Why Are Running Shoes So Freakin’ Expensive? (Barefoot vs Cushion)

January 26, 2020 — I used to think running shoes were expensive. But when I switched to barefoot shoes and ran the numbers, I realized my thinking was totally wrong.

When I started JV track in 2005, my mom took me to a local running store to get my first pair of trainers.

My old, beat-up Adidas Samba’s seemed fine to me, so when the salesman brought out a pair of $80 Aisics DS Trainers, I was scandalized…

Eighty dollars? Are you kidding me???

Fifteen years later, I’m now running in barefoot shoes, and I get the same reaction from people who struggle with the idea of spending $130 on footwear that doesn’t even have cushion.

So I decided to do a little CAGE MATCH between cushion shoes and barefoot shoes to find out which one is the better deal…

Round 1: Durability

The average life of a cushioned shoe is around 300–500 miles. So if you’re running five miles a day, five days a week, that means a cushion shoe will last around six months.

Right now, the Brooks Ghost costs $130, so that breaks out to $22/mo.