u/OregonBaseballFan

I own three pairs of Vomero Plus, two pairs of Vomero 18, two pairs of Vomero Premium, and two pairs of Pegasus 42. I did try several times to convince myself to buy the Pegasus Premiums, but man, the hype about how awful those are is absolutely real and justified.

Having this robust collection of current Nike shoes, “why on earth would I buy their entry level “paired down” version of the Vomero?” That’s what I said to myself every time I saw the Winflo 12 showing up on review sites, always with rather surprisingly positive reviews. After seeing Supwell give the Winflo a glowing review recently, I figured I’d just see what they were all about. I found my pair for $67, so I figured that was a sign from the gods to finally give these a try.

Didn’t get out of the house until later in the day, because of meetings, so I ran in high UV, zero wind, zero cloud cover, 80 degree weather. For us folks from the PNW, it might as well have been 110 degrees out. We are weaklings. Or at least I am. Anyway, it was warm, and I am someone who is always cold, but even I longed for the oncoming fall weather, during this run. 7.7 miles, 7:38 pace (👀👀🔥), hilly and undulating sidewalks and roadways. I wore white Puma running shorts and a very lightweight and light colored Puma running shirt to help keep me cool, and then I stopped paying attention and put on my thick ass black Nike unicorn crew running socks and my non-breathable black Nike Bowerman TC running hat. So some of me stayed cool at least. Good job, me.

Anyway, about 1/4 mile into the run I realized that these shoes are incredibly comfortable and stable feeling. About 1/2 mile into the run I realized that the fit and feel of these shoes is extremely solid and enjoyable. About 1 mile into the run I realized that the midsole felt similar to the Vomero 18 when I first put them on, but they had rather immediately transformed into the type of midsole feel and ride that I had always wished the Vomero 18 would be (squishy but firm enough to absorb any and all shock and impact, and with enough energy return to allow for an enjoyable run experience, but without the unstable feeling bounce that comes from the ZoomX in the Vomero 18’s, and the even more unstable bounce that comes from the version of the foam in the Vomero Plus.

This is the best daily trainer that Nike has right now, y’all. This isn’t me being a contrarian or shit talker, this is facts and logic. This is science. Sub-$70 shoes (obviously on sale, I’m not sure what the regular price is, but I’m assuming they are like $110 max) that are actually good. What a time to be alive. Now that I have said this, I don’t love Nike’s running shoes. As I’ve worked my way through so many shoes and shoe companies, I think Nike is making inferior shoes to the competition at this point, so these shoes are fantastic, and also they are fantastic for Nike’s. So keep that in mind when you see my score.

Fit:
Far and away the most comfortable and easy fitting shoe from Nike that I’ve put on in a long time (maybe ever). The laces are very nice and simple, the upper is a soft but very comfortable and stable mesh with open holes for breathability, and the tongue is very soft and sits in place nicely during the run, without being too thin or too bulbous. I haven’t tried the Structure line, but compared to the Vomero and Pegasus lines, these feel wide and stable like Nike’s basketball shoes. I have a pair of Giannis basketball shoes that I love, and these have a similar feeling fit upon the initial step in and lace up. For some people, they might not immediately feel enough like “running shoes,” but I’m here to tell you that they will function very well from everyday wear, up to slower runs (10mm drop so good for heel strikers and recovery runs), but that midsole (Cushlon 3.0 - my god they really are running out of names for this stuff, aren’t they?) is also firm and responsive enough that you can absolutely take it up a notch for intervals or some speed training.

The Vomero 18 always felt like they should be able to do this same thing, but they always just felt like bricks to me, and like they were lacking that “pop and energy” that we were promised by the nefarious “Big ZoomX lobby”. The Vomero Plus can handle that wide range of uses, but for me they fall flat and the instability of the build and midsole combination just makes me want to choose different shoes for whatever type of running I’m about to do (much better options out there, in all areas).

Ride:
Now that you’ve gotten over these shoes feeling somewhat like basketball shoes and you are starting to run in them, you’ll quickly realize that these are truer daily trainers than anything you’ve seen from Nike in a while. They have the “old school” trainer vibe, and honestly Nike should probably lean back into that space, since the Vomero line has seemed to quickly go pretty stale (other than the novelty of the Premium still holding our collective attention) for many people, and the Pegasus line is just dead. I say that as someone who wears my Pegasus 42’s all the time as regular shoes. Those things are tanks. Would NEVER run in them, but you get my point.

As with the shoes in the Vomero and Pegasus (and theoretically Structure) lines, the Winflo 12’s are great for heel strikers. I am not a heel striker, which is part of why I don’t experience the full joy or benefit of these types of shoes, but even as a midfoot boy, these worked very well. I felt incredibly supported and cushioned with each step, and I never felt any of the instability that exists for me with the 18’s or Vomero Plus.

The only extremely large criticism I have for these shoes is that, just like with the V18’s, these are comically heavy. They are a little lighter than the 18’s, but still unacceptably heavy compared to the competition that exists in the running shoe world these days. It’s the same reason why I absolutely adore my R.A.D. Mallows, but I only wear them as “walkin’ around” shoes at this point. Daily trainers cannot be 280 grams or higher for Men’s Size 8.5’s. They cannot be 270 or higher, for that matter. I can handle something in the 255-265 range, but once you creep up near 300 grams, you really start to feel that weight in your legs over time. So while these were a surprising joy to run in, my legs felt similarly to how they always felt after a 7+ mile run in the V18’s, and that feeling is dead-tired.

If New Balance, ADIDAS, ASICS, Saucony, and pretty much all of Nike’s direct competitors can produce similarly stacked daily trainers that are 50-60 grams lighter, it’s a pretty clear indication that Nike needs to figure something out.

Overall thoughts on the Nike Winflo 12:
These really did surprise me, even after reading and seeing all of the hype about them. These are considered to be “entry level” running shoes for Nike, and I think it’s really cool that people who aren’t sending themselves into financial ruin from buying tons of $200 pairs of running shoes, can scoop these up for under $100 and have real, high functioning daily trainers. That’s important. So yeah, it’s crazy that these are better functioning shoes than the Vomeros or the Pegasus, but also good job to Nike for not just making their budget shoes the crappy versions of something else.

These are their own thing, and while they share some traits with the Vomero 18’s, the added stability and (in my opinion) superior midsole that the Winflo 12’s possess, make them not only the best value in the Nike shoe game right now, but they are also the best shoe for your daily runs, in general. Hell yeah, Nike.

Score: 7.9/10

Order of best current trainers from Nike:

Winflo 12
Vomero Plus
Vomero 18
Pegasus Plus
Pegasus 42

Also I did include someone else’s picture from the run I did for Rose Endurance this last weekend, since I didn’t get any of my own, and I wanted to remind everyone that I’m an actual human person and not AI like that one guy said. 💪😂

Oh hello again, friends. Just got back from a lovely long weekend in LA, where I went to the Sound and Fury festival, and also amassed five fantastic LA-centric runs.

One of those runs was a “coolest 5k run opportunity of my life” through DTLA, with Rose Endurance (for their Terror merch collaboration, for which I bought one of every item…my poor wallet) and a bunch of important people from the hardcore music world (wore On Cloudmonster 3 Hypers). Very, very cool experience.

Another run was a gorgeous 5.2 miles along the Santa Monica Pier area (wore Puma Deviate Pure Nitro - my very favorite bright-hot-red colorway - these are the shoes I get the most compliments on whenever I wear them in public, which I normally wear as “everyday walkin’ around” shoes).

One was a 7.2 mile run from Exposition Park back to my hotel in Hollywood (wore On Cloudmonster 3 Hypers again). It was 74 degrees, partly cloudy, a nice little breeze, and just perfect weather to run across town. Several strangers gave me genuine, non-sarcastic high fives as I ran by them. California people are nicer than us PNW people. That’s a fact. Here, people usually just look at you like you are a weirdo for running in public.

The other two were both runs from my hotel up to Griffith Observatory and back. Honestly planned on doing something different that last day, but holy hell that’s a fun, gorgeous, and uniquely LA run, so I did just do it twice. Each time I went for 7.8 miles and wore my black New Balance 1080v15’s, and each time I was just more impressed with those damn things. Honestly mad that it took me so long to give them an actual shot. That Infinion foam is something special, y’all. But you all already knew this fact. I was the last to the party.

Anyway, today we are talking about another shoe brand that I have slept on, and regret not checking out much sooner. The VENTUS 2 from 361°.

I knew nothing about this brand until I saw an ad on Instagram, and it wasn’t even for this model. I think the ad was for the Miro, which got my attention because that’s a damn good looking shoe. After checking out their website, I knew I wanted to give them a try, and I debated between the ELEOS 2 and the VENTUS 2, and I was sold by the VENTUS’s dual foam midsole, with the CQT EXTREM3 supercritical PEBA foam on top, which they claimed would give the shoe some extra pop and then their “standard” Primo foam on the bottom to help absorb the beating and allow for longer and smoother runs. Seems like the ELEOS 2 is meant to be a more “regular” daily trainer, and the VENTUS is the upgraded model with more performance-based cushioning and geometry, and two midsole foams, rather than one? I’m still learning about them myself, so correct me if you know more than me. The insole is also their “Comfort Foam” and is aimed at “moisture management and breathability,” so yeah, they have all of the right buzzwords in their marketing. Also they are almost the same price, so I figured I might as well get the “premium, but still reasonably priced” option.

The other thing that sold me on giving these a shot is that they talk a lot about their “Comfort Pressure-Free” tongue, midfoot lockdown build, and smooth, plush foam padding in the heel collar, that helps maintain stability and comfort for long runs. After all of my lace bite injury trauma thanks to Hoka’s Speedgoat 7’s, and ankle and heel injury trauma from Adidas Hyperboost Edges (still sad about that, because the shoe was fun as hell to run in) I figured that these shoes looked interesting and had enough potential, that they’d be worth me trying out a lesser known/smaller brand for the first time.

Today’s run was 7.1 miles throughout my neighborhood (you know, hilly and undulating) in a partly cloudy 66 degree morning. I moved so much this weekend that I had planned on only going about 5 miles today, but the shoes felt so good that I just kept on a-goin’. 7:58 pace, and that came with feeling like I was taking it very easy. For me, usually the cushioned, long run shoes take a little bit of oomph and effort to average under 8-minutes per mile over 7+ miles, but these felt like a dream underfoot, and I felt stable and energetically moving forward the whole time. No heel sink on these (looking at you, UFOs, SB3s and Atmos 2s).

Fit:
Yeah that micro-elastic mesh upper is incredibly comfortable and lightweight. I first thought the shoes looked a little narrow, but once they were on foot they were extremely comfortable and stable, while still stretchy and forgiving enough that I had zero complaints at all. The build quality is exemplary, and these felt so secure on my feet, while also truly having that “I can run for a long-ass time in these” feeling, which usually comes at the expense of a secure lockdown for me. Having that stable feeling and also the feeling of lightness and breathability…chef’s kiss as far as my ideal type of fit, right there.

The other key to the comfort and feeling of security and stability is that tongue. Very soft and also long and large enough that it snugly covers the upper portion of the foot very nicely, but remains softly supportive, instead of digging in or feeling like it is getting in the way. The tongue description is what sold me on these shoes, and it lived up to the damn hype, y’all. Perfectly comfortable up top. Perfect half marathon “comfy boy” shoes, in my opinion.

