“Running is not that expensive, all you need is a pair of shoes!” – Many people around the world.

Running is known as one of the most easy sports to start from a financial perspective. All you need is a pair of shoes, a running outfit, and you are good to go. Some people even prove that you can do this sport without one or both of those things listed above. I don’t recommend going out both in public if you choose to go without gear but that’s a you decision.

On the flip side, running can be quite an expensive sport to get start. A quick internet search pulls up ASICS coming in strong with their Novablast shoe listed at $138. Brooks barely tops that number with their Ghost model priced at $140. Lastly, HOKA offers the slightly more affordable option of $116 for their Challenger. Before you are even considering outfits, these top brands put you over $150 in the hole after tax. That’s over three times my old monthly grad. school grocery budget! I ate a whole lot of pasta back then…

A good pair of running shoes may last anywhere from 300 to 500 miles. When you think of in terms of miles, you may be paying anywhere from $0.46 per mile to $0.28 per mile.

If you think you can get a few more miles out of your shoes, that is where the danger game begins. With our ASICS data listed above, you save more cents per mile as you increase the lifetime miles out of your shoes. Let’s say you can get 1000 miles out of a pair of running shoes. This is over triple the lifetime of the shoe and puts your cost at $0.14 per mile.

The good news, you can save another $138 on a pair of running shoes and put that money to something like retirement or spicy hot chips. The con is the increased chance of injury hence the danger game.

Typically if you push the wear and tear of a shoe past its lifetime, you have the potential to start developing knee problems or shin splints or seeing a snake and some of these injuries can escalate all the way to stress fractures. These heavily out way the cost of shoes and even worse, sideline you away from running for a long time. They don’t prevent you from eating pizza and popcorn though so it isn’t the worst injury in the world.

So, that typically brings us back to the beginning of buying these shoes. Now if you are frugal like me (see cheap), you will want the best bang for your buck for running shoes. Here are some places where you might be able to find good deals!

Nordstrom’s Rack

I didn’t expect this one to make this list and my wife was the one to discover the secret running shoes stashed in the clearance section at the back of the store. Two pairs of my shoes listed in the photo above came in at almost 50% off to be around $65 each at Nordstrom. The Brooks shoes felt like a steal because at running outlets nearby, they are typically listed at retail price. The running shoes at Nordstrom’s Rack were heavily mixed in with other shoes in the back so you may have to spend some time digging for treasure. I’d recommend making sure you shop with extra time and once you find that deal, it will be worth it.

Goodwill

The true hit or miss for fashion, sizes, the perfect shoe, and/or junk to store in the closet for the years. Goodwill is the center of my shopping life. The store has seen a plethora of Conway giveaways over the years and I have been happy to scour the shelves to fill my home back with similar items after dropping off a bag or two.

Along each side of the building, at least for the Goodwills in Austin, are many different shoes. There aren’t always running shoes but when they are there, you should spend time browsing. I recommend bringing a pair of socks to try some things out. Make sure to look at the bottom of the sole to see how worn and torn it is. If you do find your next pair of running shoes at Goodwill, you are looking at an +80% discount and often a really awesome running shoe!

The Local Apartment Recycling/Trash Bin

Now this one may gross some people out. You may have to potentially turn a blind eye to your principles but you may strike gold. This will be the cheapest place you can find a pair of sneakers. Many apartment complexes, if there are some by you, have residents tossing out many items when they move. I found a pair of Brooks Ghost shoes (Around $120 at the time) that worked out fantastic. My new-to-me bright pink racing shoes allowed me another +200 miles of running all for the price of zero. Spray a little lysol in there and sit it out a few days before tryining. Can’t beat a deal like that!

Facebook Marketplace

My last and certainly not least recommendation is Facebook Marketplace. Many people find themselves wanting to run, buy the newest pair of shoes out there, and then retiring from the sport shortly after the first few runs. Before trying again, these shoes sometimes find themselves on a for sale website and if you take a little time into research, you may find an awesome deal! Even when you don’t need shoes, it may be worth setting aside a little time each month to browse and you may see your shoe budget decrease over time. That means an increase to the nacho budget so its a win win win.

When in doubt…

You can always barefoot it out. Our ancestors gave us thousands of years of data of this displaying itself as an effective running method. So in one way, it is the most tried and true method.

I hope this sparks an idea of how to find some more affordable options for running shoes. It is a great thing to support your local running stores too and go enjoy the running, wherever you get your footwear!

Average Runner Paul