Shoes

[AeroEngineer]

I was reading the instructions to appointees and and mentions that I need to bring athletic shoes and molded cleats are recommended. Do you have any suggestions on what kind of athletic shoes are best for BCT? And are cleats really that beneficial? Thank you!

 

[Magic Turtle]

I personally bought a pair of Nike running shoes (Pegasus 36) while they were running an online sale last week. I recommend purchasing a pair of running shoes for BCT that are simply comfortable (and within color regs). I don't plan to purchase cleats but I'm sure someone else can provide insight on that.

 

[TLINAU2230]

Talked to a 3-degree a week or so ago...she said you really don't need cleats. There are field days and having cleats in nice but it's best to just bring minimal

 

[justdoit19]

Wife of a high school and club track coach, and 4 track athletes here…the best thing you can do for your future running feet, is to go to a local small running shoe store. Specialty store. Not big box store. Have your shoes ‘professionally’ fitted. Believe it or not, makes a HUGE difference. In things beyond your feet: your hips. Knees. Shins. Back.

For the amount of running/marching/chopping that you will do, it’s WORTH the extra effort (and cash most likely).

Mom plebe hack: get a pair that’s not white. Or black. Something mom and dad can identify in pictures. Or change the shoelaces. And before I get flamed, neither of my guys got any slack for their shoes. According to both of them and their detailer buddies, no one cares about you shoes.

A proper fit is something you can do to set yourself up for best success. Also make sure they are broken in. And get a 2nd pair mailed to you so they can dry out () on alternate days.

 

[2025 hopeful]

DD found the pair of sneakers she liked and trained in before reporting. Purchased 2 pairs, that way a pair was slightly broken in, but good to go for BCT. She didn't bring cleats and was fine. Keep that bag as minimal as possible!

I like the shoe hack, as it is very difficult to spot your kid in the web guy pictures. DD is so by the book with things and got black shoes. I thought it would be easy to find her, being female, but it's still hard as roughly 25% are females. Luckily, her 9 year old brother is extremely observant and was able to play "I-spy" to find his sister. It also helps that she is very short, so easy to spot in the back. The different colored shoes would have made things a lot easier.

 

[AFCGN2025]

Doolie here. I’ll reiterate what has been said just to confirm for you, I never had a chance to even use the cleats since there was no field day, and get nice shoes (spend the money). A lot of people, including myself, had the Brooks Ghost 13. They have great support and are as durable as you will find in a running shoe.

 

[HCopter]

What do the candidate instructions say? C2024 was specific solid colors so she went to running store, got fitted, bought a black pair with minimal white piping (Hoka?) and gently wore they in before BCT. After BCT, she asked for her orange colored shoes at home. Agree, got some great outtakes photos from Webguy during the PFT. Basically, another Cadet doing curl-ups and DD's orange shoes in the upper right hand corner.

Never needed cleats.

DD thought my joke was funny - I think it said white, grey, black shoes - but silent on built-in wheels so I suggested Heelys, and roll on up to Footprints.

 

[lifeofaquarter]

Current doolie. I would recommend no cleats (we had a weird basic but we didn't have a field day at all, never had any need for cleats). It's true that nobody really cares about the color of your shoes - just don't have them be fully neon orange and you should be fine. Another random thing - it's nice if you have shoes you can slip on/off easily.

 

[brewmeist]

Wife of a high school and club track coach, and 4 track athletes here…the best thing you can do for your future running feet, is to go to a local small running shoe store. Specialty store. Not big box store. Have your shoes ‘professionally’ fitted. Believe it or not, makes a HUGE difference. In things beyond your feet: your hips. Knees. Shins. Back.

For the amount of running/marching/chopping that you will do, it’s WORTH the extra effort (and cash most likely).

Mom plebe hack: get a pair that’s not white. Or black. Something mom and dad can identify in pictures. Or change the shoelaces. And before I get flamed, neither of my guys got any slack for their shoes. According to both of them and their detailer buddies, no one cares about you shoes.

A proper fit is something you can do to set yourself up for best success. Also make sure they are broken in. And get a 2nd pair mailed to you so they can dry out () on alternate days.

Can't agree enough about the professional fitting. You can always get the back-up running shoes online to save $ (provided they are the same model), but the professional fitting is worth every penny for that initial pair.

 

[have4kiddos]

If this helps any looking my son does track and the coach (who does cross country too) recommended ASICS GT 2000. My has trained in this shoe for 3 years now going on 4 and they have been great. He works at a dentist office and likes to wear them there too because they are so comfortable. He is normally an 11.5 (Vans, dress shoes) but gets these in a 12.

 

[justdoit19]

If this helps any looking my son does track and the coach (who does cross country too) recommended ASICS GT 2000. My has trained in this shoe for 3 years now going on 4 and they have been great. He works at a dentist office and likes to wear them there too because they are so comfortable. He is normally an 11.5 (Vans, dress shoes) but gets these in a 12.

….which may or may not be the right shoe for YOUR foot. High arches? Ankle roll? Flat feet? Wide toes? Skinny feet?

One shoe doesn’t fit all. And getting professionally fitted for your own foot will benefit you greatly.

 

[CrabbittMom]

Def agree on the professional fitting. Also if they recommend inserts buy an extra set for your boots. You are on your feet a ton during basic so make sure to spend the money to take care of them.

 

[have4kiddos]

….which may or may not be the right shoe for YOUR foot. High arches? Ankle roll? Flat feet? Wide toes? Skinny feet?

One shoe doesn’t fit all. And getting professionally fitted for your own foot will benefit you greatly.

Not everyone may have access, etc to doing that. Some may only be able to order online, we don’t know everyone’s situation. I offered advice from a running coach that maybe someone who can’t get a professional shoe fitting may appreciate.

 

[justdoit19]

Not everyone may have access, etc to doing that. Some may only be able to order online, we don’t know everyone’s situation. I offered advice from a running coach that maybe someone who can’t get a professional shoe fitting may appreciate.

Absolutely!! 100pct agree.

You can go into a shoe store and get fitted, take note of the shoe, and search online for cheaper.
I suspect the shoe you mentioned is not a cheap one. Doesn’t change the fact that one shoe fits everyone. Coach recommended it not.

We all come from all kinds of backgrounds. And the great thing, is even if one doesn’t bring their own, they are issues running shoes. Appointees only have to show up with their paperwork.

It’s all good.