Ride:
I realize that everyone is using ultra-advanced foams in the midsoles these days, but whatever is going on here in this foam combination, is something special. Walking around in my house, they felt like nice light, springy, comfortable and stable shoes, but the minute I started running, they kicked into gear and the performance element of these shoes really took over. That top layer is ASICS Megablast-ish, and that bottom layer is Tracksmith Eliot Ryder-ish, which is a damn glorious feeling underfoot.

I love an 8mm drop, and the weight is pretty low for shoes that can handle long cruising, but to be honest I am a stack snob (or so I thought) and I am generally not very interested in shoes that have “2” at the beginning of stack height number for the forefoot of the shoe. A 34mm/42mm stack? Oh hell yeah. 45mm in the heel? Now you’re talking.

I realized that I hadn’t even looked at the stack height on these at all before buying them, so I was shocked after my run today, when I finally read that they are 27mm/35mm in stack height. No wonder they felt so nimble and “quick” to me. That midsole kept me from feeling any ground noise at all, which is how I like it. I like cushion and I like to feel like I’m floating a bit, and these shoes absolutely provided that, but with a significant increase in stability and the actual ability to turn and change directions. Wait, is that why my wife likes lower stack heights? Have I just been incorrectly assuming she’s a crazy person? My world is suddenly upside down, thanks to these shoes. Anyway, apparently you can have excellent cushioning and minimal ground feel, and also not need a 55mm stack height in the heel. You learn something new everyday, folks. 🤷

These shoes felt quick, nimble, stable, plush, and sustaining for the entirety of my run. I only went 7.1 in them, but I can already tell that these are truly perfect non-plated half marathon shoes; especially if you want something different than what everyone else is wearing, or if you want to run in something fun and new feeling. They are unique in both function and visual appearance, and for a non-big brand, that’s very exciting.

Wear these to your run club and watch Sheila stare daggers of jealousy at you, until you are a few miles in, and she’s way behind you. To be fair she is wearing her Evo SL’s and has rolled her ankles 600 times.

Final thoughts on the VENTUS 2 from 361°:
Generally, I put these in the same larger category as the New Balance 1080v15, Saucony Triumph 24, and the Mizuno Wave Rider 30. Very cushioned, stable, and geared towards solid and comfy daily miles. That said, they also have an impressive amount of “get up and go,” similar to the Saucony Endorphin Azura or the ASICS Novablast 6, due to that snappier top foam. THEN, add in the fact that these can very clearly function for longer runs and maintain their integrity and comfort, both in the upper and underfoot, and we are seeing shades of Mount to Coast C1 or On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper in there as well. These aren’t quite to that level, but they offer a phenomenal level of legitimate competition to all of these fantastic aforementioned options.

If you want to try something new, and experience something that is familiar in all the right ways, but also unique enough that it’s well worth the very competitive $160 price point, I literally cannot recommend these highly enough. Am officially a fan of this brand. I did it. Go me.

Score: 9.1/10
One of the best daily trainer-to-long-run-handling shoes of the year

Very excited to review these ones for y’all!

I have the 361 Ventus 2 review coming today, the Nike Winflo 12 coming tomorrow (allegedly the secret best Nike running shoe right now?), and the Veloci Featherweight coming next week. Stay tuned.

Took the Badwater C1’s (yes, I recognize that it is basically “stolen valor” running in these, since I could obviously not survive the actual Badwater race) out for 16.2 miles this morning, as I continue to train for my upcoming marathon. Also these are technically called C135’s, but they are just C1’s with a different and more reflective colorway and a slightly “quicker drying” upper. They are C1’s. I’ve closely compared my other C1’s to these, and yeah, C1’s.

I’ve been doing most of my long run training in these shoes, and my aim is to run the actual marathon in my black MtC C1’s, which my nine year old will be covering with shimmery Sharpie pen drawings of cute, big-eyed cats, for race day. It’s a family affair up in here.

This run was just a double loop of my usual 8+ mile neighborhood run, which I usually try to avoid doing, but I was in such a locked in zone today that it was a surmountable challenge for yours truly. I love loops in races, as it helps me separate out the segments and the strategy for each one, but when I’m doing daily runs I try to avoid repeating anything unless I have to. Sadly, when the training distances expand, sometimes you have to take a long, hard look in the mirror and say, “hey, you are going to run two eight mile loops today, and you are going to be okay, and you are handsome.” Today was one of those days. We can do hard things, friends.

It was high UV today and 72-74 degrees, but I was cruising (for me) and sat at an 8:08 pace for this run. Boston here I come (jk, I will be running my marathon in these “illegal” shoes and therefore can’t qualify, and I’m okay with that).

Like the headline says, these are just the most consistent, stable, high functioning, and boring (complimentary) shoes of the year. They function perfectly, and really just accent and highlight the running experience, while not doing anything to take away the natural feeling of it. The stack height is perfect (42mm in the hell is technically high but they do not feel excessively high whatsoever). The midsole is the exact perfect balance of supportive cushioning and moderate springy energy return. They are not bouncy and they are not launching you, but they support the stride so well, and the components work in concert so perfectly with each other, that you will feel like you can push yourself a little faster and a lot longer than you thought you had in you.

Every time I’ve run in the C1’s, now with over 230 miles combined in these and my lavender colorway (my actual favorite, and I use them less often, just to protect them and keep them looking so beautiful), I completely forget about my shoes and feet in general. For some people that might be a negative. Some people want to feel very connected to the ground and feel extreme pop or extreme bounce from their shoe. Some of us, however, would rather just feel like we are in that zone where we are essentially having an out of body experience, and the run is the overall feeling and vibe, and we are truly connecting our internal energy with that of the world around us. Have I mentioned that I’m both a hardcore punk guy and also apparently a giant tree hugging hippie? Okay, this review turned way too existential, sorry guys. The important thing to remember is that I am totally cool and legit, and if I can convince my nine year old into thinking that is the case, maybe I can do the same for y’all! Anyway, yeah, these are shoes for the hippies, the normal folks, and the punks, alike. We can all come together as one.

The lacing is still strong and great on these, the upper material is still extremely stable and secure (and comfortable) and though they look pretty damn ugly now that they are a little dirty and grimy (this colorway specifically is impressively ugly in general, in my opinion), they also would likely look almost new if I took the time to fully clean them. I mean look at that outsole. There is absolutely zero breakdown happening, and as a mild to moderate pronation-king (depending on the shoes…EVO SL’s cause me essentially run with fully sideways feet, for example) I am just amazed at how stable the midsole has remained, and how the wear on the outsole is extremely minimal, and also consistent across the entire platform (rather than just in my usual hot spots of visible degradation). Goes to show how stable and secure these shoes are, and how consistent of a foot strike they encourage.

Most importantly, I still feel the same energy return and comfort from these shoes that I felt on my first run. I’ve noticed that because my form doesn’t break down over time as badly in these shoes, I do less “stomp-running,” which is both good for me and my joints/limbs/pride, but also for the midsole foam and shoes in general. It’s going to be a key reason that I feel extremely confident that these are going to perform at top levels up to the 300-350 mile mark, and likely perform just fine after that as well, up to well over the 400 mile mark. Like I said, these shoes just encourage a symbiotic relationship between the runner, the tools of the run, and the roadway in front of us (hippie talk).

As I near the 200 mile mark in these, I’m reminded that there are absolutely cooler and more exciting shoes that have come out in 2026.

Topo Specter 3, On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper, ASICS Megablast, R.A.D. UFO, Saucony Paramount Max and Endorphin Azura, etc., are all shoes that are more interesting on paper than anything Mount to Coast has brought to market. That being said, there are days where you want the cool new thing with the bonkers technology, foam and geometric design. There are also days where you want a shoe that brings just the right combination of design and technology, where the run itself is highlighted and elevated. That’s where these come in.

These are performance trainers that make the running experience about you, the runner, and the run itself, rather than shoes that make the experience about them. They blend into your experience and carry you through the difficult stretches, whenever you need them to. These are selfless shoes. They want you to be happy, even if it means eating McDonald’s for dinner again, when they really wanted Arby’s this time around. They’ll make that compromise for you, to allow you to experience your joy. Then they will get Arby’s later and eat it in secret in the car, on the way home from the gym. Maybe this is actually an unhealthy relationship for the C1’s, but the point is that these are fantastic shoes, and these shoes deserve an absolute unlimited supply of Arby’s roast beef, and honestly they deserve better than us and we don’t appreciate them enough. My god, just get Arby’s for dinner instead of McDonald’s for once in your life, to make your running shoes happy.

Updated score: 9.8/10 (current top overall shoe of 2026)

Today felt like an appropriate day to double up, as I ran in the ASICS Gel Nimbus 28 this morning, and then spent the next couple of hours galavanting around the house in these absurdly hilarious Allday Knit grandpa sweater shoes from known sweater brand NOBULL.

This was my first ever time trying to Gel Nimbus line. To be honest, since their whole vibe is about squishy gel cushioning and the abject lack of any sort of energy return, I wasn’t exactly waiting in line at midnight on release day to pick these up. One thing I will say is that I think this line seems to get some of the coolest colorways in all of ASICS-dom, every time they release a new iteration of them. The ones I picked up are no exception. Absolutely love this vibe. Makes me feel like I’m at the club, but instead of dancing wildly everyone there is napping. My kind of club experience.

Took these for 8.2 miles this morning, in gorgeously overcast and cool weather, but extremely high humidity for the PNW, so I did sweat far more than usual. Interestingly, this is the first time I’ve noticed my shoes actually not breathing much and feeling warm. Like, first time ever. I was wearing some Puma socks that were by no means moisture wicking or anything of that nature, so there’s a chance that the humid weather and the socks were a main culprit, but if I never noticed shoes feeling warm, and I did notice it on these, that’s definitely something worth paying attention to for anyone whose feet run hot. I did run at a 7:56 pace, which was faster than I thought these shoes would allow. They have no energy return, but are far lighter than I was expecting, and the ASICS build geometry is always good for helping to aid in the run, so these did perform above expectations.

Fit:
Ultimate comfort. My goodness. That scorchingly hot upper is also scorchingly plush and soft, and sock-like. Very nice. The tongue is very thin (which I don’t like), but it wraps the foot nicely and offers even more comfort and luxury. I will say that you’ll want to experiment with the lacing, as I tied mine a bit too snug and had some red marking on the top of my feet (both sides). This could have been a combination of these Puma socks and just tying the laces too tight, but the very thin tongue also doesn’t protect much against lace bite, and as someone extraordinary sensitive to that, just beware. Maybe runner’s knot these and don’t tie them super tightly in the process. The toe box is perhaps a little tapered and may feel a tiny bit narrow for some folks, but the rest is the shoe is wide based and very stable and comfortable feeling. Very high end and comfortably snug upper, in mostly all good ways.

Ride:
I felt like I could run 500 miles in these. You know that song about walking 500 miles and then walking 500 more? It’s about these shoes. I really missed the boat on the previous versions of these, just because of my low energy return bias (technically the MagMax 2’s have low energy return too, and they are maybe the sneaky-best max stack recovery and long run shoe of the year). Apparently low energy doesn’t mean low levels of fun or joy. I need to tell this fact to my nine year old.

