The Best Running Shoes Right Now: Eight Picks That Earn It

Start with use, not brand. Decide whether you need one shoe or two, because a single pair doing easy days, long runs and speed sessions is a compromise in all three. Then check three numbers: stack height, which tells you how isolated from the ground you will be; drop, which tells you where the shoe wants you to land; and weight, which tells you how it will feel at pace. After that, fit decides everything. Width options matter more than foam names, and brands differ enormously here: New Balance and Brooks routinely offer four widths, while much of the market offers one. Finally, be honest about climate, because several current midsoles behave differently in the cold.

If you buy one shoe this year, buy this one. The adidas Adizero Evo SL runs 7.9 oz in a men's sample and 6.6 oz in a women's, on a 39 mm stack with a 7 mm drop, and it uses Lightstrike Pro, the same superfoam adidas puts in its marathon racer. There is no carbon plate, just a nylon shank through the midfoot for stability, which is precisely why it works across easy days, long runs and track sessions without punishing you. Runner's World has kept it in the top spot for a full year. The known niggles are real but minor: the tongue wanders mid-run, and the midfoot is wide while the toebox is not.

For the runs that hurt at the end, height helps. The HOKA Clifton Pro puts roughly 42 mm of supercritical foam under the heel and 34 mm under the forefoot for an 8 mm drop, at about 9.7 oz, with a steep Meta-Rocker that keeps the stride rolling. Its drawback is a pointed toe area and weak wet-weather traction. The New Balance 1080v15 covers the same brief differently: 9.1 oz in a men's sample, a 6 mm drop, and a new Infinion supercritical foam replacing Fresh Foam X that testers describe as firmer, poppier and longer-lasting. It comes in four widths and a premium knit upper, which makes it the easier shoe to fit.

Brooks is where most American running stores send beginners, and the Brooks Ghost 18 is why. It runs 10.2 oz in a men's sample on a 36 mm stack with a 10 mm drop, using nitrogen-infused DNA Loft v3 that molds underfoot, and it is sold in multiple widths. The revamped jacquard mesh upper divides opinion: it looks sharp, but it runs hot and creates pressure in bunion-prone areas until it breaks in. The Brooks Glycerin 23 is the plusher sibling at 10.6 oz men's and 8.7 oz women's, 38 mm stack and an 8 mm drop, with a DNA Tuned midsole using smaller cells up front and larger ones at the heel. Its wider midfoot and toebox make it the friendlier fit.

Stability shoes have historically been the dull end of the rack. The Nike Structure Plus is the first time Nike has put ZoomX superfoam over a ReactX carrier in a supportive trainer, and it sits on a maximal 42 mm heel with a 10 mm drop, weighing about 10.4 oz in a men's size nine. The guidance comes from tall midsole sidewalls and sole flaring rather than a medial post, which reviewers describe as smooth and non-intrusive. The consistent criticism is the heel: a sharp, centred bevel on a very tall shoe creates a clunky transition that reviewers found better for walking than running. Heel strikers should try before buying; midfoot landers get on with it much better.

For a road marathon, the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 is the serious option: 7.1 oz in a men's sample, 39 mm stack, 6 mm drop, full Lightstrike Pro and the energy rods adidas uses instead of a flat plate. It is not a training shoe and should not be treated as one. For dirt, the HOKA Speedgoat 7 remains the default American trail shoe at 9.7 oz men's and 8.3 oz women's, with a 33 mm stack and a low 4 mm drop that keeps you connected on uneven ground. Neither is a beginner purchase. Both are what you buy once you know exactly what the shoe is for.

Skip buying a max-stack shoe as a first running shoe. A 42 mm platform asks more of your ankles than a 36 mm one, and the Brooks Ghost 18 or New Balance 1080v15 will serve a new runner better than the tallest thing in the store. Skip carbon-plated racers for daily training, because they wear out fast and mask form problems. And be cautious with any shoe whose foam firms up significantly in the cold if you train through a northern winter, which lab freezer testing has flagged on several current models. If your budget is tight, last year's version of any of these is usually the same shoe with different mesh.