Attention for those who may have considered investing their design talents in sneaker design: You can spend $30 on a pair of plain-jane running shoes, or drop $150 on a super-designed pair, but guess what? They do the same thing. A recent British study has found that despite what marketers tell you, expensive kicks do nothing to improve your running performance, and the cushioning in cheap vs. expensive kicks is basically identical.
Your correspondent once freelanced for a well-known sneaker company that will remain anonymous, and never forgot the design brief given by the department head: "Make sure the kids can see them from across the street." Springs, velcro, air pockets and gels notwithstanding, sneaker design is about flash, not function.
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For the casually runner the more expensive shoes may not be worth it, but anybody that puts in serious mileage I'm pretty sure will tell you that picking up any old pair of shoes just doesn't cut it.