Doing a charity walk and have no trainers. Recommendations?

[tom_e]

When was the last time you walked more than a couple of miles? It's all well and good someone else sitting and saying 15 miles isn't that far but if you're not used to it then it will be!
Breaking in something like a normal trainer isn't so much of an issue it's more of a problem when you start looking at thicker leather in walking boots etc.
Although I can't talk I'm having a pair of Lowa boots delivered tomorrow morning which will then be worn for 3 days solid running round fields, so it'll be a baptism by fire for both the boots and my feet!

 

[anything I don't mind]

You can get some cheap running trainers from sports direct.

 

[powlesY]

If you enjoy having blisters the size of 50 pence pieces, by all means wear trainers for a 15-mile walk. Otherwise, invest in a decent pair of walking boots from an outdoor outfitters. You can get a good pair of Berghaus boots for around £90, they'll last you for years, and they're better for your feet in winter as well.

£90 for one 15 mile walk? Honestly, i'd rather deal with the blisters with a pair of £15 trainers and donate £75 to charity. That's extortionate.

When was the last time you walked more than a couple of miles? It's all well and good someone else sitting and saying 15 miles isn't that far but if you're not used to it then it will be!
Breaking in something like a normal trainer isn't so much of an issue it's more of a problem when you start looking at thicker leather in walking boots etc.
Although I can't talk I'm having a pair of Lowa boots delivered tomorrow morning which will then be worn for 3 days solid running round fields, so it'll be a baptism by fire for both the boots and my feet!

I regularly walk a couple of miles but no more than that really. Last time i walked a fair distance was probably 7-8 miles and that was in a pair of proper leather daps you'd wear with a suit. Can't remember getting any blisters then and that was a while back, and we ran some of it (albeit not much).

Really don't know what to wear. Some people saying get a basic pair of trainers, others saying i don't have time to wear them in. Only real pairs of shoes i've got are a proper tidy pair since my last pair of trainers got ruined a couple of weeks ago, my astroturf football trainers and a pair of tidy casual trainers i haven't worn in like 3-4 years.

 

[MrMoonX]

Because running a marathon at 26.2 miles isn't long enough.

OP
This may seem over the top but if this is something you are going to do regularly go to a proper running/walking shop and not JJB or Sports Direct.
Tell the staff what you are doing and what your budget is and let them make suggestions.
At this point you could make mental notes, walk out of the shop and see if JJB or Sports Direct have the same shoe for half the price.
If you come from Stoke we have the wonderful Bournes Sports where athletes come from all over the world to visit.

no what I was saying is that 15 miles is not really that far for a walk and especially not one you are asking for sponsorship, its just over half marathon distance and so I thought the OP would be better running the 15 or making the walk much longer.

OP id wear running shoes they will be fine if its off road get trail running shoes, Ive run 26.2 miles in my brooks both on road and off road pairs and not a single blister

 

[King85]

If you enjoy having blisters the size of 50 pence pieces, by all means wear trainers for a 15-mile walk. Otherwise, invest in a decent pair of walking boots from an outdoor outfitters. You can get a good pair of Berghaus boots for around £90, they'll last you for years, and they're better for your feet in winter as well.

I can run 15 miles and be blister free in my asics. I think blisters are more of an issue due to poor socks personally.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

I can run 15 miles and be blister free in my asics. I think blisters are more of an issue due to poor socks personally.

I'd agree with that.
In 2000 I got my first blister at 4 miles and they got worse.
At 15 miles I went to St John and they recommend I stop.
At 19 miles and 24 miles St John intervened and advised me to stop but I carried on and at 26.2 miles they had a wheelchair waiting for me.
My socks were the problem and I never had problems with successive marathons and half marathons.

OP
I've been discussing this today with other runners about how people who don't run, think distances aren't that far. A lot of non runners will totally overestimate a distance thinking that 1 mile is 3 miles and also make outlandish claims that they can walk a mile in 10 minutes.
15 miles is a very long way for somebody who hasn't trained to do it and will take 5 hours at average walking speed of 3 mph.
If you can get on a treadmill put it on 4 mph (15 min/mile) and see how far you can keep that up but it will probably be easier to jog after a while.

I'm still laughing at a friend of mine who claimed he could walk a 12 minute mile so I put my treadmill on 5 mph and after 30 seconds he fell off the back of it

 

[dowie]

I'd agree with that.
In 2000 I got my first blister at 4 miles and they got worse.
At 15 miles I went to St John and they recommend I stop.
At 19 miles and 24 miles St John intervened and advised me to stop but I carried on and at 26.2 miles they had a wheelchair waiting for me.

I think they can be a bit 'special' at times...

If you can get on a treadmill put it on 4 mph (15 min/mile) and see how far you can keep that up but it will probably be easier to jog after a while.

I'm still laughing at a friend of mine who claimed he could walk a 12 minute mile so I put my treadmill on 5 mph and after 30 seconds he fell off the back of it

4mph, not carrying weight, on a treadmill.... come off it - its not that hard...

could do that back when I was 14 yrs old in scouts - we'd enter walking events - one involving fairly light day sacks was about 40 miles and we'd aim for 4mph for most of it (at least for the first 25-30 miles)... ended up finishing in about 11 hours or so, though it was the last bit of it that we'd really slowed down on - still not bad for a group of teenagers

 

[BDEE]

no what I was saying is that 15 miles is not really that far for a walk and especially not one you are asking for sponsorship, its just over half marathon distance and so I thought the OP would be better running the 15 or making the walk much longer.

OP id wear running shoes they will be fine if its off road get trail running shoes, Ive run 26.2 miles in my brooks both on road and off road pairs and not a single blister

lol. Just lol.