Buying the right running shoes for you is very important for getting the best results. Becoming an elite runner is as much about the reps you crank out in the gym as the miles you rack up on the track. The On Cloud X is designed to push you through a strength workout, but is a great standalone good running shoe in its own right. Billed as the lightest fully-cushioned running shoe in the world (229g for size 8.5), it is much firmer under foot than your average cross trainer, so you may not want to rely on it every day. However, it has the latest CloudTech midsole, accompanied by Zero-Gravity foam, to provide support for those quick changes of direction. The heel is engineered for comfort and support, while the upper is engineered from a highly breathable lightweight mesh. As always with On running shoes, the design and construction is flawless.
The adiZero Boston can work very well for runners looking for an introductory minimalist shoe – lighter than average, but with a fairly normal heel-toe drop. Some reviewers claimed the shoe is narrower than average (especially in the toebox) so if you have wider feet it may not work out for you. My feet are about average width and I didn’t experience any discomfort putting hundreds of miles on them. The shape of every shoe varies, especially between manufacturers, so it can be helpful to experiment with those that fit your foot best. I’m usually most comfortable in Adidas and ASICS but sometimes struggle to find Saucony’s and Nike’s that are comfortable.
Aside from the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%, of which more later, this is the best road racing shoe you can buy. The Reebok Floatride Run Fast is exceptionally light considering the decent chunk of cushioning on the bottom, which ensures your legs stay fresh through each race, and allows you to kick hard for the finish line. The cushioning on the Run Fast is made from the same Pebax material as is used for Nike’s ZoomX foam – found on the Pegasus Turbo and Vaporfly shoes. It provides a huge amount of bounce despite being very lightweight, which makes it perfect for holding your race pace over 10K and half marathon distances in particular. Some runners will also find that the Run Fast is a great marathon shoe, but others will prefer something offering a little more support for the full 42.2km.
Unsurprisingly, designs with more cushioning like the Brooks Ghost 10 and Brooks Glycerin 16 typically score higher in landing comfort. The usual formula for the best landing comfort is a balanced design that is not too cushy and not too firm. You need balanced cushioning to find consistent comfort. We find this with the Nike Pegasus 35, which scored near the top of our measure. Its secret is that it embeds Zoom Air units across the entirety of the midsole. Elements comprised of hollow EVA structures even seemed to cushion more than that of the versatile Cloud. That difference in sensation could be partially explained by the rigid speedboard, which gave more pop and stability to each stride. This put the X at the top of the category and helped earn it the Editors’ Choice award.
This veteran speed training shoe got a major redesign for its 24th iteration, and it comes with a number of key changes. Most notable is the knit upper—the first on any Asics shoe—which enhances breathability and reduces weight. A redesigned heel counter keeps your feet in place when you pick up the pace, and the FlyteFoam Lyte midsole offers good energy return and ground feel for shorter, faster runs. See extra details at https://info4runners.com/.