--- title: Exercise: Lighter Running Shoes Linked to Faster Running description: A new study shows that people run slower when wearing heavier sneakers, even if the difference is just a few ounces. canonical: https://time.com/4561115/running-shoes-faster-runner/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-11-08T17:00:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T01:40:25.912Z article:section: Health og:title: Lighter Running Shoes Really Can Make You Faster og:description: A few ounces can make all the difference og:url: https://time.com/4561115/running-shoes-faster-runner/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd310e23d15e22ec6/6988ad67656a3f437cbcdc4e/running-sneakers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5600 og:image:height: 3150 og:image:alt: female runner tying shoe lace in a urban area og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Lighter Running Shoes Really Can Make You Faster twitter:description: A few ounces can make all the difference twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd310e23d15e22ec6/6988ad67656a3f437cbcdc4e/running-sneakers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Lighter Running Shoes Really Can Make You Faster > Sponsored content. 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A new study shows that people run slower when wearing heavier sneakers, even if the difference is just a few ounces. It’s long been known that wearing heavier shoes makes runners work harder, and experts have theorized that that would slow them down. (One oft-cited estimate is that for every ounce a runner shaves off her sneakers, she’ll run [one second faster per mile](http://www.runnersworld.com/running-shoes/racing-shoes-pros-and-cons).) But researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder wanted to find out for sure if this was true. The researchers recruited 18 competitive runners to complete 3,000-meter time trials (about two miles) on an indoor track, once a week for three weeks. Unbeknownst to the runners, small lead pellets were sewn into two of the three pairs of racing flats they wore. By themselves, the shoes weighed 7 to 8 ounces each, depending on size. The pellets added about 3.5 ounces (or the weight of a deck of cards) per shoe for one pair, and about 10.6 ounces per shoe for the second pair. **_Health.com:_** [_3 Signs You Need a New Pair of Running_ ](http://www.health.com/fitness/replace-running-shoes/?xid=time)[_Shoes_](http://www.health.com/fitness/replace-running-shoes) To help prevent the runners from detecting extra weight, the researchers put their shoes on for them. Still, the runners noticed the difference. In their time trials, they paced themselves differently—and [ran about 1% slower](http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2016&issue=11000&article=00013&type=abstract)—for every 3.5 ounces of lead added per shoe. The researchers calculated that elite runners wearing shoes 3.5 ounces lighter than normal could potentially run a marathon about 57 seconds faster. The study also measured how much energy the runners expended by testing their oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production as they ran on a treadmill wearing each pair of shoes. The results compared well with [previous studies](http://runsmartproject.com/2012/02/06/how-much-does-shoe-weight-affect-performance/)—and matched the results of the indoor-track time trial—showing that energy costs rose by about 1% with each 3.5 ounces of extra shoe weight. **_Health.com:_** [_How to Train for a 5K Race in Just 4 Weeks_](http://www.health.com/fitness/training-for-5k/?xid=time) Don’t go out and buy a new pair of running shoes just yet, though. The researchers note that lighter shoes won’t necessarily make a runner faster. The team’s previous research has shown that proper cushioning _also_ reduces the energy cost of running—so swapping out foam or other padding for a super-streamlined design could potentially backfire. (Studies have also found that switching to barefoot-style minimalist shoes can [raise some runners’ injury risk](http://news.health.com/2015/05/28/should-you-ditch-your-running-shoes/).) “[Lighter is not always better](http://www.colorado.edu/today/2016/10/28/small-increases-running-shoe-weight-tied-slower-race-times),” said lead author Wouter Hoogkamer, PhD, a researcher in CU’s Locomotion Laboratory, in a press release. He recommends that shoppers keep this trade-off in mind when [choosing a running shoe](http://news.health.com/2015/10/08/how-to-buy-running-shoes/) that feels good—lightweight still but adequately cushioned—on their feet. The study was funded by Nike and published in the journal _Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise_. _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/fitness/lightweight-running-shoes-faster/?xid=time) _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4561115/running-shoes-faster-runner/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4561115/running-shoes-faster-runner/"},"headline":"Lighter Running Shoes Really Can Make You Faster","datePublished":"2016-11-08T17:00:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T01:40:25.912Z","description":"A few ounces can make all the difference","url":"https://time.com/4561115/running-shoes-faster-runner/","keywords":["Exercise & Fitness"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd310e23d15e22ec6/6988ad67656a3f437cbcdc4e/running-sneakers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amanda MacMillan / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd310e23d15e22ec6/6988ad67656a3f437cbcdc4e/running-sneakers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"female runner tying shoe lace in a urban area","caption":"female runner tying shoe lace in a urban area","creditText":"Buero Monaco—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/exercisefitness/","name":"Exercise & Fitness"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4561115/running-shoes-faster-runner/","name":"Lighter Running Shoes Really Can Make You Faster"}}]}] ```