Almost every major running shoe brand has a plated super shoe built on a chassis of carbon, carbon composite, or nylon, ensconced by a marshmallowy-thick midsole filled with some kind of magical foam.

If you’re a runner, you know what shoes I’m talking about because they take up 90% of your Instagram feed. In short, they are the iPhone of shoe technology – a leap-frogging advancement that allows runners to race at great speeds, rewarding us no-talent ass clowns for nothing other than tying our shoes and walking outside. And while there used to be just one to rule them all, there are now nearly a dozen vying for the throne.

Within this carbon realm, it seemed like every other week saw the release of a race shoe that would’ve made Emil Zatopek’s brain explode at the mere mention of it. With this many plated shoes, there has to be something for everyone. Right? Wrong. Kind of.

There’s a whole contingency of neglected runners when it comes to racing, or really any kind of shoes. Those people are my people – the wide footers among us. And just like “Among Us,” we’re hiding in plain sight, waiting for the chance to take you out. If only we were given the chance.

Unsurprisingly, a true 2E width plated shoe is about as rare as a foil Charizard. But as a “normal” wide footer in size 2E, I had to know – can any of the regular-width shoes actually work? I’m not alone in pondering this question. As the preeminent wide foot reviewer at Believe in the Run (i.e. the only one), I have upwards of dozens of fans messaging me on Instagram (the same person messaging 12 times counts as a dozen), wanting to know the answer. 

So here we are. I’ve heard you loud and clear, guy with ‘runner’ in his Instagram handle. Believe In The Run has also heard me loud and clear in demanding our voice is heard (EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s true, he’s annoying as shit). So I’ve stuck my feet in Thomas’s shoes when his hypochondriac-ass wasn’t looking and stole some runs to see if my theory of wide feet working in normal shoes indeed gains traction like a rockered HOKA or falls flat like a burst Nike Alphafly pod.

Below are a handful of plated super shoe options that just might work for the wide foot fam. I’ve also tried other shoes not listed because they’re absolutely not runnable. As anyone with a foot wider than a pencil knows, there ain’t no Nike on here.

For reference, my foot runs wide in the forefoot and midfoot so these thoughts will be based on that. What works for me might not work for others and vice versa. I’ll be going over the details, fit, likes, and dislikes. Most importantly though, I’ll be mentioning what my maximum distance I’d run in the shoes since they are all standard width.

Should I come across more options, this list (which is organized alphabetically) will get updated. Any questions or comments can be left here or hit me up on the gram gram.

The post Best Wide Foot Plated Running Shoes Right Now (2024) appeared first on Believe in the Run.