Outlet Staff Picks: The Best Running Shoe Deals Right Now

There is a lot to scroll through in an outlet. So rather than simply pointing at everything with a red price next to it, we've gone through the Pro Direct Running Outlet and picked out the shoes we think are worth a closer look. 

This is a fairly serious collection too. There are carbon-plated race shoes, some of the biggest names in marathon running, a very capable faster training shoe and even a couple of track spikes that now cost less than plenty of everyday trainers.

Best all-round deal: adidas Adizero Boston 13

Outlet price: £70 | Was £139.99 | Save 49% 

The Boston has occupied an interesting place in the Adizero line-up for years. It's not the full race-day option you get from the Adios Pro, but it brings plenty of that faster-running thinking into a shoe you can use much more regularly. 

The Boston 13 combines Lightstrike and Lightstrike Pro cushioning with adidas ENERGYRODS, with a 36mm heel, 30mm forefoot and 6mm drop. At 255g it still has enough substance for regular training, but the construction is clearly aimed at runners who want something more responsive for quicker sessions, steady marathon work and longer runs where pace is part of the plan. 

At £70, this might be the easiest recommendation on the whole list. You're getting a current-generation performance trainer for roughly half its original price. For runners building a shoe rotation, it also makes a lot of sense as the faster option alongside a softer everyday mileage shoe. 

Staff pick for: tempo runs, faster long runs, marathon training and runners wanting one quicker shoe without going straight to a full super shoe. 

Best marathon super shoe deal: Nike Alphafly 3

Outlet price from £142.50 | Was £284.99  | Save 49% 

Seeing the Nike Alphafly 3 starting at £114 is the sort of outlet deal that makes you check the page twice. 

This is still a fully-fledged marathon racing shoe. The Alphafly 3 combines a high stack of ZoomX cushioning with two Air Zoom units at the forefoot and a full-length carbon fibre plate. Nike also connected the ZoomX midsole through the full length of the shoe with this generation, while the plate was widened to create a more stable platform. The women's model listed by Pro Direct weighs 174g with an 8mm offset. 

If you've wanted to try an Alphafly but could never quite justify spending close to £300 on a pair of race shoes, this is a very different proposition. 

Staff pick for: half marathon and marathon racing, PB attempts and runners looking for a premium carbon race shoe at a much lower entry price. 

Best lightweight race-day bargain: New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5

Outlet price: £130 | Was £259.99 | Save 49% 

Another proper race shoe comfortably below its original price. 

The women's New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5 combines a full PEBA FuelCell midsole with a carbon fibre plate, an ultralight outsole and lightweight mesh upper. Pro Direct lists the shoe at 165g, with a 40mm heel stack, 32mm forefoot and 8mm drop. 

This is New Balance's marathon-focused racing platform rather than a watered-down performance trainer, which makes the £104 outlet price particularly interesting. That's a £155.99 saving from the original £259.99 retail price. 

For someone building towards a spring marathon or simply looking ahead to next year's races, picking up a race shoe at this sort of price and putting it away for race day is very tempting. 

Staff pick for: marathon racing, half marathons and runners who like a lightweight PEBA-based carbon shoe. 

Best Vaporfly deals: Nike Vaporfly 4

Outlet price: £120 | Was £239.99 | Save 49% 

The Vaporfly barely needs introducing at this point. The fourth generation continues with Nike's ZoomX foam and a full-length carbon fibre Flyplate, but the plate angle and geometry were revised while weight was taken out of the upper, heel, tongue and outsole. The men's Glam version is listed with a 40mm heel, 34mm forefoot and 6mm drop. 

What makes these reductions interesting is the versatility of the Vaporfly. It's a shoe that makes sense for runners targeting anything from a fast 10K through to the marathon, so it doesn't need to be saved exclusively for one specific distance. 

The Eliud Kipchoge version also gives you one of the more distinctive athlete editions of the shoe at the same sort of price as the standard outlet colourways. 

Staff pick for: 10K, half marathon and marathon racing, plus anyone who has always wanted to find out what the Vaporfly experience is all about without paying full price. 

Best everyday performance bargain: Skechers SKX Aero Wave Spark

Outlet price from £48 | Was £119.99 | Save 49%

Carbon-infused plate. Dual-density supercritical foam. Goodyear rubber outsole. 

The women's Skechers SKX Aero Wave Spark might be one of the less obvious names on this list, but the specification makes the outlet price difficult to ignore. 

The 221g shoe uses dual-density HYPER BURST ICE cushioning alongside a carbon-infused H-shaped plate. Unlike the stiffer full-length carbon plates found in dedicated race shoes, the H-plate is designed to add stability and some extra response while keeping the shoe comfortable enough for everyday running. There's also a removable Arch Fit insole and Goodyear Performance rubber underneath. 

At £48, down from £119.99, it feels less like a small saving and more like the price category of the shoe has completely changed. 

For runners who don't necessarily need another carbon race shoe but do want a versatile daily option with some interesting performance technology built in, this is well worth a look. 

Staff pick for: everyday running, mixed-pace training and runners looking for maximum shoe for less than £50. 

Best track deals: HOKA Cielo X LD and Nike ZoomX Dragonfly

If your running involves a track, two of the biggest reductions in the Outlet are hidden down at spike level. 

HOKA Cielo X LD

Outlet price from £47 | Was £140 | Save up to 66%

Designed for longer track events from around 3,000m to 10,000m, the Cielo X LD weighs just 105g and combines a carbon fibre plate with a Pebax spike plate and a lightweight engineered mesh upper. 

Nike ZoomX Dragonfly

Outlet price from £48 | Was £140 | Save 65%

The Dragonfly became one of the defining distance spikes of its generation, using Nike ZoomX foam alongside a rigid forefoot plate and detachable spikes. Nike designed it around events from 1,500m through to 10,000m. 

For club runners heading into track sessions or anyone already thinking about next season, both are exceptional-value ways of getting into a proper performance spike. 

Staff pick for: track racing, middle-distance and long-distance athletes, and runners who want a dedicated spike without spending three figures. 

Our pick of the Outlet

The best outlet purchases are rarely just the products with the biggest percentage written next to them. A good deal is something you would have seriously considered buying anyway, only now the price makes considerably more sense. 

That's what stands out about this selection. 

The Boston 13 at £70 is probably the strongest all-round buy. The Skechers SKX Aero Wave Spark at £48 offers a huge amount of everyday running shoe for the money. The Cielo X LD and Dragonfly are almost absurdly affordable if you need a track spike. 

Then there are the race shoes. A Vaporfly 4 around £120, a FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5 at £104 and an Alphafly 3 starting at £114 means some of running's premium race-day technology has dropped into a completely different price bracket. 

As always with outlet products, the deciding factor might simply be whether your size is still there. 

If it is, some of these are very difficult to ignore.