I first ordered 8.5 which is my normal size. My fingers touched the front of the boot. Returned them, got size 9 which was perfect. I tried them on, they fit like a glove and are very comfortable. I haven't run it yet, but I live in the mountains of Tennessee, which has a lot of trails to try them on. For cost reasons I bought Peregrine 11 on sale to save money. When I was younger I wore Saucony and ran 25-50 miles a week. Now it's single digit distances, but when you're 70, it's great!