Best running shoes for the treadmill
A treadmill removes two of the things a road shoe is built to cope with. There is no grit to chew through the outsole and no camber or uneven surface to steady yourself against. The belt is also slightly softer than pavement and it moves under you, which takes a little of the braking work out of each stride.
The practical upshot is that outsole durability matters less than it does outdoors, so a lighter shoe with a thinner rubber layer is a reasonable choice and will last longer indoors than it would on the road. Breathability matters more, because there is no wind and gyms are warm, so feet get hotter than they do outside.
The one thing that genuinely helps is a shoe that feels good repeating the same stride for a long time. Treadmill running is more monotonous than road running, with almost no variation in surface or direction, so a shoe with a bit of give tends to feel better over an hour than a firm racing shoe does.
The shortlist
These are the shoes the Shoe Finder quiz returns when you answer it as someone in this situation. Same database, same scoring, nothing added by hand. Answer it yourself and you will get a list shaped around your own feet, weight and budget rather than an average.
Nike Vomero 18
£134.99 · Max cushion · 298g · 10mm drop · 46mm stack · 4E available
Thick, soft and forgiving underfoot. Great value if you want maximum comfort on easy runs.
- Picked for comfortable everyday running
Saucony Triumph 24
£170 · Max cushion · 264g · 10mm drop · 40mm stack · wide fitting
Deep, soft cushioning that stays surprisingly light. One of the best long run shoes.
- Picked for comfortable everyday running
Brooks Glycerin 23
£165 · Max cushion · 297g · 8mm drop · 38mm stack · wide fitting
Brooks at its softest. A pricey but very comfortable shoe for steady miles.
- Picked for comfortable everyday running
Asics Gel-Nimbus 28
£179.99 · Max cushion · 278g · 8mm drop · 43mm stack · 4E available
Soft, protective and forgiving. The default choice for comfortable everyday miles.
- Picked for comfortable everyday running
New Balance Fresh Foam X More v6
£150 · Max cushion · 306g · 4mm drop · 44mm stack · wide fitting
A huge slab of soft foam. Made for slow, comfortable miles and recovery days.
- Picked for comfortable everyday running
On Cloudmonster 3
£180 · Max cushion · 295g · 6mm drop · 40mm stack · nylon plate
Big, bouncy and fun underfoot, good for easy miles when your legs feel heavy.
- Picked for comfortable everyday running
Hoka Bondi 9
£160 · Max cushion · 297g · 5mm drop · 43mm stack · wide fitting
About as much cushioning as you can buy. Great if your legs and joints ache.
- Picked for comfortable everyday running
Mizuno Wave Sky 9
£165 · Max cushion · 295g · 6mm drop · 44mm stack
Thick, soft and protective, a comfy pick for recovery runs and long days.
- Picked for comfortable everyday running
How this list was put together
Every shoe in our database is scored against a set of rules, and this page shows the top eight for this particular need. The rules are written down in full on the how it works page, including which ones rule a shoe out completely. Nothing on this page is ordered by commission, and the prices are RRP, so shop around because they are very often discounted.
This is a starting point rather than a fitting. Where you can, try shoes on, and if you are running through pain see a physio rather than buying your way out of it.
Common questions
Do I need special treadmill shoes?
No. Any road running shoe works on a treadmill. If you run mostly indoors you can pick a lighter, less durable shoe than you would for the road, because there is nothing abrasive to wear the outsole down.
Should treadmill shoes be a size bigger?
Not because of the treadmill, but feet do swell in a warm gym over a long session. The usual advice applies: about a thumb width of room in front of your longest toe, and try shoes on later in the day when your feet are already a bit larger.
Can I use trail shoes on a treadmill?
You can, but the lugs have nothing to bite into, so they compress oddly and wear down flat against the belt. It feels lumpy and it ruins the shoe for actual trails. Use a road shoe.
Get a list for your feet, not an average one
The shortlist above assumes a fairly typical runner. The shoe finder asks about your width, how your ankles roll, your weight, where you run, your budget and any recurring niggles, then gives you three shoes and tells you why each one made it. It takes about a minute and there is no email or sign up.