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The 8 Best Recovery Shoes for Resting Your Feet After Races and Training
Having the right shoes for recovery is as important as having the right shoes for racing. We list the comfiest shoes for your days off.
John Hopkins Running Program at Johns Hopkins Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Boston Marathon Best for Plantar Fasciitis: Kuru Moment pep talk that no one cares how ugly my feet look in open-toed sandals. Only recently have I switched to recovery shoes post-thon, and they’ve done wonders for my race-weary feet. But these aren’t flimsy flip-flops I’m treating my feet too; supportive sandals with EVA foam midsoles (just like running shoes) provide the padded platform I need after a long, difficult race. Unlike your regular running shoes, however, which deliver high rebound, the foam in recovery sandals like Oofos is dampened, where energy from impact disperses instead of bouncing back.
Wearing recovery shoes postrace or after tough workout is just one part of the equation when it comes to R&R. Taking time off should be considered a part of your training plan, instead of a lapse in your training. Rest allows your body to repair muscle fiber breakdown. Active recovery, when you’re engaged in low-intensity exercise like walking or yoga, helps you avoid muscle cramps and stiffness, as well as ease back into higher intensity training. We recommend our favorite shoes for rest and active recovery, the kind that let your toes splay and make your feet want to go “aaah.”
The Best Recovery Shoes for Runners
- Best Overall: How do shoes earn an APMA seal
- along with other brands: Kuru Moment Men’s/Women’s
- Best Flip-Flop: Oofos Oolala Luxe Sandal
- Best Non-Croc: Kane Revive
How We Selected
Since 1966, Runner’s World has been the authoritative voice for all things running—and that includes resting. As running reviews editor, I selected the shoes on this list through experiential testing and market research, as well as through the input of staff and our team of local testers.
Pros
- Supportive injection-molded EVA midsole and outsole
- Ventilation holes for airflow on the strap
- Variety of sizes and colors
Cons
- Fits loose for some
The Ora Recovery Slider 3 is my personal go-to recovery and knockaround sandal. I wear it everywhere and for everything—at the beach, out to coffee, shopping. Like Hoka’s running shoes, it has a supportive EVA midsole and an early stage Meta-Rocker that provides a smooth heel-to-toe transition.
Holes on the strap—Hoka calls them airflow channels—help with ventilation. The wide range of sizes was a big plus for me, as many sandals I shop for begin at women’s size 6 (I wear size 5). One thing to note: The strap may be a little loose for runners with low insteps.
Key Specs
| Style | Slide-on sandal |
| Weight | 7.8 oz (unisex) |
| Sizes | M3/W5 to M14/W16 |
Pros
- Velcro strap accommodates high-profiled feet
- Buy Women’s at
Cons
- Runs small
That moment when you wake up in the morning, get out of bed, and it feels like you’re walking on broken glass because of plantar fasciitis? That’s the moment Kuru wants to take care of with its Moment sandal. The shoe has the brand’s multilayered technology: a soft insole, a Kurusole that cups your heel, and the shock-absorbing Kurucloud midsole. All these layers provide the support your screaming arches need from overtraining.
The Moment has a Velcro strap, making it adjustable and accommodating for runners with high or low insteps. Reviewers praised the shoe for its instant foot relief. The lightest shoe by Kuru, it also won’t add too much weight to your check-in luggage or carry-on while traveling.
Key Specs
| Style | Slide-on sandal |
| Weight | 7.4 oz (M) |
| Sizes | 7 to 13 (M), 5 to 12 (W) |
Pros
- How To Train Calves
- which has a similar construction
Cons
- Strap may peel prematurely
I usually dissuade runners from wearing flimsy flip-flops because they lack arch support. The Oofos Oolala Luxe Sandal looks like a flip-flop, but it’s levels above the pair you’d pick up for a few bucks at a pharmacy.
