Running Warehouse (Men's)
Whether you’re just starting out or you already think of a marathon as just another long run, the best running shoes are a nonnegotiable aspect of your workout uniform. Lacing up the right footwear can improve performance and keep you healthy. It’s simple: A happy, comfortable runner runs more. But finding your sole mate can be confusing. Running-shoe shelves are cluttered with dozens of brands, hundreds of styles, and a dictionary load of unhelpful technical jargon.
Now add to that list hyped shoes like the superlight Adidas Pro Evo 3, used by Sabastian Sawe to run the first sub-2 hour marathon. Thankfully, WIRED’s running shoe experts are here to help you sort through the options.
We’ve tested dozens of the latest running shoes to give you the inside track on the best running shoes you can buy right now. Be sure to check out our other health and fitness reviews, including the Best Walking Pads, the Best Fitness Trackers, and the Best Protein Powders.
Update May 2026: We added the Saucony Endorphin Azura, the Kipun Kipstorm Tempo, and the Hoka Speedgoat 7. We also updated links and prices for all our best running shoes.
Amazon (Women's)
The new Saucony Endorphin Azura ticks all the important boxes for a best all-around running shoe: killer comfort, a fun, lively ride that’ll suit a broad range of runners, excellent versatility and bucket loads of value. The Endorphin Azura, along with others like the Adidas Evo SL ($135), are part of a new group of non-plated trainers in the more affordable $130 to $160 range.
The upper delivers an effortless fit with Goldilocks padding in the heels and tongues, good security, plenty of room for the toes to splay and an airiness that keeps feet cool.
Underfoot, the big stack of soft but responsive PWRRUN PB foam works with Saucony’s SpeedRoll curved rocker midsole to propel you forward without feeling too springy or untamed. It’s not the punchiest daily trainer but I love the controlled energy.
That all adds up to a comparatively lightweight, everyday running shoe that’ll happily eat up weekly miles across your pace range, from slow and easy to tempo efforts.
If you’re looking for a reliable, relatively stable, fast-edged shoe, the Azura is an excellent alternative to the stiffer Endorphin Speed 5. It's great for runners who don’t want to log too much time in a plated shoe.
When it comes to all-out, guns-blazing PR chases over any distance up to the marathon, the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 is the real deal. If you’re in peak fitness and chasing a fast time, this shoe should be on your short list. It sticks to the classic super-shoe recipe: a high-rebound, nitrogen-injected foam, a full-length carbon plate, incredibly lightweight uppers, and a very thin layer of outsole rubber. But it has a unique shape, with a decoupled midsole, a steep heel cut-away that saves weight, and an extended carbon plate that sticks out at the front for some crucial additional leverage.
I put them to the test in the lab against rival race shoes and found that the Fast-R3 made me more efficient than other popular race shoes like the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 ($225). It’s not just me—wider research found the shoe not only improved running economy against every shoe in the test, but all 15 tested runners were at their most efficient in the Fast-R3. Of course, lab-tested efficiency means nothing if the shoes don’t feel right when you’re out in the real world. But I used them to clock a 5k PR and smash my marathon PR, logging a 2:50 at the Dublin Marathon.
Amazon (Women's)
The performance benefits of carbon race shoes are well documented, but the fastest ones (like the Puma Fast R3) won't work well if you don't have good form. When you’re feeling great, they’re excellent. But when the struggle bus comes at mile 20, less stable setups can leave you exposed. That’s where the Puma Deviate Nitro 4 comes in.
It’s lighter than the last-gen Nitro Elite and the combination of Nitro Elite foam and the scooped carbon plate feels fast and efficient. It’s a top performing carbon racer that moves really well at faster paces, from tempo runs to race pace. But it also stays cushioned, comfortable and comparatively controlled when you’re less able to bash out the speedy splits. In short, it delivers everything you need when you’re flying and doesn’t hang you out to dry when fatigue kicks in.
I loved the fact that everything about the shoe is propulsive but less aggressive. I could feel the bouncy energy whether I was running easy or all out, making the Nitro Elite 4 a viable choice for faster training sessions, mixed-pace long training runs, and all-out marathon PR chases.
Running Warehouse (Men's)
Running Warehouse (Women's)
At $170, you might raise your eyebrows at the idea that this is a “cheap” shoe. But hear me out, because the Kiprun Kipstorm Tempo comes with a lot of super-trainer tech for the price tag. It’s a genuine rival to much pricer super trainers like the Asics Megablast ($210), the On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper ($220) and the Hoka Mach X 3 ($190).
