INJURY-PROOF RUNNING SHOES

With lawsuits and contradictory studies putting minimalist shoes on the back foot, chunky soles are back in fashion. Here are your front runners

Adidas Supernova Sequence Boost 7

£74 adidas.co.uk You’ll find Adidas’s Boost technology in the sole of this shoe – it’s the white stuff that looks a bit like polystyrene popcorn and it promises to capture the energy of every step to propel your foot off the ground. In reality, it doesn’t have the bouncy effect you might hope for, but it does make this – the lightest shoe in our test at 310g – feel even lighter. So light in fact you might doubt its claim to be a stability shoe if it wasn’t for the rigid Stableframe running along its length to prevent flex on the horizontal axis,

PROS Well cushioned yet super lightweight. Continental Tyres sole provides the best grip on test

CONS Mesh upper is great for airflow, but it lets water in rather too easily. Boost not noticeably different to other sole technology

Best for People with naturally outwards facing feet who need a bit of help getting on the straight and narrow

Hoka One One Conquest 2

£126 sportsshoes.com Hoka is the leader of the maximalist trend and the One One is its flagship shoe, so it’s no surprise this is the chunkiest on test by a long way – its forefoot cushion is bigger than most shoes’ heels. That said, it offers a pretty firm feel that's more ‘playground asphalt’ than the wading-through-cushions effect of previous models, while the curved sole encourages a smooth stride with evenly distributed weight from heel to toe no matter what part of your foot hits the floor first, or heaviest.

PROS 2 ½ times more cushioning than a standard running shoe. Curved sole minimises energy lost through heavy heelstrikes

CONS No need to be polite – this is one ugly, ugly shoe. Hard to feel changes in the road surface underfoot

Best for Anyone with past injuries caused by the repetitive impact of road running who needs maximum stability and force reduction