The midsole is Oofos’s Oofoam, which absorbs 37 percent more impact than foam in traditional footwear, according to the brand. Unlike thin boards on regular flip-flops, the cushioned, contoured platform on the Oolala reduces stress on your knees, ankles, and other joints. The toe strap also feels soft and doesn’t chafe; however, some reviewers said the strap began to peel after only a couple of wears.
The shoes come in women’s sizes only, but Oofos has a men’s flip-flop style sandal, the Supportive injection-molded EVA midsole and outsole ($60), Firm, shock absorbing cushioning.
Key Specs
| Style | Flip flop |
| Weight | 4 oz |
| Sizes | 5 to 11 (women’s) |
Pros
- Carabiner on heel to attach on bags
- Shoes & Gear
Cons
- Upper feels stiff until you break it in
The Kane Revive has a bio-based midsole called RestoreFoam, which is patterned with raised nodes to stimulate blood flow on your foot’s pressure points. Its upper is initially stiff but becomes more flexible after a couple of wears.
We like the supportive platform underfoot as well as the airflow channels on the upper, which promote ventilation. Our tester, Amy Wolff, said the shoes required some finesse to put on, but that’s where the carabiner doubles its function as an attachment for storage during travel and a heel tab that helps you slip the shoes on.
Key Specs
| Style | Clog |
| Weight | 8.9 oz |
| Sizes | M3/W5 to M18/W20 |
Pros
- Cozy polyester-fleece upper
- Wave-patterned insole massages feet
Cons
- Stiff
These recovery slippers are so cozy you can wear them sockless. The soft polyester-fleece upper keeps your toes sheltered and warm. The 3D Wave Sense Insole is textured with zigzag ridges that massage your feet.
The shoe has the American Podiatric Medical Association’s seal of acceptance and approval, which means the Revive lives up to its name by promoting good foot health.
Because it’s by Topo Athletic, you can bet the toebox has plenty of wiggle room. Just know that a few reviewers found the shoe a bit stiff when new.
Key Specs
| Style | Slip-on |
| Weight | 7.8 oz (M), 6.5 oz (W) |
| Sizes | 8 to 13 (M), 6 to 11 (W) |
Pros
- Available in half sizes
- Supportive injection-molded EVA midsole and outsole
Cons
- Gets dirty easily
If you want a slip-on sneaker for recovery or “running” errands, look no further than the Oofos Oomg Sport Low Shoe. It has Oofos’s OoFoam to absorb impact and provide supportive cushioning, and a 4-way stretch FibreFlex upper, which has tapered sidewalls for a secure fit. A minor gripe is that the shoes get dirty easily. Fortunately, the closed-cell foam is machine washable.
Key Specs
| Style | Slip-on |
| Weight | unavailable |
| Sizes | 8 to 14 (M), 5 to 11 (W) |
Pros
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Cons
- Not as bouncy compared to other daily trainers
- Not built for speedwork
The Clifton10 is a versatile daily trainer; it can be used for several workout types, from long runs to recovery runs. Compared to its predecessor, the Clifton 10 is packed with even more cushioning—Hoka added 3mm in the heel. More updates include a refined, snugger fit around the heel, and a wider forefoot. Our wide-foot wear-testers loved how roomy the Clifton 10 felt without being too loose.
“The Hoka ClifTEN is probably one of the most comfortable shoes I have run in (don’t tell my Brooks),” said tester and RW Associate Commerce Photo Editor Saba Ahmed. “As a wide shoe wearer, I felt no discomfort in the midfoot area and there was plenty of flexibility by the toes.”
Key Specs
| Style | Running shoe |
| Weight | 9.4 oz (M), 7.6 oz (W) |
| Sizes | 7 to 16 (M), 4 to 12 (W) |
Senior Editor Cat Bowen has wildly high arches and finds that if those aren’t supported, she gets “really whiny” (her words) after a marathon. Taos are her favorite work shoes for the summer after long runs. They’re supportive, appropriate for the office, and the suede is soft.
