Runner's World's best running shoes of 2026, tested on 300+ pairs of feet

A shoe recommendation is only as useful as the mileage behind it. The 2026 footwear list from Runner's World rests on a pool of more than 300 local wear-testers, each of whom puts a minimum of 100 miles into a model before reporting back. Those testers differ in pace, gait, age and arch height, and the spread is deliberate. A trainer that suits a runner averaging 7:00 per mile with narrow feet can leave a heel-striker with a broad midfoot blistered.

Amanda Furrer, the publication's running reviews editor and a runner who has finished 14 straight Boston Marathons, compiles the list. Jeff Dengate, the magazine's runner-in-chief, contributes; his gear-testing career runs close to 20 years. Senior Editor Cat Bowen reviewed the selections. Runner's World has been testing equipment since 1966.

Three criteria decide what survives: fit, feel and ride. Not color, not marketing copy, not the stack number printed on the box. The shoes sort into three groups — training, racing and trail — and the 15 below move through them in that order, starting with 10 everyday trainers, then two racers, then three trail models.

What follows is less a ranked countdown than a map of needs. One slot goes to narrow feet, another to wide ones. There is a pick for recovery days, one for long runs, one for run/walking, one for stability, one for marathon racing and one for 100-mile efforts on technical terrain. Prices run from $145 to $260.

Two reference points help before shopping for the best running shoes of 2026. Weighing done in the Runner's World lab puts a typical men's size 9 daily trainer near 10 ounces and a women's size 7 near 8 ounces, so anything far from those figures will feel light or heavy underfoot right away. A daily trainer is also generally due for retirement somewhere between the 300- and 500-mile marks, or on a six-month cycle if you never track mileage. Put both shoes on before you buy, stand up straight, and check for a thumb's width of space ahead of your longest toe.

Credit: Adidas

The Adidas Adizero Evo SL holds the top overall spot on Runner's World's 2026 list at $150, a neutral road trainer weighing 7.9 ounces in men's sizing and 6.6 ounces in women's. The drop measures 7mm for men and 6mm for women, over stack heights of 39mm and 36mm.

What earns it the position is the midsole. The Evo SL runs on Lightstrike Pro, which Adidas also uses in the Adios Pro 4, the marathon racer that appears later in this guide. Nothing rigid sits underfoot — there is no carbon-fiber plate — so the ride stays calmer than a dedicated racing shoe, though a nylon shank through the midfoot adds structure. The combination produces a bouncy, cushioned platform light enough for daily miles, track repeats and long runs alike.

Dengate named it shoe of the year roughly 18 months before this update, vowing to make a meal of the shoe itself should a rival take the title. No rival has. Runner's World notes that the top spot is open to change as new models cycle through testing, but the Evo SL has held it for a full year.

Eileen Cody, a wear-tester who runs her training miles at about 7:00 pace, pointed to the balance between weight and cushioning. She described the feel of a daily trainer carrying elements of a racing shoe, without the stiff carbon plate built into many super trainers, and said her stride stayed efficient rather than leaving the shoe to do the work.

The complaints are consistent and worth knowing before buying. The tongue slides sideways mid-run. The midfoot is cut wide, which suits a broader foot but leaves narrow-footed runners without a locked-in hold. Some testers also found the toebox slightly snug, an odd pairing with that roomy midfoot.

For a runner who wants one pair to cover easy days, workouts and the occasional race, the Evo SL spans the widest range of uses among the shoes here, and at $150 it sits well below the price of most carbon-plated super trainers.

Credit: New Balance

At $145, the New Balance Ellipse is the least expensive shoe on this list and the one Runner's World named its best value pick. It is a high-cushion road trainer at 9.6 ounces in men's sizes and 7.7 ounces in women's, with an 8mm drop and a 38mm stack height.

The foam is the reason for the award. New Balance reworked its Fresh Foam X $TWTR for the Ellipse to generate a bouncier rebound than earlier versions of the material delivered. The max-cushioned midsole handles three things at once — comfort, support and energy return — at a price that sits below the $170 to $190 most heavily cushioned trainers now carry.

New Balance built the shoe around a narrow idea: that an easy run should feel easy. The ride suits the conversational pace of a shakeout with a run group rather than a session with splits attached. Several wear-testers said the springiness felt like a competitive edge over whatever their training partners had on.

Tester Laura Parks called the shoe extremely springy and compared the sensation to a tailwind, except that the extra momentum arrives from under her feet rather than behind her. She described feeling like the shoe gave her an advantage against runners in other models.