Kiprun has only recently launched in the US and the Tempo signals that it means business. It nails the ride with a bouncy, high-energy feedback that’s wonderfully punchy and makes you want to run fast. If, like me, you like some firmness, there’s also a snappier edge that prevents the midsole from sinking too much. That really helps the foam kick back quickly with high energy return and good responsiveness. I found it easy to engage the big, curved rocker for a light and propulsive push off that’s a lot of fun.
Up top, a unique neoprene-like stitched-in booty tongue really wraps and secures your foot, for a race-like fit that doesn't feel like a cage. I did a solo marathon test around the streets of London, and from start to finish I enjoyed landings with plenty of protective cushion and a sense of stability that’s not always present with the super-foam footwear in this category. This is a brilliantly versatile shoe that you could lace up to train for (and race) distances up to the marathon.
Zappo's (Men's)
Amazon (Women's)
Since it landed a few years ago, heralding Puma’s return to the running shoe game, the Velocity Nitro has been among the best, most budget-friendly all-around shoes I’ve laced up. And even though there are improvements to the new Velocity Nitro 4 ($140) (we’re currently testing this), the last-gen Nitro 3 remains every bit the brilliant do-it-all winner. You can now just get it cheaper.
It’s the kind of shoe that copes equally well with a quick mile around the block or a big marathon training run. It feels instantly at home on your foot, with nicely padded heel collars and roomy uppers. The nitrogen-infused midsole foam serves up a great balance of cushion for long and slow miles but enough light-footed energy for when it’s time to kick up through the gears. The grip is excellent, and it'll swallow high mileage before it bottoms out. If you’ve only got a hundred bucks to play with, few shoes can match it.
Adidas (Women's)
The Adidas Hyperboost Edge takes max-stack running shoes literally to a whole new level. It sports a giant 45-mm stack of new super critical Hyperboost Pro foam under the heel and a whopping 39mm under the forefoot. It makes even the Asics Megablast start to look minimal.
Unsurprisingly, it’s very well cushioned and you feel very little of the road. Fans of ground-feel won't be impressed. I was worried it would be overly soft but there’s a stiffness to the mega midsole that prevents it from being too soggy. Instead, it moves smoothly at most paces with a good balance of soft landings and a relatively fast and lively spring back.
While it’s heavier than the Megablast, for the size of that stack, it feels surprisingly light on the foot. Still, it’s far from compact and you’re definitely trading sprightliness and agility for plusher, protected landings. And protect it does. It’s one of the most cradling cushioned shoes I’ve tested in the past 12 months, making it a really good option for big mileage and cruising comfort from easy up to marathon pace.
A couple of caveats: The upper isn’t very breathable; it definitely runs hot and the high heel-collar walls under the ankle area can be irritating if you land the wrong way. Not everyone suffers that fate and I only had it on some runs, but it’s a weakness worth noting.
Zappos (Women's)
Runners are often split into pronators who need stability shoes and neutral runners who don’t. But in truth, we’re all on a spectrum. Most of us can benefit from some support. The Asics Gel Kayano 32 deploys a combination of elements to support the foot each time it hits the ground. This includes a more pronounced heel bevel, sculpted midsole, and additional foam on the inside of the foot to help guide your foot on landing.
The Kayano 32 shares DNA with Asics’ other cushioned comfort shoe, the Gel Nimbus 28 ($170), which has sedan levels of comfort. But Asics uses less and firmer midsole foam in the Kayano 32 to give you more control as you run. The guidance is still quite natural and doesn’t interfere with your stride.
The result is a cushioned, protective running shoe that provides excellent comfort and support for slower daily miles and easier outings. I found the Kayano 32 to be somewhat heavy. It’s not a shoe that copes well with faster paces, but it’s a robust workhorse of a shoe. Asics tends not to mess with the Kayano too much between generations, so if you liked the last-gen Kayano you can expect more of the same. If you want a lighter stability option, the Saucony Guide 19 ($150) and the Hoka Arahi 8 ($150) offer milder guidance with a bit more versatility.
Running Warehouse
With its race-ready upper and a great stack of high-energy foam, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Megablast is built only for doing battle with your PR. This shoe handles everything from slow and sexy pace to all-out miles, with a marathon-pace sweet spot. The FF Turbo Squared foam serves up even more pillowy softness and bounce than the popular Asics Superblast 2 ($200), which delivers its cushion with more snap.