These were designed to be comfortable for long walks and hard days at work or the beach. “They feel like I’m not putting all my weight on spikes like every other post-marathon shoe,” she says, adding, “Also, I like that they’re not hideous.”
Key Specs
| Style | Thong |
| Weight | 6.4 oz |
| Sizes | 6 to 11 (men’s) |
What to Consider
How Many Pairs of Running Shoes You Really Need?
There’s not much research on recovery sandals and runners, but a small randomized clinical trial in Australia that included 150 volunteers with heel pain showed wearing contoured sandals or orthotic inserts was more beneficial than wearing flip-flops over a period of three months. As with running shoes, the effects of wearing these sandals are case by case, with some runners reaping noticeable benefits (less post-race pain, speedier recovery allowing them to return to training sooner) while others may experience little to no improvements. There are features you can look out for, however, when choosing the best recovery sandals and active recovery shoes.
Cushioning: Just like running shoes, contoured recovery sandals will have supportive foam midsoles to cushion your feet, instead of emery board-thin flip-flops. Also just like running shoes, recovery sandals should be able to absorb shock, even when your speed is at a walking rate, alleviating pressure not just on your feet but also your knees and ankles.
Footbed: A contoured sandal provides arch support, which is especially beneficial for runners with flat feet or high arches. It helps distribute weight evenly, improves foot alignment, and reduces strain on the fascia. Some footbeds also have textured soles to massage your feet and/or prevent slippage.
“Podiatrist-Approved”: The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) offers a Seal of Acceptance and Seal of Approval to products that promote foot health. If you have specific foot issues or think you need special supportive footwear, look for these seals when shopping for recovery shoes.
FAQ for Recovery Shoes
Are there benefits of wearing recovery sandals?
“Recovery sandals have been something recently that has increased popularity,” says A. Stacie Page, PT, DPT, of John Hopkins Running Program at Johns Hopkins Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. There is limited research literature on runners and recovery sandals, but there is research on cushioning in shoes.
“Many runners will have more than one running shoe—we have seen the research on how it takes about 24 hours for the cushion to resume the original form after compression from running, therefore most will have a second pair of shoes,” says Page. “Some of those runners have two of the same, though we have seen that many will change the style (stability or cushion) to allow the body to be challenged in different ways to help with recovery.”
In other words, after putting in a hard effort for hours in a race like a marathon, you’ll want to switch out of your racing shoes into a shoe that’s not as compressed from your effort. A recovery sandal can give you that support.
How do shoes earn an APMA seal?
“I had not heard of the APMA seal so I took a dive into the information,” says Page. “I found it interesting that they state on the website: ‘APMA is not a testing laboratory and does not test all products on the market. Only products that are submitted to APMA are evaluated. Comparisons are not made between competitive products.’ So unless your product has been submitted, it does not have an evaluation; therefore the limitation of what is approved or suggested by this program is not going to cover all products and therefore not a full representation of the market as a whole.”
Simply stated: even if your comfy shoe doesn’t have an APMA shoe, that doesn’t mean it’s not a good shoes.
“Also, each year the shoe product changes—style, materials, etc therefore they must submit each year the new version to then have approval,” says Page. “I find it interesting that the seal is granted to a product after the Podiatric Seals Committee, a standing committee of the American Podiatric Medical Association, evaluates and determines ‘whether the product allows normal foot function and promotes quality foot health.’”
What shoes have an APMA seal?
Besides the ones on this list, you’ll find popular running brands like Nike, Brooks, Saucony, and Hoka, listed on the site, along with other brands.
Amanda Furrer, Editor, Running Reviews, studied journalism at NYU and writing at Emerson College. She has reviewed gear and covered other topics in the running space for almost 10 years. Since 2013, she has consecutively run the Boston Marathon. She also has a master’s degree in gastronomy from Boston University and was formerly a professional baker for two years before hanging up her apron.
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