The gel is soft and squishy and spa-like, and while you don’t feel the midsole launching you, it absolutely still enables you to keep a moderate pace. In fact, it allows you to keep a moderate pace for a hell of a long time (next week Wednesday I’m going 15 miles in these as part of my marathon training) and feel very little impact on the legs or joints. Again, if you lace them correctly for your feet, there is basically nothing but stable and luxurious cushion under foot. If you lace them too tight like I did, you may feel a little lace bite. Thankfully it was nothing severe at all though.

Overall thoughts on the ASICS Gel Nimbus 28:
These are a real joy to run in, and are different enough and unique feeling enough that they do feel justified in the “actual, true, non-pseudo recovery, but actual, real recovery, and/or run club with your very slow and mostly unengaged in running friends, and/or run to and from the taphouse for a beer” role within your rotation. Honestly, these felt nothing like any of my other shoes, and because of that they have a novelty that I’m very into and one that’ll be a fun option for days where I’m bored of the other options in my closet.

I will say that there’s a vague similarity in the feeling of this gel, and the feeling of the incrediLUX foam that Saucony has in its Triumph 24. The big difference is that the Triumph has that luxurious squish feeling, but also has extremely impressive snappiness to it, and encourages more aggressive and active daily training runs. Okay maybe aggressive is the wrong term, but you get the idea. So, if you are like me and you want as wide of a range of shoes as possible, because you have a significant problem, then absolutely add these to your rotation. Otherwise you can get most everything from the Triumphs or the Paramount Max that you can get from the Gel Nimbus 28.

Score: 8.3/10

Quick review of the “funky sweater dad” shoes from NOBULL:

Okay I bought my wife and I each a pair of these as a joke, because we are going to go on a cruise later in the year and I said we could wear these with our linen pants and shirts and exist in ultimate comfort. I am funny. I swear to you that I am. Also, in retrospect you don’t wear sweater shoes on a cruise. You wear like flip flops, or even better I can wear my stupid Nike recovery slide Croc knockoffs. Okay, anyway, I just wanted to get these, and I got them. I made a choice as an adult and I got them.

So these are very stupid, but are extremely comfortable and somehow literally stable and supportive enough that I feel like I could walk around all day in them. Supportive feet sweaters.

I am not a CrossFit or hyrox guy (my phone initially autocorrected hyrox to gyros, and I am that guy) so I haven’t ever really had genuine interest in the NOBULL brand, but honestly I can already tell that I am going to wear these every single day this fall. Leaves on the ground? Sweater shoes. Overcast skies? Halloween vibes? Watching football and eating a full football helmet of cheese dip? You guessed it, sweater shoes.

When it comes to novelty comfort shoes that are made to be a sock and also a sweater and also probably something you can do squats in, apparently NOBULL is truly the top of the line option.

Score: 🍂🍁🎃🌫️🍃🏈**🫕/1**0

What a day. I’ve finally found a pair of New Balance shoes that brought me joy and excitement, and were actually fun to run in. The 1080v15’s are the real deal, y’all.

I returned the all black Rebels that I tried a couple weeks back and decided to replace them with these all black 1080v15’s. The Rebels bored the absolute hell out of me for running purposes, but did function just fine as “standing just far enough outside of the pit area as to not die at the hardcore festival” shoes. As a result, I decided to upgrade to some higher-end all black NB shoes for this upcoming weekend’s hardcore festival, for which I’m traveling to LA. Gotta have the fancy all black NB shoes when in LA. This is primarily why I prefer being a Portland hardcore fan and runner guy, as I can be pure trash here and I fit right in.

I took these bad boys out for 12 miles this morning, with clear sunny skies, 60-64 degrees temps, low humidity, minimal wind, and my usual hilly and undulating road and sidewalk route. I did consider looping a bit at the end to try to hit the half marathon distance, but my Apple Watch had just died, and if my Run App couldn’t capture that extra distance traveled, did it even really happen? Anyway, the run was a significant joy, and I cruised at 7:58 per mile pace. I needed to pick up the pace a bit over the last two miles to end up with a sub-8 minute pace, and the shoes absolutely aided in that achievement. I didn’t think you had it in you, New Balance. I wasn’t familiar with your game.

Fit:
Far and away the most comfortable NB shoes I’ve ever had on my feet, and that’s saying something considering the only real compliment I’ve ever given to NB is that their shoes are generally very comfortable. I think their shoes are generally pretty ugly and boring, and I get that Shohei Ohtani wears them, but so does my 80 year old father.

The upper is extremely plush and stable feeling, with a perfect softness and stability combo in the heel and ankle of the shoe. Still neutral feeling, but neutral in a way where I can take a corner and not go flying into a mailbox or toddler in a stroller. Fantastic tongue and lacing as well. The base is definitely wide, so I presume the wide and extra wide versions of this shoe are like the absolute perfect shoe for folks with slightly wide, up to comically wide feet. Hell yeah, New Balance. Shoes for the real people in the world. Any time a brand is willing to make shoes that aren’t just for one specific foot type, they score major points with me (which I assume is their main goal as a corporation).

These are going to be great “standing around at the hardcore fest all day, for multiple days” shoes as well. Very cushioned and plush, and not wobbly feeling at all. I guess that’s the main compliment I have for NB at this point. The anti-wobble shoe brand. Don’t get me wrong, I love feeling drunk and disoriented as much as the next guy, but I prefer to get that way through consumption of hazy IPAs and a grapefruit radler or two, and not via my support-less shoes.

Ride:
Very impressive job by NB on the geometric design of these shoes. The 6mm drop paired with this new midsole foam (I guess these have been out for a while so they probably have a newer version already) felt so stable and gently energetic underfoot, and I didn’t feel like any portion of my foot or legs had to work extra hard or to overcompensate for any other portion. After running in the Vomero Plus yesterday, these felt like a damn day at the stability and support spa. There is also absolutely some “get up”’in these shoes. As I mentioned above, when I made the decision to take things up a notch to try to bring my average mile time down, the shoes did their part. In fact, in retrospect, I had already done 10 miles in these shoes before I upped the pace pretty dramatically. I’m even more impressed now. No midsole dying at all during the entire run. Also didn’t feel any weakening or material breakdown in the upper over the 12 miles, so unlike the complete falling apart the V+’s did on me yesterday, these are truly capable of sustained performance for a long run. Excited to get many more miles on these so I can provide y’all with a 100+ mile update.

Only criticism I’ll give here is that this outsole handled the distance well, and I’m not seeing any noticeable wear yet, but these might suffer from some pretty severe exposed foam degradation if you are a heel striker. I have to imagine that roll through will rip that foam apart. Maybe I’m wrong, but if you are a heavier runner, that may be something to take into account. I’m not sure how NB is with warranty claim stuff if that happens quickly, but I know Hoka basically comes to your house and pushes you down if you try to send in a warranty claim, so hopefully NB is kinder.

Final thoughts on New Balance 1080v15:
Yeah these are the best NB shoes I’ve ever experienced, by far. I’ve never coalesced with NB in the past, so my praise is specific to someone who had a good experience with the brand for the first time, BUT I am thoroughly impressed by and excited for my future runs in these shoes.

If we are talking about these versus other highly cushioned daily trainers, I’d put them right up with the Triumph 24’s and Paramount Max in that top tier. I’ve seen some sales going on where you can grab these for under $140. At $170 they are expensive, but they are damn near as good as the Triumphs and better than the Clifton Pro, so at this price point they are still a winner. I am a big fan of the Novablast 6’s, and this may sound blasphemous but I think I honestly would choose these over those. I know, I’m a bad and mean person. Who will think of the poor little shoe companies like ASICS? 😩😱

I’d still probably spend the extra $30 for the Saucony Paramount Max, as those are just fun as hell, but if you are a rational adult these shoes are absolutely perfect for racking up the miles and not hating your life in the process.

Score: 9.4/10

Speaking of ASICS, I’m trying the Gel Nimbus 28’s tomorrow. Stay tuned. 🤘

If you’ve been following my reviews, you know that I like to gently talk smack on the Vomero Plus line, as I’ve just seen so many people wear these in the wrong environments (anywhere that you need any sort of stability support whatsoever, like light trails, or uneven ground, or anything other than a flat, consistent surface) or for the wrong distances (anything over 15k is just not the right application for these shoes), and end up injured.

That being said, I have multiple pairs and when I was first getting very into daily running, these were my go-to shoes. I also have the slime green ones and those all grey ones with like the dark khaki colored accents and swoosh, and yeah, those ones are fly as hell. I prefer my Vomero Premiums from the standpoint of how ridiculous they look and how stabilizing and rehabilitating they feel. The Pluses just feel like I’m constantly wobbling, especially when I’m standing around or slowly walking in them. I really dislike the concept of these being “standing or walkin’ around” shoes for anyone, as the combination of stack height, complete abject lack of stability, and the extremely soft and bouncy midsole, is just begging for ankle or Achilles injuries. For shoes that go up high on the heel and ankles, they have an almost impressive lack of strength and stability to support that area.

While I have my criticisms, I’ve never stopped running in them. I have 97 miles on my slime green V+’s and now over 160 miles on these multicolored fellas. I generally use them for 7-9 miles each time. I go against my own advice and wear them often for my extremely hilly and undulating daily runs, so I’m a hypocrite and an asshole, and also I can confirm, as someone who has used them on the improper terrain, as well as on the correct terrain, they are genuinely amazing shoes when utilized properly. It has maybe just now dawned on me that my criticism of these shoes is because I normally use them in my daily runs and it’s all hills and turns. Am I the problem? What have I become?

In a year (and combined 250+ miles) of running in my two pairs of these shoes, I can confirm the following:

✔️ The fit feels comfortably locked down in the midfoot and toe box, but also sloppy around the heel and ankles. Very fantastic padding throughout the shoe.

✔️ The tongue is goated and is still one of the best in the business. I will always embrace a little extra weight on my shoe if it means the tongue is padded and comfy against my top-foot joints, ligaments and bones.

✔️ The foam is far less springy in the shoes with 160 miles, compared to the sub-100 miles pair. Both are still extremely bouncy, but 160-mile pair are beginning to feel more “sinking bouncy” rather than “energy bouncy,” which is the whole point of these shoes. The sub-100 miles pair are still “energy bouncy,” but also feel less sloppy overall, so there’s a chance that these shoes change dramatically once they hit the 140-150 mile mark. At least for me. As a reminder I am a light person, but I stomp run, so I do degrade things more quickly than some other runners.

✔️ The outsole looks damn near untouched after 160+ miles. It’s so incredibly impressive. It’s also a frustrating thing about these shoes. Upon looking at them you’d be easily convinced that they would work well for light trails or undulating terrain, because of that incredibly impressive outsole. The next iteration of these shoes might as well shave some weight and reduce the outsole coverage a tiny bit. It’s kind of a waste, which I’m sure most people would disagree with me on.

✔️ I have some foam breakdown and visible degradation on the pronation side, which happens to me in general, but it is pretty extreme on these shoes. The UFOs and Specter 3’s also have that for me, and the Specters are still a top tier shoe for me this year, so it’s not a deal breaker as long as it is not causing failure of the shoe during my runs. So far no injuries from this, so we press on. I did feel the beginning of some pulling happening in my hamstring when I wore the Superblast 3’s, but that was more so because of bottoming out vibes, and a lack of heel support underfoot. I’ve noticed a slight amount of this in the Topo Atmost 2 as well.

