The best running shoes for beginners are not the same as what a seasoned marathoner would wear. It’s easy to get overwhelmed shopping for new kicks. There are hundreds of styles out there, each promising to make you faster, absorb more impact, make running feel easier, prevent injury, guide your feet into better movement patterns, and so on and so on. Considering that a good pair of sneakers is literally the only gear requirement for running, it makes sense that brands want to hype any feature that would make a shoe more appealing.