High-tech foams and carbon-fiber plates have led to the best running shoes yet. But as supply-chain disruptions linger, many exciting new models are late to hit running shops. Some of those shoes also got to us too late to evaluate for this latest batch of testing. Thankfully, there are so many outstanding shoes available right now that we still tested nearly 90 models to bring you the 23 best. To help you zero in on your next favorite shoe, our wear-test team of more than 250 runners logged more than 100 miles in each of their test pairs. We considered key qualities like cushioning, flexibility, stability, and overall ride.
We’ve divided the winning shoes into four main categories: Fast, Soft, Support, and Trail. Click on the tabs below to jump to each section and see our top picks that lead the pack. RW+ members can access longer reviews for the shoes through the “Read Full Reviews Here” links in each category.
READ FULL REVIEWS HERE
Nike React Infinity Run FK 3
Available Spring 2022 for $150
Asics Gel-Cumulus 24
Saucony Axon 2
READ FULL REVIEWS HERE
The Northface Vectiv Eminus
Jeff is Runner-in-Chief for Runner’s World and the director of product testing. He has tested and reviewed running shoes, GPS watches, headphones, apparel, and more for nearly two decades. He regularly tests more than 100 pairs of shoes each year, and once had a 257-day streak running in different models. Jeff can usually be found on the roads, racing anything from the mile to a marathon, but he also enjoys racing up mountains and on snowshoes. When he’s not running, you’ll probably find him hanging from a ladder making repairs and renovations to his house (he’s also director of product testing for Popular Mechanics).
Amanda Furrer, Editor, Running Reviews, studied journalism at NYU and writing at Emerson College. She has reviewed gear and covered other topics in the running space for almost 10 years. Since 2013, she has consecutively run the Boston Marathon. She also has a master’s degree in gastronomy from Boston University and was formerly a professional baker for two years before hanging up her apron.