The trade-off is heft. The Ellipse is bulky through the midsole and heavy on the foot, and testers who tried to turn over quickly in it ran into the shoe's limits. It is not built for speedwork, and runners looking for a single pair to cover both easy miles and intervals should look at a lighter trainer — the Adizero Evo SL and the 1080v15 both handle that double duty.

One practical point in its favor: the Ellipse is sold in multiple widths. That matters for anyone whose foot does not fit a standard D or B last and who would otherwise size up a half size to find room, which throws off heel fit and toe-off.

Credit: Brooks Sports, Inc

The Brooks Ghost 18 costs $175 and is the first shoe Runner's World names when a beginner asks what to buy. It is a neutral road trainer weighing 10.2 ounces in a men's size 9 and 9.2 ounces in a women's size 8, with a 10mm drop and a 36mm stack height.

Cushioning comes from nitrogen-infused DNA Loft v3 foam, which soaks up impact and molds to the shape of the foot instead of pushing back hard. That middle-ground softness — not mushy, not firm — explains why the Ghost line keeps showing up in first-shoe recommendations.

The 18 arrives with a reworked upper made from jacquard engineered air mesh, and testers split over it along gender lines. The mesh gives the shoe a casual look that passes outside of running. It also produced hot spots over bunion-prone areas on some testers' feet, and the shoe needs a couple of runs before the stiffness eases and the rubbing under the big toe stops. Ventilation is the other weak point: it runs warm.

Fit is where the narrow-feet label comes from. Runners carrying more width through the middle of the foot — a build more common among women — are better off in a wide version or in the Brooks Glycerin 23, which has a roomier last. The Ghost 18 is sold in multiple widths, so the designation describes where the standard fit sits rather than a limit on who can wear it.

Runner-in-Chief Jeff Dengate's take points to the stride the shoe rewards. He called his daily runs in it "easy cruising," a relaxed, heel-first rhythm, and said that is where the Ghost 18 is at its strongest — one reason he expects it to suit newer runners and the large share of the running population that lands on the heel.

That makes it a shoe for steady, unhurried mileage rather than interval day. Padded, forgiving and built to repeat, it covers most of a beginner's training week without demanding anything unusual of the legs.

Screenshot: Brooks Sports, Inc

The Brooks Glycerin 23 is the pick for runners whose feet need room through the midfoot and toebox. It costs $175, weighs 10.6 ounces in the men's version and 8.7 ounces in the women's, and pairs an 8mm drop with a 38mm stack. It is a neutral road shoe with high cushioning.

Fit is the reason it lands in this slot. The midfoot and toebox are cut generously, while the heel collar stays padded and locked in. Wide at the front, secure at the back — that shape suits many women's feet, which often run broader through the middle and narrower at the back. Runners who feel the Ghost 18 pressing on a bunion are the group Runner's World points toward this model instead.

The midsole is a nitrogen-infused foam Brooks calls DNA Tuned, and the cell structure changes from end to end. Larger cells sit under the heel, smaller and denser ones under the forefoot. The result is heavy cushioning without the dull, sluggish ride that much foam often produces, plus more forefoot padding than most daily trainers in this price range carry.

Senior Features Editor Pavlína Černá used the Glycerin 23 for long runs and measured it against the Saucony Echelon, a shoe she likes for walking and hiking but finds too draggy for high mileage. The Glycerin, she said, is "plushy but responds well" to her mood and whatever pace comes with it. Amanda Furrer, Runner's World's running reviews editor, logged long runs in the shoe while training for the Boston Marathon $MPC.

The recurring criticism is a forefoot that feels slightly stiff. Runners who want this same fit with added guidance can buy the Brooks Glycerin GTS 23, the stability version of the shoe.

The Glycerin 23 functions as an everyday workhorse that stays comfortable across a three-hour effort. It covers easy mileage, marathon long runs and ordinary training weeks without forcing a foot into a shape it does not have.

Credit: Nike

The Nike $NKE Structure Plus is the long-run pick on Runner's World's 2026 list, a $170 stability trainer with a 42mm stack height and a 10mm drop. It weighs 10.8 ounces in a men's 10 and 8.7 ounces in a women's 8, pairing maximum cushioning with structure in the heel.