In testing, I ran a solo marathon and mixed up the paces, and the Megablast is definitely at its best when you’re moving with good form and serious intent. It mixes bouncy energy with a rocker that ensures a smooth ride. Some runners may find there’s too much shoe here for intervals and the fastest training sessions. But it’s an excellent energetic road eater that’ll clip along happily for miles. For many runners, this is also a great shoe for training for—and racing—a marathon! If the Megablast is out of your budget, it’s worth checking out the Asics Novablast 5 ($150) for a similarly versatile, cushioned, energized ride with a lower price tag.
Running Warehouse (Men's)
Running Warehouse (Women's)
The Hoka Speedgoat 7 is a well-cushioned, multi-talented trail shoe that balances comfort, speed, versatility and durability. The biggest update for this latest gen is a new stack of supercritical foam that delivers a higher level of cushion with more energy than previous Speedgoats that tended to run firmer.
As a big Speedgoat fan, I’m pleased to say it still feels controlled, balancing responsiveness and cushion with a protective ride that’s not totally disconnected from the trails underfoot.
You get just enough ground contact and control to keep you at one with the trail. The grip is excellent too. It stuck to everything I ran across, though admittedly I tested in mainly dry conditions. It has enough precision to take on the technical stuff, but enough cushion to eat up the miles over the long haul.
Averagely gifted trail runners like myself can't go wrong with this shoe. If you want an off-road workhorse that’ll happily handle almost any terrain, perform well across a range of paces, and cope with a quick out and back and a gnarly 100-mile ultra with equal poise, go for the goat.
Salomon (Men's)
Salomon (Women's)
A stand out option in a new and growing category, the Aero Glide 4 Grvl joins the brilliant Aero Blaze 3 Grvl in Salomon’s growing line-up of versatile, hybrid gravel shoes.
These beefed-up two-for-ones translate road shoe tech for the trails, adding extra grip in the form of a 2.5-mm lugged outsole and some extra reinforcement around the toe box. Basically everything you need to step smoothly from the road, to light trails and, of course, gravel tracks.
The Aero Glide 4 GRVL is a more robust spin on the excellent Aero Glide 4 road shoe, a midweight, multi-talented workhorse for mixed terrain, with a big stack of lively, cushioned foam and a transition-smoothing curved rocker.
It’s much softer underfoot than a traditional trail shoe, and ground-feel fans might not like the big-stack softness. Still, the excellent energy return made it great for my two-hour plus runs on easier mixed terrain. It’s a lot of fun on the runnable dirt, and great on the asphalt in wet or winter conditions.
If you’ve got high insteps like me, you might find the quick lacing set-up a struggle—it’s hard to get the mid-foot loose enough to wrestle in my wider feet. However, once that battle is won, the laces lock easily and securely and overall it’s got good long-haul comfort.
It’s heavier than the Aero Blaze GRVL 3 (my previous favorite gravel shoe), but you’re getting a little more protection from the bigger midsole, which I found to be very welcome for runs longer than two hours.
An injury in my twenties taught me that runners also need to lift weights! With that in mind, I was on the hunt for a versatile cross-training shoe that I could use to walk to the gym, run a few miles for a warm-up, hit a class, or do my Romanian dead lifts afterward. I tried several pairs, like the On Cloudpulse ($150), but I like the Nano the best.
Reebok's Nano series is a classic cross-trainer, and I like several things about it. The sole is flat, so it feels stable while I'm doing my single leg kettlebell dead lifts and pistol squats. It's also grippy, so I'm not slipping all over the floor if I join a HIIT class. One of the upgrades that Reebok made to this shoe was to make it more runnable, with a new EVA foam midsole. I appreciate this, and it's comfortable for my 10-minute walk to the gym and a 15-minute jog warmup on the treadmill. It's not my pick for a fun 5-mile road run, though. Finally, I also like that the collar feels secure around my knobbly ankles, that it has a not-outrageous price, and that it's pretty neutral and stylish-looking (to me, at least). —Adrienne So
Merrell (Women's)
Merrell's Vapor Glove shoes have been a perennial favorite at WIRED, topping our Barefoot Shoes guide for years. They're quite thin (6 mm stack height) and plenty flexible, allowing your feet to bend and shape to the terrain. The upper is very breathable and quick to dry. I prefer that to waterproof shoes, which, great as they might be (check out the Vivobarefoot Primus Trail if that's your bag) still won't be dry after wading a stream. One thing I should point out is that while I've never had any issues with durability or the fabric or construction, it is rare that I get more than about 6 to 8 months out of Vapor Gloves (running/walking about 15-20 miles a week).