✔️ I have generally held around a 7:40 per mile pace in these, when I use them for my 7-9 mile runs. I have noticed that over the last few uses, I’ve been closer to 7:50, so that energy bounce is definitely diminishing. I will run in the other pair again soon to compare, but I do believe that these are great and fun shoes when they are new and more rigid, but as they break in (both midsole and materials on the upper) the feel is just sloppy and uninspired.

ANYWAY, I’m here to say that these shoes will always hold a special place in my heart, and they still look extremely good, so from the standpoint of shoes you can just wear forever, these are right up there. I do think they look cool, but if you are going to commit to giant stack Nike shoes, at this point you just gotta fully commit and go with the very dumb and comically glorious Vomero Premiums. And then for your daily runs you need to stop with the V+ (switch to using these only for moderately paced 5k and under daily runs) and upgrade your daily running experience for anything longer than that.

For daily running in the 5k to 15k range, I recommend switching out your V+ shoes for:

✅ Saucony Triumph 24 (or Paramount Max if you are a person of culture like me)

✅ ASICS Novablast 6

✅ New Balance 1080 v15 (review of these coming later this week)

✅ R.A.D. UFO (if you want a similar but better functional version of the V+)
✅ R.A.D. Mallow (these have the good parts of the Vomero 18 and Vomero Plus, without the bad parts)

R.A.D. shoes are basically Nike shoes (Mallow is a better Vomero 18) combined with ASICS (UFO is a better SuperBlast 3) combined with lifting and "Xtreme" culture, and while that is not entirely my vibe, the shoes are tremendous.

🏆 Or just get the shoe that has even better style and colorways, a better upper fit and feel underfoot, and better everything than the V+, the Puma MagMax 2 Nitro (much less bouncy energy return, but you don’t even notice it because of how well the shoe geometry works during the run. You feel stable and lively and finally happy with all of the choices you’ve made in life. Finally. These are also safe to stand around in, unlike the V+!)

Well I finally gave in and tried the Megablasts, y’all. As a Superblast 2 lover, Novablast 6 fan, and a Grade-A Superblast 3 hater, I really wanted to just hold off on trying the Megablasts as long as possible. The time finally arrived, and today I raw-dogged these shoes in a race against 300 other competitors, because if these are so great they should be able to handle a no-break-in-period competition race, right?

Well I took third overall and set my 10k PR, so as mad as I am to admit it, these are at the very least in my top 5 shoes of 2026. I officially get and embrace the hype. I really wanted to hate on these, but they are pretty damn special. Are they $225 worth of specialness? I will come back and confirm that after I run my next half marathon in them. I also feel like I now have to figure out if I am actually wearing my Mount to Coast C1’s for my marathon in seven weeks, or if I wear these things. They’ve truly messed up my whole approach! Up is down. Black is white. We’ve got no food. We’ve got no jobs. Our pets heads are falling off.

Fit:
I read a lot of critique of these shoes being too narrow or tapered in the toe box, and to be honest that was a reason I wasn’t all that keen to even try them out. I can handle a more narrow toe box (just not the MtC H1 for some reason…that one recently disappointed the hell out of me) but for shoes that you would likely want to bust out for a marathon or even half marathon, you need that room for your feet to swell up a bit.

I’m sure those other folks/reviewers weren’t lying about their experiences, but I will say that I didn’t feel any narrow vibes from these. The base isn’t crazy wide like the SB2 or SB3, and the toe box isn’t wide like the SB2’s, but honestly these just fit like a race-based-upper version of the NB6. The NB6 upper is more comfortable and a little more stable (thicker material) but having just run in them the other day, the Megablast fit felt extremely similar in overall vibes to the NB6. So, if you are afraid of the narrow toe box allegations, I would still recommend trying them for yourself before writing them off like I had. I was mistaken in my assumptions.

The upper is that race shoe thin ass material though, so it’s highly light and breathable, and very impressive and comfortable feeling. Solid lacing system and laces, and the heel collar and ankle support sits at the absolute perfect height for my feet, so I had exemplary support and stability throughout my run. These are right up there with the MtC C1 and On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper for the support and stability I felt. I was not expecting that. I love the UFO and especially love the Specter 3, but those do not have great stability and support, even if you have only ever thought about or dreamed about the concept of pronating. Don’t think about it! Too late, those shoes will be fun for you, but will hurt your ankles. I’m so sorry. The tongue is very light and looks and feels floppy as hell until your foot is in the shoe, at which time it sits nicely against your foot and locks in just fine. I like a padded tongue, even if it adds weight, after my lace bite debacle from the Speedgoat 7’s, but the tongue on these is very comfortable for a thin, wimpy tongue.

The outsole is minimal and will absolutely fall apart with time and miles, but these are really meant for well groomed paths, roads and sidewalks, so as long as you stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to, you’ll be just fine (TLC reference for my Gen X and millennial pals). That said, the grip is actually pretty solid, and I was impressed with them only being dirty on the exposed parts after this run, and not scuffed up much at all.

Ride:
I get it. I understand now. Part of the reason I finally tried these is because I have been extremely impressed with the NB6 and that little pod of “the good foam” in the forefoot of those shoes, and the same “good foam” that the midsole of these shoes is entirely comprised of. Very nice cushioning and support, but firm enough that you feel like you can actually run in them, and not just “homerun trot” your way from Point A to Point B. I criticized ASICS to the highest of heavens about what I thought was just them breaking the SB2 into the Megablast and the SB3 instead of just keeping one supershoe in their lineup, but there really is a reason for the existence of this shoe. It is not going to be quite as “do-it-all” as the SB2, but this is a far superior race day shoe to the SB2, and I don’t say that lightly, as my previous 10k PR was with the SB2. I’m excited to try half marathon distance, and depending on how that goes potentially try them for full marathon distance, because even from just this one 10k run, I can feel the upside and potential in these shoes.

I will say that people have criticized how stiff the ride is in these. I ran a race at the Portland International Raceway on Thursday, and we got to run around the track (which was cool), and I wore my On Cloudmonster 3 Hypers for that (I took 1st overall and my darling took 5th overall, so go Team Us Folks™️) and those are far more stiff of a ride than the Megablasts are. So take that for what it’s worth. The Hypers are still my sleeper hit of the year though and are very likely going to end up as my top shoe, depending on how the half marathons, full marathon, and full marathon trail run go over the course of the remainder of the year. Also what the hell shoe do I wear for a marathon trail run? I’m terrified, y’all.

Don’t be afraid of a stiffer ride, folks. High stack plus stiffer cushioned midsole equals comfort and pace. Put that on a bumper sticker.

If I can maintain a sub-7 minute mile 10k pace in these, you can too, or your money back! Sorry for mixing miles and kilometers together there, but I am drinking a beer and eating ribs while writing this, so I need to stick with the maths that I know. So far no bbq sauce on my phone though, so that’s a win.

Overall thoughts on the ASICS Megablast:
If anything these might be slightly underrated, which sounds bonkers, but with all of the shoes out there now, and with everyone wanting to be a contrarian (myself included), it’s easy to write off the big fancy shoes from the big fancy shoe company. These are perfect race day shoes. Use them for your next 5k of 10k. I’ll confirm for you soon, but I assure you that these will also be fantastic for a half marathon. I may also end up confirming for you soon, but I am pretty confident these could handle a marathon very well. I am truly in shambles now trying to figure out if these are actually the right choice for my first marathon, or if I should just commit to the C1.

I believe that I could comfortably sit in a 7:20-7:50 per mile half marathon pace in these, so if I can do that as someone who is by no means the fastest person ever, I think these are truly fantastic race day shoes for all of us in Runnersville.

The Megablasts could also handle daily miles and probably be very fun for those, but at this price point I believe that these are really meant to be a shoe that you break out when you are running in a race. Something that is timed and there are Port Authority tech shirts, finisher medals, age-specific awards, and a beer garden that offers a wide variety of Coors Light.

Score: 9.7/10

Right up there with the Topo Specter 3 and On Cloudmonster Hyper 3 as my top “running a race that involves an MC and a PA system” shoes of 2026. Excited to hopefully get my damn Dynafish soon to see how those stack up!

Full disclosure, I had a pair of these in gorgeous bright slime green a few months ago, but I wasn’t able to test them properly, as I was going through a lace bite injury, which caused an inflamed tendon or ligament (or something) on the top of my foot (thanks HOKA Speedgoat 7’s), and when I tried to wear the Azuras the tongue pushed directly on that spot and I was unable to handle it. Ran one time, ran real fast, was in extreme pain the whole time, returned them, was sad.

Now that my lower body, legs, ankles and feet are feeling as healthy as they have in a long time (knock on all the wood in the Pacific Northwest) I figured it was time to give these another shot.

It’s hot here and the air is all smoke from the wildfires, and I had a lot of wine and German chocolate cake last night to celebrate a promotion at work, so obviously I somehow ran the fastest 7.8 mile loop that I’ve done this summer. Apparently all it takes to be a successful runner is muscle breakdown from heat, poor breathing from bad air, having a wine hangover headache, and a pained belly from overeating. Don’t give up on your dreams, kids.

Anyway I did my usual mid-distance hilly and undulating sidewalk and roadway run, and averaged 6:58 per mile. For me, that’s really fast over nearly eight miles. I was also listening to Pod Save America, which apparently amped me right up. 🤷

Fit:
Now that I’m not injured, that upper fits like a dream. Snug and secure, with quite a bit of stability, but breathable and stretchy enough to accommodate a large swath of foot sizes. I truly think Saucony has the best “Goldilocks” uppers in running, as they are built to handle many different foot types. Even my wife’s tiny yet freakishly voluminous feet fit well in Saucony shoes. She’s way out of my league in attractiveness and intelligence though, so she doesn’t mind me making jokes about her feet; don’t worry guys. The tongue is thin but is way more padded and comfortable than I had remembered.

My only fit concern is that the laces are a little long and they did loosen to the point where I really wanted to stop and tie them again on my right foot, about four miles into my run. Of course I didn’t do that because I was making great time, so I instead just risked severe injury (as one does). They didn’t come undone though, so no harm no foul. If they feel that way again next time I’ll likely just change out the laces. For the record I actually hate changing laces and I am big on “the shoe needs to come with all the correct and fully functioning components” in my opinions on products, but that might just be me being….particular. I’d rather throw myself off a bridge than change out the insole of a shoe, for another sample of my undiagnosed OCD.

Ride:
Yeah these are phenomenal. So glad I gave them another shot. They look absurd and bordering on stupid (probably why I like their look so much) but these feel like the kind of technology and geometry-forward daily trainer that the world needs right now. Everything is either mega-cushioned and ultra-padded (which, to be honest, I usually what I go after) or aggressive race day-coded “supertraining professionals only but also everyone buy these and use them for your local turkey trot against 8 year olds” in nature these days, so it felt really nice to run in something a bit firmer, energetic, geometrically aiding, but also “normal” feeling underfoot. Again, they look like racer shoes but these are just extremely solid, springy, stable, and shock absorbing daily trainers, in the best ways possible.

The rocker geometry, lightness in weight, and firmer midsole absolutely work together to make these speedy trainers, so don’t get me wrong these are absolutely something you can run races in (going to use them for a 10k on Saturday as a matter of fact), but these are just perfectly designed fun daily trainers.