The shoe sits alongside the Nike Vomero Plus as its stability sibling — comparable cushioning, added support. Amanda Furrer, Runner's World's running reviews editor, rotated both while training for the Boston Marathon $MPC. She kept stumbling during an 18-mile run in the Vomero Plus, enough that the runners alongside her asked whether something was wrong. On a 20-miler in the Structure Plus, that stopped.

Nike puts the support structure where you can see it, on the outer wall of the heel, and it steadies the ride without feeling corrective underfoot. Tall stacks usually cost a shoe some lateral steadiness. This one holds up.

The midsole combines ReactX and ZoomX. ZoomX is Nike's PEBA foam, the light, bouncy material the brand normally saves for its racing shoes, and its presence changes how the shoe behaves once the miles stack up. Furrer added surges to her long run instead of settling into a single pace. ReactX supplies the more durable layer of cushioning underneath. The combination keeps returning energy deep into an extended effort.

Fit runs more generous than Nike's reputation would suggest. Broader feet get room rather than pressure, which is not what most runners expect from the brand, and that makes the Structure Plus a candidate for anyone who gave up on Nike over width alone.

Bulk is the recurring complaint. Some testers found the shoe cumbersome underfoot, a fair trade at 42mm of stack and close to 11 ounces. Track repeats and 5K race day are not its assignment. It is built for the long steady run, where shock absorption and support for tiring form count for more than a couple of ounces on the foot.

Credit: HOKA

The Hoka Clifton Pro is Runner's World's choice for runners deep in a race build who want heavy cushioning without carbon-plate assistance. It sells for $165, weighs 10.4 ounces in men's sizes and 8.5 in women's, and carries an 8mm drop with a 42mm stack for men and 38mm for women. It is a neutral road shoe with max cushioning.

Hoka positions the Pro as the livelier counterpart to the Clifton 11, and the separation comes down to midsole material. The Clifton 11 runs on CMEVA, or compression-molded EVA. The Pro uses supercritically foamed EVA, made by forcing nitrogen or CO2 into the material so it fills with microscopic bubbles that cut weight and add rebound. Hoka brands its version ProGlide+.

Nothing sits inside the midsole in the way of a plate, and that omission defines the shoe's job. A carbon-plated racer handles part of the propulsion for you and wears down quickly, which makes it a costly and short-lived companion for the tempo sessions and long efforts that fill a marathon block. The Clifton Pro is built to keep legs intact through those weeks instead.

The Meta $META-Rocker curve is steeper on the Pro than on the standard Clifton, which eases the roll from heel to toe and blunts some of the pounding of hard tempo running. The supercritical foam soaks up impact across high-mileage weeks, and the upper is soft and breathes well.

Two drawbacks. The foam returns less energy than several rival supercritical compounds, so runners hunting maximum pop may find the ride muted. And the toe area runs a touch tighter than on the Clifton 11, enough that wide-footed runners may notice rubbing along the pinky toe, though the irritation stops short of nail damage. Anyone moving over from the Clifton 11 should factor in that fit change before committing to a long training cycle in the shoe.

Credit: New Balance / Amazon Store

The New Balance 1080v15 costs $170 and earns its shock-absorption billing through a midsole swap: out goes Fresh Foam X $TWTR, in comes Infinion, a supercritical foam built on TPEE and TPU rather than EVA. It weighs 9.1 ounces in men's sizing and 7.2 ounces in women's, with a 6mm drop and a 39.9mm stack.

That foam change is the whole story of this version. Fresh Foam X was an EVA-based compound, and EVA packs down over mileage. Infinion sits slightly firmer underfoot and holds its structure longer, which matters in a shoe most runners buy to blunt repeated impact across hundreds of miles rather than to run fast in.

The practical effect is a ride with more pop than earlier 1080s. Firmer does not mean harsh here — the shoe still lands squarely in the cushioned category, just without the sink-and-stay sensation that softer EVA midsoles produce late in a run. Brian Dalek, Runner's World's director of content operations, described each footfall as feeling "soft while still slightly firm," and said the shoe never crossed into super-shoe territory for him. He ran in the 1080v15 several times a week, across both long efforts and faster tempo sessions, without wearing it out.

The upper was reworked for this generation as well, and testers found the fit comfortable. Multiple widths are part of the 1080 line's appeal for runners who cannot settle into a standard D or B last.

The main complaint came from one group. Runner's World's college-age testers found the 1080v15 to be more cushioning than their daily mileage called for. Younger runners logging moderate volume may not need 39.9mm of stack underfoot to recover between sessions. The shoe makes more sense for anyone carrying heavy weekly mileage, running mostly on concrete, or coming back from a lower-leg problem and wanting impact dulled without giving up the option to pick up the pace.

