Wednesday 1 May 2013

Drying out your Running Shoes

To say my running shoes are wet is an understatement! It's Wednesday - 4 days after the race (see recap here) and my shoes are still damp. On Monday I went to purchase new shoes. I probably needed to prior to the half marathon this last weekend, but I let it go too long and I didn't want to run in new shoes for a race as long as a half marathon. 

I was prepared to give my shoes to the store to donate, but the owner said that I could get them dried out. He suggested taking the soles & laces out and then stuffing them with newspaper. I'm to change the newspaper as I notice it getting soaked with water. That probably won't happen now that I'm doing this 4 days after the race, but I bet it would have soaked up a lot just after the race. 

I'll give it a try. They are pretty smelly right now from the rain water so I may need to spray them with something to get that to go away or let them sit outside in the fresh air after they have dried.



I came across a couple other suggestions people had for drying out wet athletic shoes:
  • Place in front of/near a dehumidifier or fan with laces loose or removed and tongues up.
  • In a plastic bin that seals well place an inch of dry rice in the bottom. Place your shoes on top and then cover the bin. The rice will suck up the water out of your shoes and air. The rice will work for more than one drying. (This sounds like a similar idea to what people do to dry out wet cell phones)

One thing I came across quite often was to NOT put your shoes in the washer and/or dryer! I guess the heat from the dryer can speed up the break down of the shoes' material - causing them not to last as long. If your shoes get muddy you should use a cloth or toothbrush on them if it bugs you - not the washing machine. Duly noted! I just spent $160 on a new pair so I want them to get me to the Chicago Marathon! More about when to buy new shoes and where I buy mine in my next post!

Do you have any tricks for drying out wet athletic shoes? Do you obsess about them being clean? 

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