The only criticism, and it’s a real one, is that the outside coverage is really, really bad. As you can see from the picture, a sub-8 mile run tore these up. They are very lightweight $150 speedy trainers in the year 2026, so these are not shoes I expect to give me 400 miles of service, but at this current rate I’d expect to destroy these entirely by 200-220 miles. I am personally just fine with that, but I know that doesn’t work for everyone. So, especially if you are prone to pronation (thank you, I’ll be here all week), just know that you will likely tear that outsole up pretty quickly. An ugly outsole doesn’t mean the shoes are compromised, but if you are losing chunks of foam over time, you’ll need to keep an eye on that to avoid catastrophic breakdown during a run, and a potential injury.

Overall thoughts on the Saucony Endorphin Azura:
I know that people loved these when they first came out, but there are so many shoes releasing lately that I think these maybe fell off a little bit in the zeitgeist. It is also confusing to know what the hell a shoe is supposed to be used for, when one brand has so many variations and varieties.

ASICS has the Superblasts and Megablast and Novablast, with the NB as the “daily trainer” version.

New Balance has just given up on using logic and has a combination “daily trainer/race day/long run/maybe there is a secret plate in here and maybe not” application for every shoe now.

Nike has the Vomero (daily trainer), Vomero Plus (daily trainer and race shoe for people who want to hurt their bodies) and Vomero Premium (my god these are not actually for running, but are so fun and great, so I don’t judge you if you run in them).

Topo has the breakout shoe of the year, and then immediately makes a new version of it with a plate, and I’m sure they’ll have another version with wings or something, shortly.

Mount to Coast, R.A.D., and Tracksmith are at least new enough in the shoe game that they only have a few shoe options, so it is easy enough to decipher which shoe is truly for which function. What a gift.

Saucony has the Endorphin line for speed and races, and the Azura is the “non-plated daily trainer” in that line. Then they also have the highly cushioned and incrediLUX and incrediRUN midsoles line of the Triumph (daily trainer), Paramount Max (uh, also daily trainer but bigger?), and Hurricane (stability daily trainer).

The point being that every company has a billion options at this point, and every company has at least one or two top tier shoes that are advertised anywhere from being a daily trainer to a race day shoe to a super trainer, and everything in between, so it can be very hard to find a shoe that will just function very well and meet your basic needs. SO, here’s the quick and dirty review of the Endorphin Azura:

Fantastic fit. Fantastic ride. A true daily trainer that is little firmer and snappier than Saucony’s other daily trainer option (Triumph 24), but a little more stable and secure feeling. That said, I can already tell that they will not hold up over time like the Triumph, so if longevity is your goal, this is probably not a long term single shoe option. If you need a two shoe daily trainer rotation and you like Saucony, this and the Triumph 24 is about as good of a combination as exists in 2026. If you like Saucony and also want a super luxurious recovery shoe option, that also goes confusingly fast, add the Paramount Max in there as well. Spend all of your money. They say the economy is doing just fine. The world is totally not on fire and we are totally not all doomed. The end.

Score: 8.8/10 (absolutely in the top 5 daily trainers of the year for me, thus far)

Passed the 60 mile mark in the RH9U’s today and wanted to give y’all a quick update:

So far I’ve done 5k up to half marathon distances in these shoes, putting up a 21:33 5k time and a 1:57:08 half marathon time.

First things first, that outsole. Looks damn near unused. Considering how ultra soft and bouncy and springy these are, I’m honestly pretty shocked at how well they’ve held up. Sure, we are only talking 60 miles and six runs, but the multiple layers of foam, bounce capsule, and also the plated portion, should theoretically be working against each other and causing some sort of breakdown somewhere in the geometry or materials of the shoe (at least I’d assume so). Alas, they are just as sturdy, perfectly fitting, fun to run in, and high functioning as they were on that fateful first run.

As I said in my initial review, they absolutely do feel unstable when you strap them on and walk around in them. Huge stack height and crazy midsole combo does not equal stability. There is also zero ground feel because of this, but honestly that’s my jam. I know my wife prefers a stack height of like 3mm total, and wants to be on the actual ground, but that’s because she’s wrong. Beautiful, but wrong. All of this being said, once you are moving forward with momentum (even upper-tempo walking pace) they are activated and begin working their magic. I feel like I can hear that “celebrate good times, come on!” song playing somewhere off in the distance with each stride.

You don’t need that next pair of EVO SL’s or Vomero Plus’s. You need these instead. Trust me, y’all.

I’ll check back in at 130 miles to see if they can continue functioning at this level. I presume that the minute they have any some of material breakdown, they become a ticking time bomb, but until that point I can confidently proclaim that these are some of the best shoes of 2026. Done sleep on Li-Ning/Way of Wade shoes. Great stuff across the board.

Should hopefully be getting my Dynafish shortly, so I am looking very forward to finally trying those out!

Just popping on here to give a well deserved shoutout to the NB6’s, after passing 80 miles in them this morning.

There have been so many amazing shoes released this year, and I feel as though the NB6’s popularity within the current running world has possibly suffered a bit, from more “exciting” competition coming from the other big brands. I also think people are convinced that “daily trainers” are unnecessary, and that they can just use super shoes and giant cushioned recovery shoes everyday, so the excitement around the more simplified “standard/basic” shoes has waned. Maybe I’m wrong, and also maybe I’m mostly just speaking for myself and my attitudes, but I digress…

That being said, after 80+ miles these things are still in phenomenal shape, the upper fit and comfort is still in the top 2-3 of the year, and the foam is showing absolutely zero signs of degradation. For perspective, I was feeling some small signs of breakdown after 50 miles in my Novablast 5’s, and significant foam sag after 100 miles. As a 125 pound runner I’d hope that wouldn’t be possible, but the 5’s, while extremely bouncy and fun for those initial miles, really did struggle over time. I have a good feeling about these 6’s and I’ll update again once I’m at 130 miles.

If you still believe in actual daily trainers, these are some of the best of 2026.

Took these for eight miles this morning (8:08 pace, which was pretty decent considering I usually only consider these as “maximum slow” shoes), along the Columbia River near Portland. Raced a 10k yesterday that was all uneven grassy and rocky side sloping hills and varying terrain (wore my Mount to Coast C1’s and they were fine, but honestly I needed some proper road to trail or light trail shoes for this one, and was underprepared), and then spent all day and evening standing at a music festival, where I also got a tattoo on my thigh, so my legs were cooked this morning. Thankfully I had my secret weapon along with me: the Puma MagMax Nitro 2.

I crossed over the 100 mile mark in these shoes today, and am currently sitting at 104.1 miles. They were great on their first run, great on their 6th and 7th runs, and are just as great now. Truly I think the foam has not only held up, but is slightly more springy and energetic now than on initial use. The upper is still in immaculate shape and the outside is plenty scuffed and less beautiful, but still in fantastic condition. Puma Grip is truly top of the line.

I’ve said this before, but these accomplish everything you’d want out of a Vomero Plus, minus the super bouncy foam. After 100 miles I’d say that the more broken in foam feels increasingly bouncy, and more like a Vomero Plus’s foam, but with all of the superior build quality and supportive elements that the Vomero Plus is missing. I know I’m a V+ hater at this point, but as someone who has three pairs of them, I’m just amazed at how nearly every shoe that is in direct competition of the V+ is actually better. All of those shoe influencers who called the V+ the best daily trainer ever, when they were first released, were maybe just buying into the hype. That’s all I’m saying. Don’t hurt me, Nike Army. I’m also a card carrying member of that Army, still, for all of their other products, so I think I’m safe. ANYWAY, back to Puma.

I got myself a second pair of these (those new mint green and grey ones, which are sexy as hell) but I’m assuming I would need to break into those until at least another 100 miles or so of these ones. They are MAX cushion, so I do think once they hit 200-250 miles they will be cooked, but that’s not a knock on the shoes, that’s just the world we live in with max cushion trainers. I will absolutely check in again at 200 miles.

Now that they have passed 100 miles at not only equal quality to how they started, but even with some increased responsiveness and bounce/energy in the foam, I’m only doubling down on how amazingly impressive and top tier these shoes are. Truly one of the best max cushion models out there, and absolutely a best of 2026 shoe for me.

Took these out for 14.2 miles this morning, as I begin prepping for the Portland Marathon in October. Crossed over the 130 mile mark in the process, so I thought it was time for an update.

Kept up a quick 8:06 pace, which, when looking at how widely gigantic these shoes are (need their own suitcase if you take them on a trip with you), seems absolutely crazy, but as I spoke to in my initial run review, they are shockingly light feeling underfoot and are not only stabilizing and cushioned, the pairing of the rocker geometry and incrediRUN midsole foam genuinely launches you forward, so while these look like they’ll perform similarly to something like the Puma MagNax Nitro 2’s (which I adore, by the way) they perform much more closely to something like a more firm and energetic Superblast 3, while being much more stable, supportive, and luxuriously comfortable. Also absolutely no feeling of bottoming out, like too many of us have experienced with the SB3.

As you can see, these have only been used on streets and sidewalks, and haven’t been rained on or gotten really very wet at all, so the upper is still in damn near pristine condition. The fit is still glorious and the lockdown and stability still remains top notch. These are among the widest-based shoes in the “max stack and cushioned super trainer/faux-super trainer/what do you even call shoes in general at this point” category, and for my feet and running style that wide ass platform is appreciated, and feels just wonderful to run on. It’s the same feeling I have when slapping the On Cloudmonster 3 Hypers onto my feet. Just a beautiful wide and sturdy base, but paired with midsole technology that wants to support and cushion your feet, while also being able to kick things up a notch when you are ready to run a little faster. The C1’s are still my favorite shoes of the year, but those are meant to lock into a mid-to-moderate pace and stick in it forever, so the Paramounts and Cloudmonsters have a slightly different use case.

As I’ve said before, I am a stomp runner as I get late into my runs and my form breaks down, and it’s just the way I am, and I still deserve love. When I do this I also pronate a bit, and it’s more aggressive on my left heel, as you can see in the last picture. This causes quicker deterioration of the foam and/or more aggressive foam-to-outsole rubber disconnect/breakdown than on other portions of the shoe. This is why I generally look at a 200-250 mile lifespan for my shoes, unless they are very stable. The Triumph 24’s should easily last over the 250 miles. I believe that the Mount to Coast C1’s and On Cloudmonster 3 Hypers could each handle 350+ miles, even with my running style. The MtC’s probably even more.

SO, I’ll keep pushing these and I’ll update again at 250 miles, as long as they don’t cause my horrific death in the process, and I am therefore unable to continue writing these reviews. If you ever stop hearing from me, please call Saucony and tell them that their Paramount Max line took a life and that they might need to be recalled, or at least have a warning label on the box.

Current Ranking of “Real-High-or-Max Stack” Trainers/Long Runners/Hybrid Super Shoes/Recovery Shoes/etc.

Vomero Premiums are excluded because I love these shoes but I do not run in them. I have also not included the Li-Ning Red Hare 9 Ultras, because I need to run in them one more time before I put them into my actual ranking list. I say this because they blew my mind so aggressively that they might honestly be in the top two or three of this list. They also probably need to sit in their own category that is more of a “these are good for races and running fast” with the Topo Specter 3’s, now that I think more about it.

