Everyone here has covered all the big brands of serious running shoes and already given good advice, but I'll reiterate it anyway. As someone who does a lot of distance running (wooo cross country), I, and most other people I run with swear by Asics Gel Nimbuses, or the Kayano, depending on the mechanics of your running. Brooks is definitely another brand to check out though, especially if you find that a lot of running shoes are too narrow for you; Brooks makes some really great wider running shoes. Ultimately though you should go to your local running store and try on a whole bunch of shoes, running in shoes that aren't acclimated to your feet/running style can be VERY painful and you can really hurt yourself. Check out a local, non-franchise running store and see what they have to offer/talk with someone there as they are almost certainly runners themselves. And make sure that you rotate your shoes; running shoes have an exponentially shorter lifespan when compared with 'regular' shoes.