Running enthusiasts are willing to spend thousands of dollars each year to buy several pairs of running shoes that will sometimes only be used for a few outings. For some, this is a necessity, but others recognize that there is something unreasonable about it.
“It’s crazy,” thinks Fabrice Métivier, a teacher from Quebec who currently owns eight pairs of espadrilles, for a total value of around $1,000. “I’m only running three!” he adds, giggling.
This young father is a fairly serious amateur runner, who has just finished his first marathon with a time of 3 hours 11 minutes and 29 seconds. “I was sick at the end, my legs were no longer keeping up,” he says.
Being properly shod is certainly a very important thing to avoid injuries, because running can be brutal on the joints. Mr. Métivier nevertheless believes that enthusiastic runners are too easily convinced to buy several pairs of shoes.
“We say to ourselves that we will obtain faster results with shoes made for a particular discipline, but in the end, the difference is quite marginal,” he muses. The important thing is to run.”
$2000 per year
For other athletes, however, the passion for espadrilles is not madness, but necessity. “It depends on what type of runner you are,” philosophers athlete Anne-Marie Comeau, who recently won the Montreal half-marathon.
Photo Agence QMI, MARIO BEAUREGARD
“Someone who does 20 kilometers a week doesn’t need as many shoes, especially since a pair can last a very long time. I do 100 km per week, and that can go up to 130 km. The shoes wear out more easily, you have to change them more often,” explains the woman who spends “around $2,000 per year” on espadrilles.
“I love running, and when the new models come out, I like to try them. Then I practice swapping shoes to get my feet used to the different types of cushioning,” explains the 28-year-old young woman.
The wardrobe of Anne-Marie Comeau and her partner is overflowing with running shoes.
As they do not wear out their shoes, Anne-Marie Comeau and her partner, another “good consumer of shoes”, keep the pairs that are no longer used in a “big bag”, in order to give them to the next person when the opportunity presents itself.
Good deals
With the rise in popularity of running, people like Fabrice and Anne-Marie are becoming less and less rare, to the delight of specialized boutiques like Le Coureur nordique, in Quebec.
Photo Didier Debusschère
“Our sales increased by 33% in 2024,” says the owner of this store, Jimmy Gobeil, recalling that the events organized by Je cours Québec are increasingly popular. As an indication, 13,500 people took part in the various races as part of the Quebec City marathon last week.
And the sale of running shoes is not increasing in Quebec alone, while the turnover of the global sports shoe market has increased from $69.8 to $91.6 billion over the last five years, according to data compiled by Statista.
