Running shoe mileage tracker

How many miles do running shoes last?

You will often read 300 to 500 miles (about 480 to 800 km). The sources behind that figure don’t agree with each other, let alone with you. APMA, the American podiatrists’ association, says running shoes should be replaced every 300 to 400 miles or so in one brochure, and after 600 to 800 miles of running or walking, or every six to eight months, on its sports page. An Oxford University Hospitals NHS leaflet for runners says every 300 to 500 miles. An archived page from the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine gave 350 to 550 miles. So the tracker shades the whole spread, 300 to 800 miles, and uses your own reminder distance, 800 km (about 500 miles) unless you change it.

The research is mostly about cushioning, not injuries. In 1985, Cook, Kester and Brunet ran shoes through a machine that simulated heel strikes: they kept about 75% of their original shock absorption after 50 miles, about 67% after 100 to 150 miles, and less than 60% between 250 and 500 miles, with no difference by price. Shoes worn by volunteer runners did better, keeping about 70% at 500 miles. Verdejo and Mills (2004) found that peak pressure under the foot had risen by 100% on average after 500 km, with structural damage to the foam visible under a microscope after 750 km. But Kong, Candelaria and Smith (2009) had 24 runners each run 200 miles in one pair and found that the runners changed their stride to keep the loads on their bodies constant. None of these studies shows a mileage at which injuries start.

Signs that matter more than the number

• Uneven or thin tread. APMA’s brochure says to check the tread and the midsole and to replace a shoe that shows uneven wear. An NHS musculoskeletal service in Norfolk and Waveney says to look for tread worn thin in places and for holes.
• Too flexible. The same NHS service flags a shoe that has become too flexible when you twist it or bend it in the middle.
• A flattened midsole. Deep creases along the side of the midsole foam are worth noticing, because the studies above show the foam breaks down with distance. No official guide says how many creases are too many, so compare the pair with a newer one.
• New aches. Not proof the shoes are done, but a reason to look. The Royal College of Podiatry’s general rule is to see a professional about any foot problem that hasn’t cleared up within three weeks.

Rotating two pairs

Researchers in Luxembourg, Malisoux and colleagues, followed 264 recreational runners for 22 weeks. Runners who used more than one pair of running shoes in parallel had a lower risk of running injury (hazard ratio 0.614, 95% confidence interval 0.389 to 0.969), roughly 39% lower. It was an observational study, so it shows an association rather than proof that rotating shoes prevents injuries, but the Oxford leaflet also suggests having two pairs on the go. The tracker is built for it: log each run against the pair you wore and both meters move separately.

How the tracker works

Add a shoe with its name, any distance already on it (for a pair you have been running in for a while) and the distance at which you want a reminder. Then log runs against it. Each shoe’s card shows its total, a meter against the 300 to 800 mile band and your reminder mark, and turns amber at three-quarters of your reminder and red past it. Retire a pair when you stop running in it; unretire it if you change your mind. Distances are stored in kilometres and shown in either unit, using 1 mile = 1.609344 km exactly.

Everything stays in your browser’s local storage on this device, under the name soleoddity-mileage. Clearing your browser data or using a private window removes it, so export a CSV now and then. The CSV opens in any spreadsheet, and importing it restores the log exactly, skipping anything already there.

A few common slips: forgetting the distance already on a second-hand or older pair, logging only runs when you also walk in the shoes (APMA’s range counts both), and trusting the number over the shoe itself. Running a turkey trot on Thanksgiving, Thursday 26 November 2026? Log it like any other run. For pace and race calculators, our sister site Run Pebble has them.