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How many kilometers does a typical running shoes last?

What signs do I look for to see if is time to replace them?

Henrik
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The shoe has several important parts of the structure that go into giving you the most support. Over time you can notice as each of these starts to deteriorate your shoe will feel less comfortable after running despite the possibility that it may feel more comfortable when you first put it on.

Your shoe should almost immediately return to its natural shape of you bend back on itself. If the shoe retains its folded in half look for a second or more then it has lost an important part of its structure in the sole.

The soft sides should rest above the sole. If they droop below or along the sole then they have lost their structure.

If when you lace them tightly the eye holes at the laces deform then this part of the structure of your shoe has lost its support. With me this is generally the first thing to go.

The heal of the shoe should be firm if when you put your foot in the heel seems to collapse and you have to work to keep it upright then this key part of the shoe has lost its support.

If you have Air soles when they deflate you will feel noticeable pockets of give in the sole.

And tread should distinct. By the time the tread has worn flat in any area it is well past time to replace. Good runners should have nice distinct tread with deep channels.

How long they last really depends on the shoe. My standard nike running shoes got about 250 miles when i was running regularly. But my style of running is tough on shoes. I also did other PT in them besides just running. I had a few other sets i tried that did not last 2 weeks so I went back the Nike Air Max though I think it was a different name when I was running regularly

Chad
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I've heard from multiple sources that about 400-500 miles (650-800 km) is a good upper limit.

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    I have the same rule of thump. And my sources are just shops.. which can be said to be a little biast... Do you have a reference? – Tonny Madsen Mar 16 '12 at 20:19
  • Unfortunately I don't. I've never actually been to a proper running store however; most of my advice comes from running publications (Coolrunning/Runners' World), which I'd hope would be slightly less biased than shops (although not completely unbiased, I'm sure). –  Mar 16 '12 at 20:20
  • Given the close co-operation between these magazines, the produces of sports equipment and the race organizers, I'm not sure you can depend much on the advise from them. I would like to some independent research... in the hope that they can state some objective "rules" that can easily be applied. – Tonny Madsen Mar 16 '12 at 20:26
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    In the end @TonnyMadsen if you get injured on shoes they recommended you, you're not coming back. At least the more specialized shops wouldn't want to loose you, especially if you buy all your gear with them (clothing, gadgets, etc), so while they are certainly buddies with the shoe industry, any sensible company would try to give you correct advice – Ivo Flipse Apr 12 '12 at 12:41
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    @IvoFlipse - Many times the sales guys earn based off of what they sell now. So often if there is a better option at a lower price or a good option at a higher price they will sell the higher price item like its the best. – Chad Oct 17 '12 at 16:42