I have a pair of racing flats I just “found” that I used around 1995-6. I ran one race in them, got injured and lost track of them until recently. They are pretty nice, Nike Mariah flats (full length air maybe?) and I thouht I might use them for workouts at least. However, I wonder how the midsole ages? The midsoles seem kind of hard, maybe they were always like that, do running shoes normally age well if not used? Just curious . . .
I’m no chemist but I think many synthetic materials such as EVA, etc. degrade over time with exposure to sunlight, temperature and ozone. Would you wear a helmet that had been been sitting around all this time? Your midsole is there to protect you from shock while not as bad as a blow to the head, shock to your feet is certain. I wouldn’t risk injury over the cost of a pair of shoes.