replacement date in mid-April. Start checking the shoes closely from around the 300-mile mark, at the end of February.

If you run less than 10 miles a week, the maths gives a long time. Nike's coaches suggest 8 to 12 months for casual runners doing under 10 miles a week (Nike), so don't let a low-mileage pair go on for years.

Tip: write the date you started running in a pair on the inside of the tongue with a marker. When you're unsure how old they are, you'll know.

Signs your running shoes are done (even before the date)

Your date is a prompt to check, not a deadline to ignore everything else. Replace a pair sooner if you notice any of these:

1. The midsole looks squashed or creased. ASICS lists "a soft midsole that collapses easily; it may also have creases in it". Nike says foam should "compress and rebound quickly". If it feels dense, slow to bounce back or uneven, it's breaking down.
2. The tread is worn through. Bald patches, or the outsole worn down so you can see the midsole foam underneath (ASICS).
3. The shoes lean or tip. Put them on a flat table and look from behind. ASICS notes that shoes that don't stand upright, or wear unevenly between the left and right, are a sign.
4. The upper is torn. Toes poking through the toe box, or torn material inside the heel (NBC News Select).
5. New aches with no other explanation. Physical therapist Dr Milica McDowell says "a good sign that your shoes need replacing is if you are starting to get unexpected aches and pains — like achilles tendonitis, shin splints or plantar fascia pain" (NBC News Select).
6. Runs feel harder or flatter than they did in the same shoes a few months ago (Nike).

If pain carries on after you've changed shoes, or it's sharp or getting worse, see a doctor or physiotherapist. Worn shoes aren't the only cause of running pain.

Should you rotate two pairs?

Possibly. In a study of 264 recreational runners followed for 22 weeks, people who used more than one pair of running shoes in parallel had a lower rate of running-related injury than those who used a single pair. The hazard ratio was 0.614, which means about 39% lower risk, after adjusting for other factors (Malisoux et al., 2015). The researchers suggest that changing shoes varies the load on your muscles and joints. It's an observational study, so it shows a link, not proof.

Rotation has practical benefits too. Each pair has time to dry out between runs, and ASICS and Fleet Feet both recommend it to extend shoe life. If you rotate, track each pair separately. Two pairs used equally will last about twice as long in calendar time, so double the weeks in the table above.

Make your shoes last longer

• Wear them only for running. Walking around in them all day adds wear without you noticing.
• Dry them promptly, at room temperature. Keep them away from radiators, heaters and direct sun (ASICS).
• Don't put them in the washing machine or dryer. Wipe off mud with a soft brush or cloth instead.
• Use the right shoe for the surface: trail shoes for trails, road shoes for roads (Fleet Feet).
• Buy the next pair before you need it, so you're never stuck running in a dead pair the week of a race.

Don't rely on remembering

The real problem is that nobody remembers when they bought their shoes. A pair that "feels fine" can easily be 600 miles old. The fix is to work out the date once, the day you start using a new pair, and put a reminder on it.

ReminderIt calls your phone at the time you choose and reads your reminder out loud. If you miss the call, the reminder comes to you on WhatsApp. You can set it up just by messaging ReminderIt on WhatsApp, for example:

• "Call me on 1 March at 7 pm: running shoes are near 300 miles, check the midsole and tread."
• "Call me on 15 April at 7 pm: time to replace my running shoes."
• "Call me on the 1st of every month at 7 pm to check my running shoes."

A phone call at a sensible time in the evening is hard to miss. That's when you can actually put the shoes on a table and look at them. If you're training for a race, see our guide to sticking to a running or training plan, and for getting back into exercise generally, building a weekly exercise habit.

There's a 7-day free trial with 7 reminder calls (3 if your number is in a country where calls cost more to place, such as the UK). After that, it's one plan at $7 a month (₹299 in India), with 70 calls a month for your shoes and everything else you need to remember.

The short answer

Replace running shoes every 300 to 500 miles (500 to 800 km). Heavier runners, road runners and minimalist shoes are at the lower end. Divide your target by your weekly miles to get a date: at 15 miles a week, 400 miles is about six months. Replace sooner if the midsole is creased and flat, the tread is bald, the shoes tilt, or new aches appear. Rotating two pairs may lower injury risk and makes each pair last longer. Then put the date somewhere you'll actually be reminded.

Sources: ASICS, How Often Do You Need to Replace Your Running Shoes?; Nike, How Often Should I Replace My Running Shoes?; Fleet Feet, How Long Do Running Shoes Last?; NBC News Select, How Often Should You Replace Running Shoes? Podiatrists Explain; Malisoux L et al., Can parallel use of different running shoes decrease running-related injury risk?, Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2015. This article is general information, not medical advice.