Choosing running shoes for flat feet can be confusing for a beginner in India who plans around 5 km a week on roads, since the shoe pages use different words for similar ideas. This guide compares five running shoes from the brands’ own product pages, with the focus on what each page states and what it leaves out.
Two of the five are labelled for support or stability, and three are described as cushioned or neutral. The Brooks and Skechers entries are women’s listings, which is stated plainly here so that nobody orders from them expecting a men’s model.
No page claims that any of these shoes treats or corrects flat feet, and this guide makes no such claim either.
What do health sources say about running shoes for flat feet?
As per the NHS, a flat foot rests fully on the ground with no raised arch, and a person can check this by looking at the inner side of each foot while standing. The NHS calls flat feet common and usually nothing to worry about, and adds that most children have them when young.
Mayo Clinic says most people with flatfeet have no symptoms. Treatment is generally unnecessary where there is no pain, as per the same page.
For footwear, the NHS says wide, comfortable shoes with a low heel are usually best. A foot specialist may advise on shoes, and runners who feel pain can seek that advice.
What is the difference between a support label and a neutral label?
The Brooks India page lists the Adrenaline GTS 23 with support type “Support” and arch support “Medium, High”, along with DNA Loft v2 cushioning. Skechers states a “parametric midsole construction for support and stability” on the GO RUN Consistent 2.0 Engaged page.
Adidas describes the Supernova Rise 3 midsole as “an optimised blend of soft and stable cushioning”. PUMA labels pronation for the Velocity NITRO 3 as neutral, and the page lists no support feature.
Nike describes the Pegasus 42 as responsive cushioning for everyday road runs. Its page adds that an updated fit gives more space in the forefoot and toe box.
A label on a brand page describes the shoe as the brand sees it. It does not say how the shoe will feel on a particular foot.
How each page describes the shoe
Brooks names an Engineered Air Mesh upper with 3D Fit Print for added structure on the Adrenaline GTS 23. It is a women’s listing, and neither a weight nor width options appear.
Adidas uses a Primeweave engineered upper with laser perforations on the Supernova Rise 3, together with DREAMSTRIKE+ cushioning and a lightweight Lighttraxion outsole. No separate support or stability feature appears on that page.
Nike pairs a curved full length Air Zoom unit with a ReactX foam midsole in the Pegasus 42. Drop, weight, upper material and width options are absent from the Nike India page, as is any stability feature.
PUMA lists NITROFOAM cushioning and PROFOAMLITE high rebound EVA for the Velocity NITRO 3. The upper is engineered mesh reinforced with PWRTAPE, and the outsole is PUMAGRIP.
Skechers lists ULTRA LIGHT midsole cushioning and a Goga Mat insole on the GO RUN Consistent 2.0 Engaged. The athletic mesh upper contains at least 20% recycled materials, as per the page.
Drop, weight and width
Brooks lists a drop of 12 mm for the Adrenaline GTS 23, which is higher than the 8 mm that adidas lists for the Supernova Rise 3.
Adidas gives a weight of 272 g. PUMA gives a drop of 10 mm for the Velocity NITRO 3, along with an outsole life of up to 800 km.
Skechers gives a weight of 6.5 oz, but only for a women’s size 7, and it lists a heel height without stating a drop. Nike lists none of these measurements.
Width is the largest gap on these pages, and it matters for runners who have been told to look for wide shoes. None of the five offers width options, and only adidas and PUMA state a regular fit, so the width of the shoe has to be judged by the runner when trying it on.
Size and fit before ordering
Feet typically swell during the day, as per the ASICS size guide, so measurements taken late in the day are the more useful ones. The guide asks a person to stand on blank paper with the heel lightly touching a wall, mark the longest toe and the back of the heel, and measure the distance between the two marks.
The same steps are repeated for the other foot, and the measurement is compared with the centimetre column on the size chart. Each brand’s own chart is the reference for that comparison.
ASICS, in its US size guide, generally suggests going up half a size from a casual shoe size when buying running shoes. That guide carries no India sizes, so it is a general pointer and each brand’s own chart still decides the final size. A runner who is between sizes can compare notes on the brand page or the seller’s return terms before committing.
Adidas says on its page that the Supernova Rise 3 runs true to size, so the usual size is what the brand advises ordering.
Fit categories are stated unevenly across the five pages. Adidas and PUMA both describe a regular fit, while Brooks, Nike and Skechers state no fit category at all on the pages used here.
Which page suits which beginner
Brooks Adrenaline GTS 23 suits a runner who wants a shoe the brand labels as a support shoe for road runs, with the limits already mentioned of a women’s listing and no weight or width on the page.
Adidas Supernova Rise 3 suits a beginner who wants a daily trainer with a stated blend of soft and stable cushioning and a regular fit. A runner looking for a separate support feature will not find one listed there, and the same is true for the Nike and PUMA pages.
Nike Pegasus 42 suits a beginner doing everyday road runs who wants the extra forefoot and toe box space that Nike states. That page is the thinnest of the five on measurements.
PUMA Velocity NITRO 3 suits a road runner whose chosen fit is regular and who wants a neutral shoe. Skechers GO RUN Consistent 2.0 Engaged suits a beginner looking for a lace up women’s shoe with a midsole described for support and stability, and its page gives no drop and no width.
Any of the five can be compared against the NHS advice on wide, comfortable shoes only by checking the toe box and width in person, since the pages do not list width options. New Balance Malaysia shows that width choices exist on some models, with the Fresh Foam X 860 offered in Standard (D) and Wide (2E), though that is a Malaysian page and not an India listing.