I'm Will Charland, and for the last four years I've fit people into running shoes working for a retail running shoe store. The Shoe Recommender is my attempt to take what I do in person and put it online, making it accessible for anyone to reach it.
I got into fitting almost by accident when I was first starting my running with cross country in high school and looking for a first job. I'd gone into a running store to get shoes, and my first pair didn't even work out. I had to come back and get something new because once I hit the road the shoe felt completely different. That stuck with me: getting the right shoe isn't always obvious on the first try, and having someone knowledgeable makes the difference. I ended up applying, got the job, and loved helping people and the running community around it.
Over the years working in the industry, you start to notice trends and patterns that help match certain foot types to certain shoes. That information is what I'm trying to boil down in an easy-to-read manner on this site.
We built this because I think there's a more accessible way for people to get to good, useful shoe information than heading to your local running store. The skills I picked up on the fitting floor get shared with you on the website and throughout the quiz, to help you better understand your running shoe selection.
There are a few things I want you to know. The recommendations aren't just shoes I personally like — they're shoes I've watched customer after customer come back and love. Every writeup is done with the general runner in mind, where nothing is slanted toward one type of foot, because everyone's foot is different. The Shoe Recommender is built to give you an easy way to find shoes that will work for you, then provide a transparent view of those recommendations. By using it, you'll be able to find a shoe that works great for your foot and stay free from marketing jargon.
Every question and recommendation comes from years of hands-on shoe-fitting experience — the same judgment a knowledgeable fitter uses in person, translated into a quiz. It accounts for the things generic tools skip: wide feet, flat arches, cranky knees, or a first-ever race.
We have no sponsorships or brand deals influencing what we suggest. Recommendations are made on fit alone, so the shoe you're pointed to is the one that's right for you — not the one that pays the most.
The Shoe Recommender