Running Shoe Device Tells You When Shoes Need Replaced

Do you know how many miles your running shoes have on them, or why your feet are suddenly starting to bother you?

According to Aaron Burke, an engineer who suffered a stress fracture when training for a half marathon, your running shoes may be the reason for your pain and suffering. As Burke discovered that his pain came from his running shoes being overworked and worn out, he created Mino, a shoe life tracker that lets you know when your running shoes need to be replaced.

Running shoes are typically only supposed to have a life of 300-500 miles.

“The Mino is slim, and installs under the sock liner of a sneaker,” said Burke. “It hosts a microchip with a patented algorhythm that measures how hard a person steps on the shoe and the number of steps they take. It’s calibrated to track 400 miles of compressions, at which point it alerts a runner that it’s time to retire their shoes.”

Whether you’re a runner or just a walker, you can still use the Mino the same way. It measures the differences in strides between walking and running. The Mino calculates mileage at 600 compressions per mile, which is the average amount of steps a runner takes to cover the distance. It has four lights on it. Every couple of weeks, a person can lift up the sock liner (where the Mino is located) and press a button. One of four different lights will turn on. The Mino will either tell you: your shoe is brand new, it has a lot of life yet, the shoe is about ready to be replaced, or the shoe is worn out. The purpose of the third light is to give the runner time to go buy a new pair of shoes before his next race.

The Mino is only 2.55 mm thick and less than half an ounce in weight, so runners cannot feel the Mino in their shoes and will not be bothered by it. It can be put in either the left or right shoe and is sold with a “spacer” of the same thickness and weight so runners can put in the companion shoe if they want a perfect balance.

“The most common dangers of wearing worn out running shoes are knee pain and shin splints,” Jena Winger, associate product line manager of footwear at Brooks Running, told HuffPost.

The Mino costs around $15, has an expiration date, and lasts only for the life of the shoe that they are put in.

The Mino is available for purchase on Amazon or check out Runmino.com for more information about the device.

Would you be interested in a “Mino” for your running shoes?

(image: via shutterstock)