Best Running Shoe Bargain Deals for October 2023: Eight Sale Prices Worth a Look

Introduction

October is one of the best months to buy running shoes. Retailers clear warehouse space ahead of new model launches, and the discounts on genuinely good shoes get serious. We went through the current sales and picked out eight deals that stand out on price, performance, or both: everything from a £59 budget daily trainer to a discounted marathon race shoe that has won major titles.

As always with sales, sizing and colorways move fast. Every shoe here was available at the time of writing in early October 2023, but if you see your size, do not wait too long.

Nike Zoom Fly: a low-slung bargain at 40% off

The Nike Zoom Fly is down 40% from £145 to £87, which is a solid deal for a shoe that sits lower to the ground than most modern trainers. It has a slightly less cushioned, more grounded feel that suits easy and recovery runs, and the outsole is pleasingly durable for the category.

Two caveats: the ZoomX sidewalls in the midsole can be a little fragile and have been known to tear, so handle the shoe with a bit of care. Stock is also limited to larger men’s sizes in a very loud hyper pink, laser orange and black colorway. Subtle it is not, but at this price it is hard to argue with.

Nike Air Zoom Vomero 16: last of the Air-equipped trainers

The Vomero 16 is also £145 down to £87, in all colorways except the very newest releases. The black and white version is the easiest to find in useful sizes, with sporadic sizing elsewhere. Heavy discounting like this usually means a successor is imminent, and the Vomero 17 is expected to drop the Air units, bringing it closer in feel to other brands’ modern daily trainers.

That makes the 16 interesting as possibly one of the last Air-equipped versions of this shoe, with a character that newer models may not replicate. If you like a bit of distinct personality in your trainer, this discount is a sensible time to grab it.

Nike Pegasus 40: the daily workhorse drops to £80

The Pegasus 40 is down from £115 to £80 in a couple of colorways: pale yellow in larger sizes, and black, green abyss, baltic blue and hyper pink in smaller sizes. It remains one of the best daily trainers of 2023, with good response from a lower stack of foam and a really well-executed upper that is breathable without feeling flimsy.

Not everyone gets on with it; some runners find it firmer than they like. But at £80 it becomes a much easier purchase for a dependable everyday shoe. If you want a safe, well-rounded daily trainer in this sale window, this is one of the strongest picks.

Adidas Adizero SL: a Light Strike daily shoe for £77

The Adizero SL is sitting in the Adidas outlet at £77, down from £110. This one is a lower-risk bet on the sale rack: a durable, denser Light Strike midsole with no exotic foams, a reasonable weight, and a shoe plenty of runners genuinely enjoy for daily mileage. Several readers rate it highly even where testers have been cooler on it.

Sizing is healthy in the cloud white, lucid blue and lucid fuchsia versions, with the fuchsia colorway arguably the best looking of the bunch. If you prefer a firmer, more durable feel underfoot for everyday running, this is a good daily option at a fair discount.

Puma Velocity Nitro 2: serious daily value at £59

There is not much you can buy for £59 these days, which makes the Puma Velocity Nitro 2 at Start Fitness stand out sharply. You get sensible cushioning without an oversized stack of foam, a reasonable weight for the class, and Puma’s excellent grippy outsole rubber that grips almost like suction on wet roads.

The Nitro foam plus a more responsive EVA layer on top makes this a genuinely good starter running shoe, and arguably the best budget daily deal in this whole roundup. Colorways include linen green, core black and beam yellow. At this price, trying to hunt an extra discount code is honestly looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Adidas Adizero Prime X: a long-run leg saver down £70

The original Adidas Adizero Prime X is down from £250 to £180 at Start Fitness, a £70 saving on a shoe that was priced high from the start. It proved superb for long runs: a genuinely big stack of foam that leaves your legs feeling remarkably fresh afterwards. What it is not is a shoe for quick-turnaround sessions or anything requiring agility, and it is less stable than the Strung version, so keep it for straight-line long efforts.

Original pairs are disappearing fast, with runners snapping up both the V1 and the Strung edition; many people simply find the original more desirable, being a touch lighter and less rigid underfoot. The Strung version in pulse mint, core black and lucid fuchsia is around the same price, though sizing is very sporadic. If you want a max-stack long-run shoe, move quickly.

View more details for Adidas Adizero Prime X

Nike Vaporfly Next% 2: a champion’s race shoe at £157

The Vaporfly Next% 2 drops from £225 to £157 in a total orange, black and bright crimson colorway that is gloriously loud. This is, by wide consensus, among the very best marathon racing shoes available: super propulsive, with a great fit from the breathable upper, and the shoe worn to victory at the London Marathon by Kelvin Kiptum.

The catch is sizing: only larger sizes remain of this colorway. But if you have a spring marathon in mind and a fast shoe on the wishlist, a 30% discount on a proven race-day weapon is exactly the kind of deal worth planning around.

Saucony Endorphin Speed 3: quick, versatile and 36% off

The last deal is the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3, down from £179 to about £115, a 36% discount with plenty of colorways available and near-complete sizing in the black, white and visibility version. It uses very light PWRRUN PB foam and is a genuinely nimble shoe that handles just about anything you throw at it, from tempo work to long runs.

When shoes this capable hit this kind of price, it becomes genuinely hard to justify paying full price for brand-new models. Let the latest releases sit on the shelf until they mature, and pick up a proven shoe at a proper discount instead.

View more details for Saucony Endorphin Speed 3

Overall Buying Advice

A few practical tips for shopping these sales. First, know what role the shoe fills: the Zoom Fly and Vomero 16 are best as easy-day shoes, the Pegasus 40, Adizero SL and Velocity Nitro 2 are daily trainers, the Prime X is a long-run specialist, and the Vaporfly Next% 2 and Endorphin Speed 3 are for fast days and racing. Second, act on sizing early: the Zoom Fly and Vaporfly deals are already down to limited sizes, and Prime X stock is thinning fast. Third, a heavily discounted current model is often a better buy than a full-price brand-new one, especially if you like how the previous version rode.

Conclusion

October’s sales have produced genuinely strong bargains across the board: the Velocity Nitro 2 at £59 for new runners, the Pegasus 40 and Adizero SL as discounted daily trainers, the Prime X and Vaporfly Next% 2 for runners with performance goals, and the Endorphin Speed 3 as the versatile all-rounder at 36% off. Check your size, move quickly, and enjoy the savings.