7 Best Running Shoes For High Arches in 2024

How we test running shoes

We spend at least 7 hours on each shoe review to save you time in finding the best match for your running needs.

With our independent shoe testing lab and a team of dedicated runners, we never miss a shoe release. Here is how we test each pair of running shoes before claiming it the best for high arches:

• We run at least 30-50 miles in the shoe to get a good feel of its support, comfort, and performance in a variety of conditions.
• We take the shoe back to our lab, cut it into pieces, and measure every imaginable parameter, including weight, stack, drop, softness, flexibility, (even shoelace slippage!), among 30 others.
• We receive no free shoes from the brands and purchase them with our own money to stay transparent.

High arches in runners 

You’re here because you have high arches (so called Pes Cavus). Some even call it claw foot, as the toes change from a flat to a clawing position. 

Runners with high arches usually place too much weight and stress on the heel and on the ball of the foot. When arches are “normal” or medium, they absorb the shock and stabilise the body. When they are high, the stress is redistributed to the forefoot and the heel. 

Having high arches might be accompanied by toe clawing, arch pain, plantar fascia pain or injury, metatarsalgia, calluses, weakness of lateral ankle ligaments (so runners roll their ankles), posterior shin splints, lower limb stress fractures, ITBS. 

High arches usually mean that runners are underpronating (supinating) and landing on the forefoot or the midfoot. 

High arches: double check

Do you think you have high arches, or do you know it for a fact? Best to be sure. If you’re running pain-free and are just curious, great. 

If, however, you’re experiencing pain while running, we wholeheartedly recommend visiting a specialist (orthopedist, biomechanic specialist, etc.) for a proper exam and assessment. 

Here’s how high arches look like on the wet test. You can see a very small footprint. 

Running shoes for high arches: 5 things to look for

Always prioritise comfort. Nothing in the running shoe should feel obtrusive, especially not the arch support. 

Also, this guide focuses on what most runners with high arches need. 

Having said that, there are 5 things to pay attention to when looking for running shoes for high arches: 

1. Cushioned ride. Avoid minimalist shoes. Avoid very soft shoes. Best to find the midsole that makes the landings easy and transitions smooth for your arches. This is found in cushioned shoes.
2. Focus on the forefoot cushioning if you tend to land on the forefoot or midfoot. Focus on the heel if you're a heel striker.
3. Usually, we recommend a heel drop of 10mm or less for forefoot strikers and 8mm and higher for heel strikers.
4. Neutral and stable ride. Look for shoes that do not overcorrect the gait, so there’s no arch support. This is found in neutral shoes. 
5. Good outsole coverage and grip where you land. While some shoes are made for forefoot strikers only (they have no or very little rubber at the heel), there are no shoes that have heel-strike-only outsole designs. This is a big differentiator between heel-striking shoes and shoes for forefoot/midfoot or all strikes. 

Remember that comfort comes first. Try many pairs before deciding on one. 

Cushioning: foot strike matters 

Landing on the forefoot or midfoot means you want a lot of impact protection in that area. Of course, that’s subjective as some runners prefer minimalist shoes and others cushioned. Overall, minimalist shoes are used less, so we’d recommend something that’s higher off the ground, especially for beginners. 

Some high-arched runners land on the heel so they should focus on that area. 

Official stack heights promoted by brands are often wrong. In our shoe lab, we measure the stack heights as instructed by WorldAthletics (you can read more about how we test shoes on our Methodology page). For this to be properly done, shoes must be cut in half, and of course, it’s what we do as well. 

To get some context into how much forefoot cushioning is enough, here’s how high the forefoot and heel stack height are in the best-rated running shoes for high arches: 

Best heel drop for high arches

Heel-to-toe drop is often overlooked, yet it can significantly affect your run and your legs. If you’re ladning on the forefoot or midfoot, we suggest choosing a shoe with a heel drop of less than 10 mm.

A heel drop that’s too high for your strike can work in 2 ways: 

• First, if you’re overstriding, a higher drop can help with that to shorten the stride, because you’d hit the ground sooner in a steeper shoe. This would be a good thing. 
• Second, a higher drop can lead to a slower footswitch (cadence). This could be a bad thing, as improving the cadence means increasing the number of footsteps per minute. 

Marking the spots where forefoot and heel heights are measured

A heel drop that’s low (1-4mm) or mid (5-8mm) utilises the muscles of the lower legs more (foot muscles, Achilles, calves). Unlike the high drop, which would put more stress on the higher-leg muscles, like thighs and hips. 