(daily trainer/racers/etc., like the Specter 3, NB 6 and Triumph 24 are are not in this category):

1. Mount to Coast C1
2. Saucony Paramount Max
3. On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper
4. Tracksmith Eliot Ryder
5. Puma MagMax Nitro 2
6. R.A.D. UFO
7. Topo Atmos 2

All of these are fantastic shoes and the only reason the R.A.D. UFO is currently sitting at #6 is because they might be similarly impacting my feet and legs in ways that the Superblast 3’s did. They are better shoes overall, in my opinion, but they might be slightly too squishy and unstable for the distance and running style I engage in (7-12 mile daily stomper). I will be putting them up over the 100 mile mark within the next couple of weeks and I’ll do an update at that time. They were #3 on my list before I started having issues either them. Also, like, the Topos are #7 and they are also fantastic shoes, so any of these on this list are worth your attention. It’s a golden era for shoes and new shoe technology.

These are the epitome of the ultra lightweight, soft and squishy, low-to-the-ground, “old school vibes meet new school technology” speedy daily trainer/tempo shoes. Also, these have been out for a while now so I know I’m not telling you something you haven’t already read many times, or experienced yourself.

I had a pair of the bright pink Rebel v5’s a few months back, but I was nursing a lace bite injury (thanks Hoka Speedgoat 7’s), and the way the Rebels sat against my foot was not working for me, so I had to return those beautiful bad boys. My wife kept hers though and they have become her main daily trainers (no matter how many cool new shoes I surprise her with, and attempt to force upon her).

I decided to try these shoes one more time, as I’m about to go to two hardcore festivals in the next couple of weeks (and I need to be able to stand for like 10 hours), and all black New Balances are the shoe of the hardcore world, as everyone knows. Also, in the event that I get in the pit I need to be nimble, and if there is one thing that these shoes can offer, it’s a lightweight and quick moving package to aid in my moshing and spin kicking. Keep in mind I’m 40 years old, so yes I am mostly just embarrassing as a person.

I ran 6.8 miles in these today. Hilly and undulating sidewalk and roadway running. These are extremely light and speed-encouraging shoes, so I ran very fast (for me) and ended up with a 7:17 pace over the 6.8 miles. My fastest Wednesday run in a long time (shorter distance than some other Wednesday runs, but we’ll get to that later). It was like 77 degrees and no wind or clouds, so I was running a bit warm, and the shoes felt very warm. They are all black though, so I have only myself to blame.

Here’s the deal, these are fantastic speedy daily trainers/tempo work shoes for many people. Hell, I willingly sleep next to one of these people. But these shoes are not for me. They bore the hell out of me. I realize I’m spoiled because I’ve decided to take on this journey of trying every shoe I can find, and the technology has developed so much in the last year, but man, these shoes were the winners of so many “best of 2025” lists, or at least right up there with the Evo SL’s and Vomeros. Am I the weird one for not really liking any of those shoes all that much? Wait, don’t answer that.

These are incredibly comfortable and impressively built but holy hell, when it came to the actual running, I felt like I had to do so much more work than with most other daily trainers I’ve tried lately, and I felt like I was basically “feet directly on the ground” the whole time. Clearly I’ve been running in max stack shoes for too long, but I was way too close to the ground for my liking. I was also reminded that New Balance foam is SO squishy and soft, and I definitely stomp when I am tired and my form is breaking down a bit, so these would not hold up as daily trainers for me for very long.

Fit:
Comfortable as hell and they will be perfect for speedily walking from my hotel to the hardcore festival, standing around for 10 hours, and then walking back to my hotel. I could even jog in them, dance in them, or run very fast in them to get away from hoodlums.

The tongue and lacing is extremely comfy, and I remember the v4 of these shoes had a very uncomfortable heel collar and tongue. They definitely fixed that for this iteration. Extremely comfortable, I tell ya. They also have a wide base, so these are going to be great for someone who perhaps needs a little bit of stability support, but wants to be able to run fast and feel close to the ground while doing it.

The stack on these is lower than basically everything else at this point (NB says 35mm in the heel with 6mm drop, though I’ve seen reviewers measure the actual stack as low as 32mm in the heel), so for people like my wife that’s a big plus and selling point. For me it feels like death or at least impending doom. How can you run without being mostly sure that you’ll tip over when you have to try to run around a small child or a stray and rabid dog? So, if low stack and wide base is your style, the fit of these is truly fantastic. I prefer to live a little more dangerously.

Ride:
Let me start by saying everything is a matter of personal preference, so my opinion here is just my opinion based on my preferences. To me, these are extremely quick shoes and are easy to run fast in. They are very comfortable up top and standing/walking in these feels extremely comfortable, stable and cushioned.

That being said, running in these felt like a chore. I didn’t feel the rocker aiding much at all. The midsole is SOFT and squishy, and that’s absolutely the point of what NB is trying to achieve here, so I can only criticize so much, but my goodness the lower stack, lower drop, not-doing-much-for-me rocker, and ultra soft and squishy foam just made me feel like I was going to bottom out, and that any and all energy return was nonexistent.

Again, I ran in the Red Hare 9 Ultras yesterday, so I am clearly ruined for “normal” shoes like these ones, but I was truly just bored. The ride is solid and fine, and also boring. Again, that’s very possibly the point and what NB wanted to achieve: A light, stable, squishy, low stack, low energy return trainer for tempo work and for connecting with your inner demons and potentially slightly outrunning them, at least for a while, until you are exhausted and your form breaks down and them demons getcha. Oh boy, do they ever getcha.

Overall thoughts on the New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5:
These are awesome running shoes, probably, for many people. Clearly they are beloved by a swath of the running community. I also believe that they feel great on foot and are going to be fantastic walking and standing around in shoes. I also believe that the colorways on these are phenomenal, and the all black ones are the worst looking ones (I’m committed to the hardcore community though, even if it makes my feet less attractive…I’m a real one). So, truly, if you need cool looking, soft, lower stack, extremely lightweight, and decently priced shoes to walk around in and enjoy in that capacity, I highly recommend these.

From the running shoes perspective, I think these are MILES behind other options out there. Again, a ton of development has happened in the shoe world since these came out. I paid $144 for these, which is an overpay, in my opinion. I’m guessing once the v6 is out these will be like $110, at which time they’ll be a significant deal.

NB is releasing their plated version of these in a few days, and I presume they’ll improve upon the criticisms I have of the v5’s. I will commit to trying those out, as I’m very curious how they will compare. If they are less “going to bottom out” squishy, and have proper energy return, which I presume they’ll improve upon in both areas, I could be very interested. Unless they make gigantic changes I’ll be skipping the v6’s though.

MY score on these: 6.8/10 (great shoes for some folks, not ideal at all for me)

Well that was a bonkers running experience. What even are these shoes, y’all? Apparently we just have no rules anymore? Okay, I am in support of this new lawless shoe landscape.

I bought my kid some Way of Wade basketball shoes last year, which was the first time I had heard of that brand. My assured me that they were cool, and that he was cool, and that I’d be cool if I got him those shoes, so I made sure to follow his advice. When I found out that Li-Ning was the same company as Way of Wade, I figured I’d give these bad boys a shot.

I went with the most chill and lowkey design/colorway I could find, because wow some of these are absolutely bonkers. My neighbors are already confused as to why I am always running in weird, different shoes every morning, so I figured trying to keep a low profile is my best option. I don’t want them to think I’m strange, or even worse, to think I’m a shoe reviewer.

I took these out for an even eight miles this morning, in gloriously overcast skies, 60 degree temperature, over the usual hilly and undulating sidewalks and roads. I ran at a 7:17 pace, which is way faster than my average Tuesday pace. Apparently there really are no rules anymore.

Fit:
I don’t know what I was expecting here. I thought these shoes looked pretty dumb and so similar to the Pegasus Premiums that I assumed they’d fit overly snug and have the same kind of weird, rigid upper that the PP’s have. Wow, was I wrong.

Step in comfort is amazing on these. Super light and breathable upper, but fitted and sturdy enough to provide a completely shocking amount of stability. When I first saw these shoes I assumed I’d tip straight over the minute I took my first stride, but I was almost confusingly stable in these. I was even more stable and nimble in these than I am in the Specter 3, so again, everything I thought I was a rule or a fact is now in question. The heel collar and ankle support is fantastic, and nicely padded. Clearly they knew that the absolute shit show of a foam/underfoot tech combination that they were putting in this shoe would require a high end, comfortable and secure upper. Mission accomplished. The tongue is minimal but nicely gusseted, so there’s no slipping or issues there. The laces are very nice and about 1/3 the length of the laces on the Tracksmith Eliot Ryders, which means that they are a normal and correct length.

These have 46mm of stack height, so they are truly on par with the Pegasus Premium (which have 45mm) and these have 8mm of drop, with the PP having 10mm. I’ve been reading a lot of reviews comparing these to the Vomero Premiums, which I believe is just because nobody wants to acknowledge that the Pegasus Premium line exists at this point. Yes, they are gigantic max stack, but these feel a billion times more stable, nimble, and capable of actual running than the Pegasus Premiums. I wouldn’t compare the Red Hares to the Vomero Premiums, as those are another 9mm of stack height, like 100 grams heavier, and in my humble opinion are meant to be “wide and easygoing recovery walking around shoes” rather than actual running shoes. I say that as someone who adores my Vomero Premiums and wears them all the damn time. Seriously though, how are these shoes THIS light with this much stack and build quality? Insanity.

Ride:
There are 273 different foams and components to the underfoot experience of this shoe. Okay, there are two different foams, a “Boom Energy Capsule,” and a plate, but there might as well be 273 things going on with how unique and crazy these shoes feel.

Where the capsule situation with the Pegasus Premiums just makes them feel overly squishy and cumbersome without actual energy return or any modicum of joy, these are just pure energy return and the fun kind of bounce, from stride one to the end of the run. “Stride one to the end of the run.” Wow, I’m a poet. Someone put that on a bumper sticker.

The rocker is very nice and smooth, the 8mm drop works perfectly and is in my opinion the superior drop for these kind of shoes to the 10mm drop that Nike uses.

Whatever the foam mixture is exactly (soft race foam on top, Super Boom Capsule, PEBA foam under that) and the partial fiberglass plate somewhere in there, the energy return is very lively, while also having that fun-as-hell-video-game feel of the super high stack, and still some very surprising stability elements in there. Just a perfect, very, very enjoyably weird running shoe.

I mean it when I say that I expected these to be bad. I am a big enough man (5’4”, 125 pounds, bald) to admit when I’m wrong. This is right up there with the Specter 3, UFO and Cloudmonster 3 Hyper for my energized ride of the year. At the same time, these are damn near as comfortable feeling both up top and underfoot as the Eliot Ryder or the C1. Again, the rules are no longer applicable, folks. All hell has broken loose.

I do have to mention again, these are SO light. 233 grams for my men’s 8.5, while having a 46mm stack, and a significant, nearly full coverage, and grippy outsole, is just insanity. Fantastic engineering behind these. You can feel the lightness and it’s extremely satisfying.

Overall thoughts on the Li-Ning Red Hare 9 Ultra:
I really messed up by not taking these shoes seriously. Probably should have had these in my rotation since the day they released. This is what I get for discounting Steph Curry. Always comes back to bite me.

