Male racewalkers have it pretty good in the shoe department. There are literally dozens of excellent shoes choices for training and racing. Of course, most of these shoes are running racing flats rather than shoes specifically made for racewalking, but the design elements are essentially the same: lightweight, flexible, low-profile shoes with big enough toe-boxes to prevent cramped toes during long workouts or races. Outlandish colors seem to be a plus.

Unlike the men, women haven’t fared quite as well. For many years racing flats were made only for men. The shoe companies did market their wares as “unisex” sized shoes appropriate for women, but they were sized in men’s sizes. Since racing flats adapt to the shape of the foot better than boxier training shoes, most women could do alright in a “unisex” shoe, but wearing a shoe that’s actually designed for your type of foot is going to be a better choice for most women.

Several companies now make women’s racing flats, and several companies offer more than just one least-common-denominator shoe. Adidas makes a range of women’s racers to fit all types of feet.

Although there are some great choices out there for women racewalkers, the downside to using any racing flat for day-to-day wear is that they’re designed for runners to wear only once every few weeks to race, so they often don’t last very long. But life-spans do vary considerably. Some flats will last 300 miles or more; some extremely lightweight flats may be shot after a mere 50 miles. Shoes designed for marathons are made with high carbon outsoles that will usually hold up for several hundred miles.

There are dozens of shoes that “foot” the bill. But who does it best?

For serious racers looking for the lightest and fastest shoes around, the Avia Avi-Bolt and the Saucony Grid Type A2 are both under six ounces and lightning fast. For marathon walkers or 50k specialists looking for more support, the Adidas adiZero RC 2, the Diadora Mythos Racer, and the Asics GEL-Bandito get the edge for lightweight stability.