Credit: On.com

The On Cloudmonster 3 is Runner's World's pick for runners who alternate running and walking, at $190. It weighs 10.4 ounces in men's sizing and 8.5 ounces in women's, with a 6mm drop and a 35mm stack height, placing it in the neutral road category with high cushioning.

The CloudTec outsole is what carries the shoe across both gaits. Its hollow chambers collapse under load and spring back, and Senior Features Editor Pavlína Černá compared the effect to "a tiny trampoline" that launches the foot and rocks it forward. That rocker shape counts for more in a run/walk than in steady running, because walking strides sit on the ground longer and want help getting through to toe-off.

Černá picked the shoe for a 75K walk in the Czech Republic that came to 103,178 steps. She found the forefoot roomy, with enough stretch to let her foot expand as the hours piled up. Swelling is the quiet variable in any long day on foot, and a forefoot with give is often what separates a clean finish from a blistered one.

Underfoot, the ride is firmer than a 35mm stack implies. Testers reported ample cushioning without mush, and steady footing over uneven surfaces — useful if a route strings together sidewalk, packed dirt and curb cuts. The Cloudmonster is On's most heavily cushioned road line, and the third version keeps that remit.

Tester Dave Brattley checked off fit, forefoot cushioning soft enough to be comfortable while still transmitting the road, heel cushioning on the walking portions, and durability. Some testers also took the shoe out for shorter, quicker efforts, so it is not limited to slow mileage.

The recurring complaint was the heel collar, which testers wanted softer. At 10.4 ounces it is a substantial shoe, closer to a plush daily trainer than to anything light on the foot.

Credit: Brooks

The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 is the stability pick on Runner's World's 2026 list, at $155, built around a guide-rails support system rather than a traditional medial post. It weighs 10.6 ounces in a men's 9 and 9.5 ounces in a women's 8, with a 10mm drop and a 37mm stack height.

Guide rails are panels of denser foam set along both edges of the midsole, inner and outer. They stay out of the way during a normal stride and engage only when the foot rolls further than it should. That makes the Adrenaline less prescriptive than a posted stability shoe — it helps runners who overpronate, and it also catches neutral runners whose form falls apart late in a long effort. Runner's World suggests posts for severe overpronation and guide rails for milder cases, which puts this shoe in the second group.

Brooks added foam underfoot for the 25th version of the model: an additional millimeter in the heel and 3mm more up front. The midsole uses nitrogen-infused DNA Loft v3, the same compound found in the neutral Brooks Ghost. The result is firm cushioning with rebound rather than the sink-in softness of a max-cushioned recovery trainer — useful if you want one workhorse pair covering most of your weekly mileage.

The recurring complaint from testers was the laces, which several wanted longer. Tester Kylie Rodriguez, who lands on her heel and has high arches, said the fit felt snug and supportive from the first run without being restrictive, and that the shoe stayed comfortable across efforts as different as a short, fast sprint and a long-distance run.

The Adrenaline GTS pairs directly with the Ghost in Brooks's lineup — same cushioning family, same everyday purpose, with support added. Many runners start in one or the other, and the decision usually comes down to whether your arch and gait need the guide rails at all.

Credit: HOKA

The Hoka Bondi 9 is Runner's World's recovery-run pick, a $175 neutral road shoe with a 43mm stack in men's sizes and 42mm in women's. It weighs 10.5 ounces in the men's version and 9.3 ounces in the women's, with a 5mm drop — a thick, soft platform meant for easy miles rather than fast ones.

Cushioning is the headline change. Three years passed between the Bondi 8 and this model, and Hoka used the gap to add 10mm of stack; the men's Bondi 8 measured 33mm at the heel. The ninth version now sits among the tallest road shoes the brand makes.

More foam did not produce a bulkier shoe. The puffy outline of earlier Bondis has been pared back into a cleaner shape, and the trade-off shows up in the fit. Raised sidewalls hold the foot more securely than previous versions did, which narrows the interior. Runners with wide feet will find this model tighter than the Bondi 8. Testers also wanted a thinner tongue and more room through the midfoot.

The weight and softness rule out speed work. This is a shoe for the day after a hard session, for the slow miles that exist mainly to move blood through tired legs, and for runners who prefer the ground muffled rather than felt. Within those limits, testers took it on long runs and used it as an everyday trainer.

