I Spent a Whole Day Visiting Multiple Running Stores to Find the Shoe My Feet Actually Needed

I'm a bigger guy who overpronates, so when my old running shoes finally went flat enough that my feet started hurting (and then my back), I knew exactly what I needed to replace them with. All my research kept leading back to the Brooks Adrenaline 25 GTS, which felt like the obvious pick since it's one of those stability shoes that everyone loves, especially guys with my build. I basically had my mind made up before I ever left the house, which is probably why I didn't expect what happened next.I live in New York City, and so I went to Super Runners Shop on the Upper West Side first, mostly to try out one of those foot-analysis machines before buying anything, half expecting it to just confirm what I already knew. I stepped on, it did its scan, and the employee looked at the results and told me the Adrenaline wasn't actually my best option, pointing me toward a different Brooks shoe instead, the Glycerin 23 GTS. I hadn't initially considered it, and I wasn't fully sold on trusting a machine over the research I'd already done, so I left without buying anything.Right after, I went to Fleet Feet for a second opinion. I thought that since it’s a different store with different employees, I would get an unbiased answer, not letting them know that I had just gone through this exact process at a different store. I stepped on the foot scanner expecting maybe a different answer this time, or at least the Adrenaline showing up somewhere in the mix. Instead I got the exact same recommendation all over again, the Glycerin 23 GTS, which is when it started to feel like I should probably listen to the machine.Trevor RaabFor anyone curious what's actually happening on those machines, they're not identical. Fleet Feet uses its own branded system called fit id, a 3D scanner that captures your feet from a set of cameras in about five seconds, pulling precise measurements like length, width, volume, and arch height, plus a pressure plate reading that shows how your weight distributes and how your foot moves through a stride. An employee then walks you through the scan on screen and matches it against their shoe database. Super Runners Shop's setup works on the same basic principle, but isn't the same proprietary system. Theirs is generally a pressure-plate and camera-based scan paired with the employee's own trained eye, sometimes combined with watching you walk or stand, to read arch height, pronation, and pressure points before they pull shoes for you.Neither of those stores is Brooks-only, so it's not like the deck was stacked toward that answer either time. At that point I figured two machines and two employees landing on the same shoe I hadn't even thought about was worth paying attention to, so I gave in and actually tried it on.It fit right away and definitely added a bit more support in the areas of my foot that I needed it to. I tried on the Adrenaline GTS as well for good measure, and I could actually feel why the Glycerin GTS was a slightly better fit. The Glycerin had a roomy fit through the toebox without feeling sloppy, and was supportive without feeling like it was steering my every step.Runner's World testers have said basically the same thing, that the GuideRails on the GTS version help correct form issues without being heavy-handed about it, and that the fit runs true and comfortable even for wider feet. Reviews Editor Amanda Furrer notes, “The stability tech in the Glycerin GTS 23 is Brooks’s ‘GuideRails’ system; pieces of firm foam on the medial and lateral sides of the heel act as bumpers to help align your knees with your feet when your run is erratic. It works for overpronators because it’s not intrusive guidance like the stability tech of yesteryear.”That lined up with what I felt the second I laced up, and it was enough to convince me to walk out with the shoe. I haven’t had any complaints since running or working out in them since, and so my general take is that I’m glad I went through the experience.Shop Men’s at amazon.com | Shop Women’s at amazon.comThe GTS colorways are also just fun, which shouldn't matter as much as it does, but I like that a stability shoe doesn't have to look like it was designed for a podiatry patient. My one gripe is that Brooks doesn't bring over as many colors to the GTS line as it does on the regular Glycerin 23 (at least in physical stores), so there are a few colorways I'd wear immediately if they existed in the stability version.I went into two stores looking for one specific shoe and left with something a little different, twice confirmed, and I'm glad I listened. So, I guess the point of all of this is to say, if you ever find yourself wondering if the foot-analysis machine at a running store works, here’s my vouch. I think it does!Josiah is the Digital Content Producer for the commerce team at Popular Mechanics, Best Products, Runner’s World, and Bicycling Magazine. He also writes for “BIO Buys”—a column on Biography.com—giving readers the lowdown on what products their favorite celebs are using. In another life, Josiah was an editor at ThePioneerWoman.com, where he sharpened his expertise on all things lifestyle, food-news, and entertainment. Outside work related matters, he’s a fan of Studio Ghibli films, unimportant reality TV drama, and melancholy Lorde songs.