How to lace running shoes

Standard lacing

1. Start with the laces at equal length across the bottom eyelets.
2. Crisscross the laces up the shoe, snugging as you go.
3. Tie at a comfortable tension.

ASICS says that passing the laces through more eyelets and tying the knot tighter gives more stability.

Heel lock

The heel lock, also called the runner’s loop, is for a foot that slips forward in the shoe, according to ASICS. It uses the top two eyelet sets. This is the version Marathon Sports describes:

1. Lace normally up to the second-to-last eyelet.
2. Thread each lace through the last eyelet on its own side to make a small loop.
3. Cross the laces, then pass each end through the loop on the opposite side.
4. Pull the loops tight and tie as usual.

Sources start at different eyelets. ASICS begins its loop at the fifth and sixth eyelets, and Nike lists the heel lock and runner’s loop as two separate methods. If one version does not feel right, try another.

Window lacing

ASICS and Marathon Sports describe window lacing as a way to ease the lacing at one spot on top of the foot.

1. Crisscross up to the eyelet where the shoe feels tight.
2. Run each lace straight up its own side to the next eyelet, without crossing.
3. Go back to crisscrossing above that point.

Ladder lacing

Ladder, or parallel, lacing skips the crossing. The laces run up in straight bars, skipping alternate eyelets, and you tie as normal. ASICS, Marathon Sports and Running Warehouse all describe it.

Wide feet

For a wide toe box, ASICS suggests running the laces straight up the sides for the first two or three eyelets, then crisscrossing across the top four to seven. For a wide foot, it suggests crisscrossing the first two eyelets and then using every other eyelet.

How tight

• Running Warehouse says snug, not tight, and suggests a double knot.
• Marathon Sports says to leave some slack in case your foot swells, and to re-lace if the fit feels off.
• On says not to over-tighten early in a run, and that re-lacing partway through can help.