There’s no single 'best shoe' – everyone has different needs. All sorts of things - your biomechanics, your weight, the surfaces you run on, and obviously, the shape of your feet - mean that one person's ideal shoe can be terrible

Determining your foot type will ensure that you buy a shoe that broadly matches your biomechanical needs. It’s a simple step – your foot will fit into one of three general categories, and your wet footprint will reveal which one.The Normal Foot

overpronator, but it would certainly prove a sensible choice for a beginner unsure of exactly what they need.In short If you’re new to running and simply want a comfortable and good value shoe, the Nova Cushion is a sound choice.

Weight 222gEvaluation The Fastwitch CRM – Fast Witch? – is actually two racing shoes: the Speed and the Endurance. Saucony debuted CRM – or Custom Ride Management – in the Trigon. Basically, it means one shoe with a choice of midsoles. The Speed has

Weight 361gEvaluation You’re spoilt for choice if you’re after a decent trail shoe with an Asics label attached. There’s the good value Gel Guts, the top-of-the-range Eagle Trail 2 and the latest addition to the range, the Mesa Trail. The Mesa Trail

Weight 344gEvaluation The Jazz 8 delivers what you’d expect of a shoe bearing the Jazz name. Soft cushioning, a wide, comfortable upper and probably the best grip you’ll find on a road shoe. There’s some added stability compared with the outgoing

, then it’s not a bad choice. Thanks to reasonably sized lugs, grip is decent enough on soggy earth, and the rearfoot lugs face the opposite way to those in the forefoot to add traction when descending. But, as with most shoes of this type, the thick, road

(performance) £65 Inov8Mudroc 280 (off-road) £65 Terroc 330 (off-road) £65 Flyroc 310 (off-road) £65 New Balance1023 (cushioned) £75 NikeAir Stasis (motion control) £75Air Pegasus TC (performance) £60 ReebokPremier Cushioning (cushioned) £60Premier Lite

Last year the Wave Mercury received quite a hefty update with the addition of carbon fibre to its double fan-shaped wave. That meant extra stability in this light, smooth and responsive shoe. All that Mizuno have done for 2004 is improve the upper

Air Structure Triax (£70); Asics Gel Kayano (£105); Saucony 3D GRID Hurricane (£80); New Balance 1220 (£100)