Rundefeated

Between a great deal and a great fit, always choose your toes.

There comes a moment in every runner’s life when they face the ultimate, nerve-wracking decision: should I buy my running shoes from an offline store, where I can actually touch, sniff, and most importantly, try them on? Or should I surrender to the glowing screen, the flashy discounts, and the tempting “Free Shipping” banner from an online shop? Now, if you live in the US, your options are pretty clear: there’s Amazon, and every brand from Nike to Hoka has its own shiny, official online store. But here in Indonesia? Things get a little… creative.

In Indonesia, the online running shoe marketplace is like a modern-day Wild West. Forget official Adidas or Under Armour websites. Here, most shoes are sold by small, independent shops that set up camp in big online platforms like Tokopedia, Shopee, or Lazada. It’s like eBay but more colorful and way less predictable. You might be one click away from a genuine pair of New Balance Fresh Foam, or you might accidentally buy a “N*ke” with an asterisk you didn’t notice in the listing title. And don’t even get me started on the return policy — the concept exists in theory, but in practice? It’s like spotting a unicorn jogging in Senayan on a Monday morning.

I, of course, learned this the hard way. My first ever online shoe purchase was a pair of Nike Rongbuk for trail running. I was so excited when the package arrived — it felt like Christmas morning, minus the snow and with 35°C weather. But the joy vanished in seconds. I slipped them on and instantly realized I’d just bought myself a beautiful, high-tech pair of toe crushers. Too small. My toes filed a formal complaint to my brain. The second time, I thought I was smarter. I bought a Nike Lunaracer, a shoe known for being light as air and perfect for tempo runs. Well, it was also light on space inside. My feet begged for mercy, and the shoes eventually became a giveaway for my friend who — annoyingly — claimed it was the perfect fit.

The third and final heartbreak was a Saucony Kinvara. I had dreamed of owning one for years. When it arrived, it looked so beautiful that I almost forgave it before even trying it on. Almost. I should’ve known better. It was too small. Again. I briefly considered surgically removing a toe just to wear them, but realized I needed all ten for balance. That was the day I swore a solemn vow: I will never, ever buy running shoes online again. A vow I immediately broke two months later when there was a 40% discount on a pair of Asics.

Now, having accumulated enough wrong-sized shoes to open a museum of “What Could Have Been,” I devised a bulletproof strategy. First, I visit an offline store — Sportstation, PlanetSports, or JD Sports — and shamelessly try on every model I’m eyeing. I’ll even jog around the store like a weirdo, just to be sure. Once I find the right size, I snap a sneaky photo of the size tag and quietly thank the universe for offline shopping. Then, like a true online scavenger, I hunt down that exact model and size in the wild jungle of online shops, waiting for a flash sale, special promo code, or payday sale.

Of course, sometimes it’s not possible to find that exact model offline. In those situations, I follow a golden rule: always order half or one size up. It’s way easier to adjust a slightly bigger shoe with thicker socks than to squeeze your toes into a shoe so tight it doubles as a medieval torture device. And over the years, I’ve memorized which brands run small or big. Nike? Go half a size up. Adidas? Usually true to size. Saucony? Slightly generous. Hoka? Feels like strapping on clouds, but you still better check.

In the end, whether you shop online or offline, what matters is finding a pair that makes your feet happy. Running is already painful enough without adding shoe-size trauma into the mix. So, to my fellow Indonesian runners tempted by midnight online sales: be careful, be strategic, and if in doubt, remember my story. It’s cheaper to buy bigger socks than to gift away another pair of too-small shoes to your annoyingly well-sized friends.