Runners, who must regularly replace their running shoes, often look to the more expensive offerings from major brands to ensure theyre getting a high-quality shoe. But a recent study suggests that when it comes to running shoes, you dont always get what you pay for.

Researchers at the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom tested nine pairs of running shoes three models from each of three major shoe manufacturers. The shoes ranged in cost from about $80 to $150. They then covered any identifying marks on the shoes, and asked 43 men to rate the shoes for comfort and estimate the cost of the shoes.

The study found no major differences in comfort ratings among the shoes, regardless of price or brand. And the runners had little success in guessing which shoes were more expensive and which were less costly.

The researchers also used a special device that could measure the impact forces on various parts of the foot. They found that different shoes performed better in cushioning different areas of the foot. Plantar pressure, for example, was lower in the less-expensive shoes tested. But no overall conclusion could be drawn on the protective qualities of the shoes by price or brand.

The study did not consider other factors that could come into play when purchasing athletic shoes, including durability.

Distance runners experience forces of more than two and a half times their body weight with each footfall. Those forces produce shock waves that are transferred to the rest of the body and can lead to injuries such as knee pain, stress fractures, muscle tears and osteoarthritis.

Running shoes have been shown to reduce peak impact forces by 33 percent and reduce the intensity of the shock waves by 36 percent over running barefoot.

Manufacturers often tout the improved shock-absorbing qualities of higher priced running shoes. Yet, a previous study found that runners who purchase more expensive shoes have a 123 percent greater frequency of injury than those purchasing less expensive models. The researchers said that could be due to a perception that the shoes will provide more protection than they actually do.

Teague Hatfield, the owner of the FootZone store in Bend, says hes not surprised by the findings.

The differences in more expensive shoes versus the shoes in the $85 to $95 range are often more based on fit options and sometimes marketing than anything else, he says.

Hatfield says theres probably more value in the moderate price ranges ($85-$95) than in more expensive shoes ($100 and up).

Like anything, there are exceptions and some great expensive shoes that people will choose regardless of price, he says.

But Hatfield also believes that $80 to $85 is the price point at which shoe manufacturers start to take running shoes seriously. Beyond that point, they try to push the standards of price and function.

Sometimes, they hit, and sometimes, they miss, he says. Our job is to have the options that work so we can fit every foot, and often, the tried and true shoes are not the most expensive.