What is pronation and how does it affect your run shoe choice?

Pronation is the way your foot rolls inwards to absorb the shock of landing. Too much or too little and you’re technically more prone to injuries as your whole foot isn’t absorbing as much of the shock.

The force of your body pounding on the ground repeatedly puts stress on the joints, especially on tarmac, so consider pronation when looking for a run shoe. But what are the different types of pronation?

Jargon buster

What is a neutral running gait?

Those who land on the outside of their heel then very slightly roll their ankle so it’s in line with the rest of their leg. This provides the most shock-absorption and stability while running.

What is overpronation?

Overpronation is when the outside of the heel makes the initial ground contact before the foot rolls inward, putting pressure on the ankle and foot.

What is supination or under-pronation?

Supination or under-pronation comes after the initial heel strike. The foot moves outwards during the gait cycle, resulting in the small toes and outside of the foot dominating the push-off phase. This is often found in people with high arches.

What this means:

If you overpronate, look for a shoe that provides supportive, structured cushioning, with a firm midsole to support a flat foot arch. Underpronators need some cushioning along the outside of their shoe to absorb the shock of landing on the outside of their foot, and extra flexibility to evenly distribute landing impact. If you’re neutral then you’ve got a wide choice, but pick shoes for your level of experience and distances.

If you’re worried about injuries, get a gait analysis at your local run shop. You can also look at the wear on your current shoes’ soles to give an indication of your pronation type. Your style might change as you improve or tackle different distances, so take further tests when there’s a significant change to your training regime.

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220 Triathlon Team Journalists, reviewers, coaches and athletes

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The 220 Triathlon team is made up of vastly experienced athletes, sports journalists, kit reviewers and coaches. In short, what we don't know about multisport frankly isn't worth knowing! Saying that, we love expanding our sporting knowledge and increasing our expertise in this phenomenal sport.