They’re my go-to for 20-milers during marathon training because they stay put and don’t bunch or slide, even when I’m moving for hours and my feet start to swell. I’ve been a fully paid-up member of the Stance socks fan club for a few years now—it’s a brand that offers a winning combination of style and substance.

Join Latest Deals for free and get a hand-picked list of the best deals, delivered straight to your inbox.Obviously keeping up with every single shoe out there is impossible, so be prepared for disappointment if you mainly use an older color of a shoe, or one from a smaller brand. One tester wore the socks throughout her training for a winter half marathon, and liked the socks enough to toe the start line in them.

The devil is in the detail, as something as small as a seam could end up causing you considerable discomfort over a long distance. If so, I salute your discerning taste and feel obliged to point you in the direction of Feetures’ Elite sock range. Simply pulling on the perfect pair of socks can do away with any motivational misgivings before a run. We’ve long loved Feetures’s socks because of their dedicated left and right fits and seamless construction.They feel comfortable over runs of any length—I’ve used them for a 51km run, as well as shorter, faster runs—and they never feel overbearingly tight or hot. The infrared tech in the fabric is designed to reflect heat emitted by your muscles back into your legs to boost recovery.

These socks tend to use a two-layer system, as the potential for friction is reduced by the two layers of material moving against each other, rather than against your skin,' says Paterson. So a grey/brown colour ought to be sufficient, although that’s probably why I never got a job in marketing! They come in a multitude of colours which always baffles me with fell running shoes because the minute you hit the fells the shoes all adopt the same mud colour anyway. model has a padded and ventilated footbed for some softer cushioning underfoot that also moves heat and sweat away from your skin.And, unlike the Balega Silver (below) in which we could easily sneak out a double wear, you’ll want to drop these in the wash after every run. On my rainy race morning, these felt well-padded but not heavy, even after being in wet conditions for more than two hours. Sealskinz also has a range of waterproof running socks for warmer weather, which come with a barrier at the top to stop water streaming down your leg and into the sock—a useful addition given that downpours can occur in summer too.