The Red Hares will not replace your Novablast 6’s, your Puma Deviate Pure Nitros, your Wave Rider 30’s, or your Triumph 24’s for your daily miles. They will not replace your Specter 3’s, your Cloudmonster 3 Hypers, or your Endorphin Speeds for your 8k to 10k race days, they won’t replace your UFOs or C1’s for your half-marathon-to-marathon distances, they won’t replace your Tracksmith Eliot Ryder’s, Paramount Max’s, MagMax Nitro 2’s or your Topo Atmos 2’s for your slow and steady recovery miles.

They will, however, function as perhaps the best “I don’t want to run today so I need a ridiculous and joyfully fun shoe on my feet to get me out the door” shoe that you’ll ever run in. I say this, but also they could actually very likely handle your daily miles pretty well, I believe. I just don’t know that you’d want to have this much joy in your running every day. It might cause your entire life to fall apart.

Also, full disclosure, the next time I run a 5k race I will be running in these, at max strength and intensity. My assumption is that I’ll either set my new PR or I’ll pass away. Likely the only possible outcomes.

These are shockingly good and fun shoes. My bias against them was unjustified and I am forever sorry to Li-Ning and Way of Wade. These are truly right up there with the Topo Specter 3 and On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper as my favorite “let’s kick things up a notch” daily-ish shoes of the year (they are probably from last year, but they are new to me, dammit!).

Fun is cool again.

Score: 9.3/10

Disclaimer: I feel like I’ve been giving almost everything great scores lately, other than those tragic Brooks Ghost Amps, but we are truly living in a golden era for running shoes, and man, there is just so much impressive stuff out there right now. Also, as someone who so thoroughly enjoys and appreciates being able to run and move my body (I didn’t always have this capability), I am probably an overly positive “shoe reviewer,” but just know that if something does suck I will be thrilled to point it out (even if it makes the Brooks Loyalist Army come after me in the comments).

I’ll be reviewing some New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5’s tomorrow, as I have never actually run in those and I got a pair to wear as my “old man with tired feet” shoes at a concert festival this weekend. I know those are old news to folks, but they’ll be new for me! ✌️✌️

I was most certainly the fanciest fellow in my neighborhood today, whilst on my run. I wore my Tracksmith Van Cortlandt shirt (that I bought on deep discount last year) and these Eliot Ryders (which I bought with a nefariously procured discount code), and I took extreme comfort and pride in knowing that while dressed like this, none of my neighbors would be able to tell that I am actually complete trash in real life. At least I don’t think they could tell. Wait, could they still tell?

I ran the Bowerman 5k up at the Nike Headquarters yesterday, and achieved my sub-7 minute mile average time goal (in my Topo Specter 3’s) so today I felt that I deserved to run in the lap of luxury.

Enter, the Tracksmith Eliot Ryder.

Even from the naming of these shoes, I can tell you that I wanted to absolutely hate these and deride the hell out of them in my review. When I first laced them up, they felt a little overly voluminous in the upper, and I thought I might be able to criticize them for the fit, but once I actually fully laced them and properly secured them, they fit like a dream. Damn it.

I think Tracksmith makes phenomenal products and the two shirts I have from them still look brand new after many wears and washes, and still fit and function perfectly (maybe better now, honestly), but as a feral west coast person, the extreme “wealthy, upper class business person who ran track in high school and college and now wants to keep feeling those feelings now that they are older” vibes of their products just makes me want to hate on them. Also I’m just jealous because I don’t have a yacht or even a proper sailboat. Truly, they are a company that hasn’t sold out to private equity, and puts a ton of craftsmanship and thoughtful design into their products, so really any humorous hate I may throw their way is totally unjustified. I mean, I just bought a new black reflective Nike running shirt for yesterday’s race, for $70. The Van Cordtlandt (name still kills me) shirt is better quality, much cooler looking, and is basically the same cost as that Nike shirt. So yeah, maybe Tracksmith is less absurd in their pricing than they have a reputation for. Or maybe Nike needs to get the absolute hell over themselves and stop the price gouging.

Anyway, I ran in the Eliot Racer (should have called it the Eliot Raysür or something dumb) and it was not a fun shoe whatsoever (not even worth a review), so while their clothing is top notch, I definitely wondered if all the hype around this new shoe was legit, or just people being excited about expensive stuff. They are $220, which is very expensive, but they are better shoes than ASICS Superblast 3’s, so technically the playing field is leveled and I’ll fight you if you disagree. Guys I know you already have the SB3’s and don’t want to admit that the hype was overblown on those, and they are actually injuring you when you wear them. I get it. I feel that way about some of the shoes in my closet too. We are all friends here. It’s hard to admit when you spent too much money on something that isn’t living up to its end of the bargain. Anyway, I digress and we can come back to this conversation.

9.7 miles this morning. Was going to push it over 10, but I needed to watch the Twins vs. A’s baseball game and I needed to wrap it up, as I was already running late. Get it. Running jokes. It was 69 degrees, overcast, slight breeze, and just a perfect Sunday, weather-wise. Hilly and undulating sidewalk and road running. 7:55 average pace. My aim was to sit at like 8:10 and be slower today, but the shoes had other goals.

Fit:
Like I said, my immediate step in was pure luxury and felt as “premium” as it gets, but just loosely lacing them up to walk around in my house, they definitely felt a little too voluminous around the laces. The laces are EXTREMELY long, and like, unnecessarily and confusingly long, so maybe they know that these are going to be a loose fit until you really get in there and cinch them down (is that how you actually spell the word cinch? Maybe never actually written that word out before). So, to get a good, locked in fit for running, you’ll need to lace them up real good and tight, and then likely double knot them to shorten the length. Might even want to tie them down tight and also do a runner’s knot, but I don’t know how to do that and YouTube could probably tell me but I’m 40.

Lacing aside, they are extraordinary in their comfort. Very soft and stable feeling, and my god that brilliant insole is just, well, brilliant. The foam is soft and squishy but also has extremely lively performance. I was worried that they felt so plush and comfortable that they were doomed to be “walking around shoes,” and with their extremely fancy and nice look to them (I generally try to not focus on the aesthetics, as people have different tastes) I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were just glorified “head over to the yacht club” sneakers.

I was very wrong for worrying about that.

Ryde:
These shoes have a very nice, stable and wide based feel. I presume that the drop in midsole allows the shoe to be built a little more rigid on the sides, while retaining the ability to have the large stack of foam inside. They don’t look like they have a giant cushioned stack at all, and honestly the fact that I can wear these to dinner at the IHOP if I’m feeling fancy, and not look like I’m wearing giant, mega-cushioned running shoes, is a very nice bonus.

From the first steps of the run, I could tell that these were special. Some of the easiest and most cushioned feeling steps I’ve taken in quite a while. I realize I’ve been trying a lot of faster shoes lately, so when I get to run in a highly cushioned fella, I really appreciate it even more. This was all the cushion and support I could ever ask for. That said, the real star here is the energy that this insole has. Remember, this is a REMOVABLE INSOLE. Revolutionary. Did you guys know that those things can come out? Bonkers. Anyway, if Tracksmith ever sells just the insoles for these shoes, you could probably get 100,000 miles out of these shoes. At least. Maybe even 100,000 kilometers. I don’t know how the metric system works.

The build is small compared to something like a UFO or vomero Plus, so they feel very nimble underfoot, while offering extremely soothing and stable cushioning. I mentioned those two other shoes as they have a similar fun-and-joyful bounce and spring in the foam to a UFO or Vomero Plus. The thing for me that brought me to joyful tears (not really, just for this review) was that both the V+ and the UFO are too unstable for me. To the point where I rarely run in the V+ and I’ve dialed back my time in the UFO (which hurts my heart deeply). Anyway, these shoes have that magic, but also support my feet well enough that I stopped just shy of 10 miles today, but could have easily pushed up over a half marathon. And that’s after a day where my legs were tired from running a max effort race yesterday.

Overall impressions of the Tracksmith Eliot Ryder:
The hype is real and is justified. Just like the hype around the Specter 3, C1 and UFO is entirely justified (for most runners, obviously), these aren’t being falsely touted as the next big thing by whatever running YouTuber you follow. They are genuinely something special.

If you have a very tiny and narrow foot, I do think you’ll potentially struggle with lockdown. I think anyone with standard or wider feet will thrive in these. So just keep that in mind before taking out a significant personal loan to grab a pair of these.

As far as high stack, multi-functional, recovery, daily miles, surprisingly snappy and quicker-than-expected miles, cushioned bliss, and also shoes that you can wear as your normal “going out on the town and looking like a grownup” shoes go, these are the best shoes I’ve run in, for 2026.

The C1 is still my top dog, and the Specter 3 remains at number two, but these have officially (at least after the first run) jumped into my top 3 of the year. Don’t worry Triumph 24/Paramount Max, y’all are still on my “best of 2026” tier list, but my goodness Tracksmith have done it.

I will keep pounding the miles in these, as I need to see how they perform over 100 miles and beyond before I can actually value them for any year end lists, come December, but my goodness these are stellar. I ordered a pair for my wife too, just because I know she’ll be obsessed with them, and because I can’t go out in public looking this fancy if she’s wearing Pumas or something (I love Puma, you know they about me). I mean come on.

Score: 9.7/10

I have some Red Hare Ultra 9’s coming tomorrow, so I’ll see what the fuss is about those shoes (either tomorrow or Tuesday, depending on when they arrive). ✌️🏃

I was so damn blown away by the Specter 3 (which I’ll be running in for tomorrow’s Bowerman race at Nike World Headquarters) so I figured I’d better try some more Topos on for size, just to see if the hype is real.

The Atmos 2 is Topo’s max cushion recovery/slow day/easy miles shoe, utilizing their ZipFoam, and featuring an extremely plush upper and overall fit. I guess this is their competitor in the Saucony Paramount Max, Puma MagMax Nitro 2, Nike Vomero Plus/Premium, Asics Gel Nimbus 28, etc. space, though it’s a 40mm/35mm setup with a 5mm drop for the Atmos, so while it’s adjacent to other max cushion, ultra-plush-and-responsive midsole shoes, I do feel like it’s a slightly less crazy and more simple version of those shoes. For better or worse. I think for many people who yearn for the days of slightly simpler running shoes, these may be the absolute ideal max cushion recovery option. They are $165, so they sit right in that range between the now pretty cheap Vomero Plus and the terrifyingly expensive Paramount Max (worth it though).

Took these for a 7.2 mile run this morning in 64 degree weather, over the river and through the woods (my neighborhood of hilly sidewalks and roadways), and averaged 7:49 per mile. I felt like I was really moving, and I would have guessed I was closer to a 7:25 pace, so that’s an interesting component of these shoes. They are for slow miles, and you will be slow, but you won’t feel slow and sluggish. So that’s fun. They are way heavier than they feel, and while they are not egregiously heavy, I would have pegged them at 20+ grams lighter than they weighed in at. That’s either great geometry design on the part of Topo, or I’m just bad at math. Potentially both.