Here’s a list of the best high-arch running shoes and their heel drops. This list is updated with every shoe review that we publish, so it is always fresh: 

Midsole softness: don’t go too soft 

Runners often think comfort=soft footbeds. Sure, no one likes running on bricks, but there’s a limit to how soft a midsole should be. Soft midsoles can bottom out and tyre your feet instead of propelling them forward. 

Midsole softness is measured with a shore A durometer. The needle of the durometer is inserted into the midsole (which is why we must cut shoes in half), and we get a number. The lower the number, the softer the foam. 

Keep in mind that some experts take these measurements on the outside, without cutting shoes in half. We have proven many times that these measurements are very wrong. Foams have different protective overlays and measurements taken on the outside do not represent the softness of the midsole that’s in direct contact with your feet. 

For context, here’s how soft midsoles are in best-rated running shoes for high-arches: 

If you prefer a ride that’s as soft as it gets, here are top 3 choices: 

And if you like your ride on the firmer side, these are the firmest midsoles found in our lab tests: 

Outsole design for runners with high arches

While there are running shoes that might lack rubber coverage at the heel, there are no running shoes that would have rubber at the rear but not at the front. So, no worries for those who land at the forefoot. However, just because there’s some rubber, it does not mean that the grip is good. 

And while softer rubber tends to be stickier and more pliable, and harder rubber more durable and protective, the softness rarely tells the whole story. Which is why we also look at the durability of the outsole. 

Using a shore C durometer to measure the hardness of the rubber (higher the number, harder the rubber)

In our lab we use a Dremel to test the durability of the outsole. We also use a tyre tread gauge to measure how big the dent that Dremel made is. Deeper dents mean less durable outsoles and shallower dents mean more durability. 

Using a Dremel to test the durability of the outsole

Is a stiff heel counter your cup of tea? 

For some runners, stiff heel counter feels great. It brings more stability, better lock down, and feels good if they have plantar fasciitis or similar conditions. But, for others, it’s a deal breaker because their heel just can’t get into that moulded shape. 

Whatever floats your boat, we’re here to cover it. When testing shoes in our shoe lab, we push the heel and squeeze it, to assess how stiff the back is. 

Here’s how stiff heel counters are in best-rated running shoes for high arches: 

Wide toebox might be a good idea 

Landing on the forefoot means you need good impact protection, stability, grip.. And maybe also enough room for your toes to splay and not be cramped. This way, you avoid blisters, bleeding, dark toenails, etc. 

If you often experience cramped toe area, best to pay attention to the width of the toebox. Not all toes have the same shape so we pay attention to 2 toebox widths: at the big toe and where it’s widest (usually around the ball of the foot). 

We take both measurements because they allow us to learn how pointy (tapered) a toebox is. When the difference between the 2 measurements is bigger, toeboxes are pointier. When the difference is smaller, toeboxes are wider and more friendly for X shape. 

We tend to prioritise the big toe width because it’s more difficult to find shoes that are less pointy than those that are simply wider (at the base and at the toebox). So, here are the widest toeboxes (at the big toe): 

Longer distances: consider stability

Even those who overpronate and land on their forefoot get tired after logging some miles, especially on long distances and ultra races. When we get tired, we appreciate more support, be it a higher heel drop, stability features, wider toebox, or different cushioning. That’s why some ultra runners change their shoes mid-race. 

Here, what’s relevant is stability. If you’re running in neutral shoes, it’s important to understand that such shoes can be anything from not stable to very stable. It depends on the width and height of their base, mostly. But, there are also some stability shoes that offer very mild stability that you could appreciate if running ultras. 

In case you feel like you could use some stability, look for mild options. It’s not necessary to immediately jump to medial posts or GuideRails. We cover this topic in great detail in our guide: Arch support for runners: What, how and why. 

Trail shoes for high arches

The same rules apply here as well, with minor adjustments:

1. Best to look for a lot cushioning at the place of landing (forefoot/midfoot or heel) 
2. For extra stability, look for a wider and/or stiffer base 
3. When it comes to grip, the depth of the lugs matters a lot. The deeper the lug, the more technical terrain you can cover (think 4mm and above for mud). Shallower lugs (around 2mm) could mean it's a hybrid shoe (road to trail). 
4. Heel drop is lower in trail shoes than in road shoes so it's important that you don't make sudden changes (going for zero drop or close to that suddenly). 

Mythbusting about high arches

All runners with high arches supinate (underpronate), which means their feet roll outwards. WRONG. 

Some runners with high arches can also overpronate, although this is very rare.

Runners with high arches never need arch support. WRONG. 

Some runners might actually benefit from arch support (coming from the shoes, store-bought insoles, or custom orthotics). Other runners (the majority!) do simply enjoy cushioned neutral shoes.