The Vapor Glove (and the Trail Glove as well) do not have the extra wide footbox you'll find in some barefoot shoes. I find the ankle and arch fit to be spot on, but I do wish they had a wider toe box so my toes could spread out more. —Scott Gilbertson
It shouldn't be that hard to find running shoes for a kid who runs all day anyway. Still, I have started to drag my 7- and 10-year-olds to races with me, and they need better shoes than the beat-up Vans they wear to school. This is the downscaled version of the iconic Salomon XA Pro trail shoe, and it's a great pick for kids, since durability and stability matter a lot more than speed and comfort.
It has many of the features the grown-up shoe has, including the sticky, durable Contagrip outsole, mudguard, quick-lace system, and protective toecap. The midsole has been downgraded to a different, but still comfortable, EVA cushion (as far as I can tell, since I can't fit my own foot in there). The upper is padded, so the tension from the quick-lace system is distributed evenly, and my son can pull them on and tighten or loosen them in a pinch. My 7-year-old racks up between 15,000 and 20,000 steps a day, if you can believe it, and these are the only running shoes he will wear. I've seen him run straight up a fallen tree trunk wearing these. If your kid is also the cutest little hair-raising speed devil you've ever seen, these are a good pick. —Adrienne So
As we said, WIRED runners pound hundreds of miles every year. Here are a few of the other shoes we've tested that you might want to consider if the above do not work for your foot. If you're not familiar with a brand, we recommend going to a local running store for a test run before plunking down your credit card.
Diadora Nucleo 2 for $165: The Nucleo 2 isn’t a wow, high-energy, super springy shoe. But if you’re a fan of straightforward, no nonsense comfort and good inherent stability across a good range of paces, the Nucleo 2 delivers.
Rad R1 for $130: Made to master gym, HIIT, running and all manner of hybrid workouts, I’ve been using the Rad R1 when I’m doing my strength and conditioning work in the gym like a good boy. They work for short runs and miles on the softer treadmill belt, while being stable and supportive enough to get under the bar and offering control for drills like box jumps and lunges. They look good, too.
New Balance Rebel V5 for $145, Adidas EVO SL for $105, Kiprun Kipride Max ($160). Another top-notch all-around shoe to rival the Saucony Endorphin Speed 5, the Rebel V5 is smooth, light and capable across the whole pace range. The Adidas EVO SL is a great alternative to the Saucony Endorphin Azura and can also handle anything you throw at it. But if you like your things super soft with a bit of bounce, the Kiprun Kipride Max serves up a cushioned plush ride with a bit of pop.
New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 v15 for $170, HOKA Clifton 9 for $164: If you've never run before, the Hoka Clifton 9 is my recommendation for a beginner runner. Despite Hoka's outsized (ahem) reputation, this is a pretty minimal shoe that's comfortable, balanced, and light. —Adrienne So
Saucony Ride 17 for $110: This is also a good older budget-shoe model.
Saucony Hurricane 25 for $135, Brooks Glycerin 23 GTS for $180: Consumer tech director and podcast host Michael Calore runs in the Brooks Glycerin. This is our alternative pick if you're shopping for shoes that offer greater stability.
How Should I Care for My Running Shoes?
How Long Should My Shoes Last?
The internet's collective wisdom says that you should replace your shoes somewhere between 300 and 500 miles. However, this decades-old rule of thumb is based on a few limited studies and general advice from brands. New foam varieties, outsole rubbers, and upper technology means it’s now harder to offer blanket advice.
There are many formulas of modern midsole foams. Durability is now judged not only by how long the protective cushioning lasts, but also whether it continues to deliver the bounce and performance. Some of the top superfoams might lose their initial energy but remain as protective as a firmer, more traditional EVA sole. For example, your high-tech carbon race shoe could become your daily runner once it’s lost its top-speed edge.
You also have to factor in your unique running style. Shoes wear differently for different runners, impacted by variables like weight, stride pattern, pace, daily usage, terrain, and climate. There are obvious signs of wear and tear: Heel collars rubbed through, holes in the uppers or grip worn to the point it’s no longer effective. It’s harder to spot when a midsole has had its day. They don’t crease in the same way older shoes used to.
The best advice: Use your shoes until something feels off. When that happens, you might want to start shopping.
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