“The best way to avoid wrinkles is to tie the laces a little looser in the lower holes and tighten them all the more neatly in the upper holes,” explains the expert. “It’s crucial that the running shoe fits properly at the ankle and the midfoot.” This lacing technique usually works well.

Despite tight lacing in the upper part of the instep we sometimes still have the feeling that our running shoe is just too loose. “If this is the case, the so-called marathon lacing helps,” says Eva Hirschhäuser. It not only provides even better support in the ankle area – but is also the ideal lacing technique, especially for competitions.

The uppermost, slightly offset lacing hole is intended for marathon lacing. Anyone who has ever taken a closer look at their running shoes will have discovered it at the upper end of the lacing strip. For marathon lacing, we now thread the laces into this exact hole from the top, creating a small eyelet on either side.

“Now we pass the opposite ends of the shoelace through this small loop and pull it tight towards the back,” explains the expert. Then we can finish tying the laces the regular way.

“For some runners, lacing causes pain at the instep,” says Eva Hirschhäuser. The trigger are usually pressure points on the tendons. “If this is the case, you can skip a lace hole in exactly these places when tying your shoes.”

To do this, we unthread the laces down to the pressure point, leave the hole open when threading, and lace up our running shoe normally. In most cases, this will do the trick. The problem is that the laces are often a little too long – and may get in the way the next time we run.

“Shoelaces that are too long are a nuisance when running,” says the expert. However, before we exchange them for shorter ones or even cut them off, we can lace them differently. “In most cases, the typical double knot already helps.” If the laces are still too long after that, we can thread them under the lacing along the instep. “The good thing,” says Eva Hirschhäuser, “is that they won’t be wobbling around on your foot during your next run.”