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- Walking vs Running
Walking and running might look similar — one foot in front of the other — but biomechanically, they’re two completely different movements.
And that means you need different footwear for each.
This all started with a tweet that unexpectedly took off.
But as always, social media leaves out the nuance.
So let’s unpack the full story here.
Biomechanics of Walking
Walking is divided into two main phases:
Stance phase – when your foot is in contact with the ground
Swing phase – when your foot is in the air
Each of these phases is broken into smaller events (inital contact, midstance, toe-off, etc.).
These events are useful because they follow predictable population averages. Deviations from these can reveal inefficiencies or compensations in someone’s gait.
For example:
At initial contact, the hip is typically around 20° flexion.
If it’s much higher or lower, something in the kinetic chain might be off — maybe stride length, posture, or hip mobility.
Diagram of the walking gait cycle
Biomechanics of Running
Running also consists of stance and swing phases, but with one crucial difference:
the double float phase.
That’s the moment when both feet are off the ground, something that doesn´t happen in walking.
This phase makes running a series of controlled “hops,” which completely changes the forces and timing involved.
Diagram of the running gait cycle
As I mentioned in my original X post:
Walking almost always starts with a heel strike
Running shifts towards a midfoot or forefoot strike (though many runners still heel strike, and that’s fine!)
Heel striking only becomes an issue when it’s combined with overstriding. Landing too far in front of your center of mass, which increases braking forces and injury risk.
And then there’s the impact force:
Walking = about 115% of your body weight
Running = up to 250% of your body weight
That’s more than double the load going through your shoe and kinetic chain.
👟 Why You Need Different Shoes
These two factors — strike pattern and impact force — are exactly why running and walking shoes are built differently.
Modern running shoes are engineered for forward propulsion, energy return, and impact absorption under high loads.
That’s why they feel unstable or awkward when you just walk in them, especially the high-stack or carbon-plated ones.
We’ve all been there: wobbling to the start line in our race shoes, trying not to roll an ankle… only to feel amazing once we start running.
Shoes like the Superblast, Vomero Premium, or Glycerin Max feel plush underfoot but aren’t meant for long walks. Comfort when wearing them ≠ comfort in motion.
For walking, look for shoes with:
Good ground contact feel
Moderate cushioning (not too soft)
A stable platform and lower stack height
Basically, the “boring” running shoes are often the best walking shoes.
Shoes that are great for walking:
Brooks Ghost 17 / Ghost Trail
On Cloudrunner 2 (for wide feet)
Nike Pegasus Trail 5
Find Your Perfect Fit
Everyone walks and runs a little differently — and your shoes should reflect that.
If you’re not sure which running shoes actually match your gait, I offer personalized Gait Analysis Consultations. In a short online session, we’ll break down your movement, analyze your strike pattern, and find the best shoe to match your biomechanics.