Fit:
Extremely plush, cushioned, and luxurious feeling upper. Has the “low tech” feel of an old running shoe, but is very clearly designed to feel that way, while offering extremely modern geometry, ergonomics, and materials. Similar vibes to the new Clifton Pro in the upper, except this is even more plush and comfortable. Wide toe box of course, but the midfoot is also relatively wide, so this is an example of a Topo shoe that doesn’t just feature a wide toe box and then narrow everything else. The platform overall is nice and wide, so bring your weird wide feet out of hiding, friends. It is time to party. The upper locks down enough, but these are not very stable shoes, so it would have been great if the upper could hold things together a little better. That said, the step in feel is glorious, as that foam in the midsole feels like a pillow. It is springy and bouncy, and you will feel yourself sink down and bounce back up just a bit with each step. The energy return is very solid. Definitely has Vomero Plus energy.

Ride:
As I said above, I felt like I was cruising. The foam was very soft and pillowy, but also bouncy and energetic. Again the big comparison in ride for these shoes is the Vomero Plus, which I think is a huge win for runners who want that Vomero fit and feel, but maybe in a less flashy or less Nike-y vibe. As someone from Oregon, even speaking remotely negatively about Nike will undoubtedly get me on some sort of list. It’s okay though because I bought that new viral black reflective Nike running shirt today, so I get a “get out of Nike Jail Free” card for today, and today only. Anyway, the Vomeros also have a more significant drop, so for anyone who wants that similar bounce, but with a much lower drop, these might honestly be your dream shoes. As I said, I felt like I was cruising in these shoes. I was, however, not cruising. I ran at a slightly below average pace for me, so as long as you are cool with feeling fast but performing slow, these are right up your alley.

Overall thoughts on the Topo Atmos 2:
If you have read my other reviews, you’ve seen me speak lovingly about Nike Vomero Premiums, but voice a lot of disappointment in the Vomero Plus line. To me they are some of the least stable feeling shoes out there, and the bounce and energy return is awesome, but after a while I start to over pronate in them as that bounce and lack of stability just kills my form. The same thing happened with these shoes. The outsole looked pristine upon arriving home, except a little bit of wear on the inner area between the heel and midfoot. Thankfully I will say that the wear was significantly less than what shows up with the Vomero Plus, so these are at least slightly more stable. Don’t even get me started on how devastated I was when I realized that I was having similar issues with my R.A.D. UFOs. I am not ready to accept the fact that some of my favorite shoes of the year might have to end up lower on my year-end list because I can’t wear them as often as I would like. As someone who doesn’t generally need much stability support, and has been graded out as a “neutral runner” by the machines at Fleet Feet and Foot Traffic, I am learning that certain ultra-soft foams don’t work for me if there isn’t at least some solid lockdown ability in the upper. Rough day for me. Still going to wear my UFOs, even if my running form ain’t pretty in them. I look pretty in them, and that’s what matters.

Thank goodness we’ve still got Mount to Coast C1, Puma MagMax Nitro 2’s (and even the Deviate Pure Nitros), On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper and Saucony Triumph 24/Paramount Max out there, giving me significant cushion and also stability. Hell, the Topo Specter 3 is also extremely cushioned but also stable. Adidas even got more stable in the Evo SL with the EXO version, and the Novablast 6’s are much more stable than the NB5’s. If you build it (with a little stability), I will purchase!

All of this rambling to say, these are the less stylish (or more, depending on your taste), wide toe box and lower drop version of the Vomero Plus, and for many people that should be more than reason enough to pick these up. I am already looking forward to running in them again, so I can get that Vomero Plus feeling without having to actually run in Vomero Plus (I have three pairs of them, by the way, so I have at least one extra Get Out of Nike Jail Free card for my criticisms). These aren’t shoes I can run in all the time, as they are a tad too unstable for me, but for recovery or slow and fun miles, the Atmos 2 is a worthwhile addition to your shoe library.

Score: 8.1/10

My first ever Mizuno experience!

I’m very slowly working my way into the nylon plated shoe world. So far I adore my Saucony Endorphin Speed 5’s, and now that I’m officially running a full marathon in early October of this year, I figured that I should try a few nylon plated shoes to see if that’s a route I’d want to go for said marathon. I’m not trying to work my way up to running a five minute mile, or a sub-3 marathon, and I just want to have as much fun running as possible.

SO, if any of you guys have recommendations on cushioned, non-aggressive plated shoes for me to try (ideally nylon or at least ones that won’t destroy my limbs) let me know.

It stormed aggressively last night and cooled (and cleaned) the air and ground substantially, so my run this morning featured perfect weather (clear air, mostly cloudy skies, and 61 degrees). I ended up going 8.8 miles on my hilly and undulating road and sidewalk route, and had an average mile pace of 7:24.

Fit:
These fit very similarly on my feet to the Hoka Clifton Pro. They have that “old school running shoe” feel to them, in the best way possible. Sometimes you want your shoes to feel like the latest and highest technology possible (R.A.D. UFOs or Vomero Premiums) and sometimes you just want to feel like you are throwing a running shoe on, to go for a jog. Remember that word? Jogging? There’s something comforting and very appealing about going for a jog, compared to “interval training” or “stride work.” These shoes fit snugly and dare I say “gracefully and classically” on foot, and just feel like comfortable, stretchy (yet stable) and solid jogging shoes. And again, I mean that in the best way possible. The base was perfect for my foot width, and tongue and lockdown was just right, and the stability was tremendous. They do sit pretty low around the ankles, and with the semi-high stack (I think we are near 43 mm in the heel) they could feel a tad unstable for some folks who are used to the higher ankle support. That’s the only thing I’d caution, otherwise the fit is stupendous.

Ride:
I’m not an expert in plates, whether we are talking nylon, carbon, glass, ceramic, whatever. I’m still pretty scared of them, as I just want to avoid injury at any and all cost. That said, if you told me that these were just using a firm, snappy foam in the midsole, I’d 100% believe it. At no point in my run did I feel a plate or feel and stiffness that caused me discomfort or concern. I recognize that these are nylon plates, so we are talking about a less rigid plate, but whatever Mizuno has done here is brilliant.

The shoes disappeared entirely and I entered that “mind wandering off” state of running, where I started thinking about random things, and then I’d realize I just ran two miles. That’s the goal for me. If I can escape the grind of work and kid raising and responsibilities for an hour each day, and just be in a quiet and peaceful zone and space, then I have achieved my running goals. Honestly, these shoes produced one of the most natural, easy and relaxed feeling rides I’ve experienced during this journey. And when I say “natural, easy and relaxed,” I don’t mean boring and/or slow. I mean that these shoes allowed me to just run and to enjoy the process without having to think about much of anything at all. What a damn joy.

I will say that they feel much lighter on foot than the weight suggests (257 grams on my Men’s 8.5), and that’s probably because of the plate helping with energy generation, but the run truly felt easy and light. The dream scenario.

Also the outsole and grip is one of the best I’ve seen this year. These are truly meant to be daily trainers that last and work over the course of a long period of time. I guess there’s a reason this is iteration 30 of these.

Overall impression of the Mizuno Wave Rider 30:
I shouldn’t have been so afraid of Mizuno. Every one of you who told me to give them a shot were fully correct. These felt like what I thought a running shoe was meant to feel like, back when I was a kid. Just very simple and made well enough to help you have a fun run, with no bullshit involved. Of course, there is TONS of technology built into these to allow for the way they function, but they don’t feel like it. They feel like a running or jogging shoe, in the absolute best way possible.

If the Saucony Triumph 24 is my top “regular, non-max cushion, non-super shoe-like” daily trainer of 2026, and my other favorites are the Deviate Pure Nitro, Hoka Clifton Pro, R.A.D. Mallow (though I’ve just started wearing this one as a daily walking around shoe, because I’m obsessed with its aesthetic and look, and don’t want to destroy it), Novablast 6, etc., the Mizuno Wave Rider 30 is right up there with these shoes, and is maybe in the top three of these shoes mentioned.

If you want to add a classic “joggin’ shoe” to your rotation, or if you are just a runner who doesn’t need a giant closet full of shoes to help you cope with the terror of modern living and humanity, and just wants an actual daily trainer that you can maybe just actually wear everyday and enjoy your running and have a good time, this is the shoe for you. This is an actual daily trainer, and one that I think can actually handle that task. 30 versions of this shoe, and I came in very late to the party, but I won’t be late again when it comes to what Mizuno is doing in this space.

Score: 9.3/10

I’ll be running in the Topo Atmos 2 tomorrow. The Specter 3 blew me away so fervently, and I feel like I need to give their “slow, recovery boy” shoe I try! Stay tuned.

Took these bad boys on a journey from my front door to my mailbox and back this morning, so I figured it’s time to get a “first run” review accomplished for them.

0.2 mile round trip. 68 degrees. 27 feet of elevation change. 14:47 average mile speed.

First off, let me say that these are stupid looking as hell. They are just Nike Crocs. That said, after the Adidas Hyperboosts jacked up my heels and ankles a few weeks back, I panicked and bought everything I could to help aid in my recovery. I tried these on at Foot Locker, and they immediately felt annoyingly good underfoot, so I willingly spent $52 on these things. I know, I know.

Fit:
They do not have half sizes, so as an 8.5 guy I tried both a size 8 and a size 9, and sizing up was a must. The 9’s fit perfectly on my feet and hug the foot just enough to keep things in place, but are also voluminous enough that they feel like proper “post-run after care” slides/whatever these are. I had reservations about it the hardness and “solidness” of these things, as I am not trying to have my “recovery slides” dig into any part of my foot or feel rigid, but yeah these are built very ergonomically. I will say that I can’t personally wear these without socks. The rubber or rubber-like material (I could research these things, but I am not an actual shoe reviewer, so I will let y’all do the research) feels really sticky and overly grippy on my bare feet, so I need socks. I am sure most people would be fine without socks, but I am a little sensitive to textural stuff like that.

Ride:
I mean yeah, these are extremely comfortable. I have had them for a few weeks and I wear them all day long while working from my home office, and I wear them while standing in the kitchen and cooking dinner for my family. I did wear them out to the grocery store once, and while it was the most comfortable grocery shopping of my life, I swore to myself I’d never do that again. I cannot become “wears my Nike Crocs as my main shoes all day and also out in public” guy. Self respect and the ability to function in society is important, folks.

The foam and cushioning of these things is a truly restorative experience. It’s firm but squishy, and extremely stabilizing. I would love to only mock their existence, but having these on, instead of having my feet directly on wood and tile all day, has really helped me to have fresher feeling feet when it comes time for my next run. I’m 40 years old, so I’m not an old man, but I’m not in my 20’s anymore. Protecting my limbs is increasingly important to me. These have been a real gift in that area.

Overall thoughts of these things:
If you can promise yourself that you can possess these and not become the person who wears these everywhere, instead of your actual shoes, I highly recommend them. They are comfortable and a joy to wear, and if you are someone who is being mindful about protecting your feet and legs, these are truly a worthwhile tool to invest in. I am pretty sure you can get them for between $35 and $45 right now, so they are entirely worth it.

If you fear that you might like these too much, and you could find yourself at Olive Garden on a late-Tuesday afternoon, alone and in your pajamas and your Nike ReactX Rejuven8s, you may want to avoid ever letting yourself get near these things.

As far as recovery slides/Crocs/rubberized slip on “shoes” go, these are about as good as it gets.

9.8/10 in this very specific realm/niche.

FYI: You are going to feel like you PROBABLY could, in an emergency situation, run in these. I implore and assure you that you cannot. You will roll an ankle, knee, elbow, and everything that can roll. Do not do it.