It won over at least one skeptic. Tester John Mikovits, who had found the brand inconsistent and the Bondi line in particular "a chunky miss," said the ninth version ended that run of disappointment.

Fit, not cushioning, is the thing to check before buying. The foam is abundant; the shape of the last is the variable. Anyone who sized up or bought a wide version of the Bondi 8 should expect this one to feel different underfoot, and should try it on in person rather than reordering by size alone.

Credit: Adidas

The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 is Runner's World's pick for racing the half and full marathon, a $255 road racer that lists at 7.1 ounces in men's sizes and 6.1 ounces in women's, with a stack of 39mm in men's and 37mm in women's. Marathon $MPC Sports has recently carried it at $204, a 20% discount.

The drop measures six millimeters in men's sizes and five in women's, low enough to sit the foot forward over the forefoot without the pitched-back feel of a daily trainer. The change that separates this version from earlier Pro models is the upgraded Lightstrike Pro foam, which Adidas made both lighter and more comfortable. Development drew on what the company learned building the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, its stripped-down elite marathon racer, and routed those findings into a shoe a non-elite can buy and run in repeatedly.

Underfoot the sensation is plush rather than firm. Tester Trevor Conde, who holds a 2:21 marathon personal best, likened the cushioning to the Nike $NKE Alphafly — not for weight or size, he said, but for the very soft, "marshmallowy" feel under the foot.

A rocker sole handles the move from landing to toe-off, and testers noticed its effect most at the back of the stride. Mike Browne described feeling the shoe absorb each push-off and spring the foot forward, with the heel spending less time on the ground than he expected, a rollover he credited to the geometry of the sole.

That softness carries a trade-off. Several testers judged the heel overly soft, which made landings feel slightly unstable and short on support. Runners who load heavily on the rear of the shoe should log miles in it before trusting it on race morning.

The Pro 4 doubles as a race-training shoe rather than a once-a-year purchase. Runner's World staff used the plush midsole to keep their legs fresher through heavy base-building blocks.

Credit: New Balance

The New Balance SuperComp Rebel, $200, is Runner's World's pick for runners who want super-shoe propulsion on a platform that does not feel precarious. It weighs 7.8 ounces in men's sizing and 6.2 ounces in women's, with a 4mm drop and a 40mm stack height.

New Balance built it as a plated trainer rather than a race-day model. It landed close enough to the FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4, an earlier version of the brand's top racing shoe, that Runner's World recommends it for racing as well as workouts. The wide base and steadier ride suit first-time marathoners and runners finishing in the middle or back of the field, who often struggle to hold an elite racer steady over 26.2 miles.

The midsole is Infinion, New Balance's TPEE-based foam, which the brand describes as more responsive than PEBA. It works with an Energy Arc plate and a rocker profile, and the combination delivers a strong toe-off. The bounce arrives without the sinking heel feel that unsettles some carbon-plated racers.

Amanda Furrer, Runner's World's running reviews editor, took the shoe onto a track and then onto a path left muddy by rain, and it performed on both. The plate, rocker and foam carried the track session, while the outsole held its grip through the puddles.

Fit draws the main complaint. Several testers found the standard version narrow through the forefoot. New Balance sells a wider option.

What "stability" means here is worth spelling out. The SuperComp Rebel carries no guide rails and no medial post, and it is classified as a neutral shoe. Its steadiness comes from geometry: a broader platform that resists rolling side to side. Runners who need structured pronation control will get more from a dedicated stability trainer. Runners chasing a personal best who do not want the balance demands of a top-tier marathon racer are the audience here, and the shoe doubles as a trainer the rest of the week.

Credit: HOKA

The Hoka Speedgoat 7 is Runner's World's top overall trail pick for 2026 at $165, a neutral trail shoe with 5mm lugs, a Vibram outsole and a 33mm stack height. It weighs 9.7 ounces in a men's size and 8.3 ounces in a women's, with a 4mm heel-to-toe drop.

Hoka rebuilt the heel on this version, and it locks the foot down more firmly than the Speedgoat 6 did. That matters more off-road than on pavement, because a heel that lifts on a loose descent costs traction and skin at the same time. The midsole uses super-critically foamed cushioning — foam injected with gas under pressure so it stays lighter and springier than standard EVA — and pairs it with the brand's Meta $META-Rocker geometry, which curves the sole to keep the stride rolling forward across roots and rock.

Cat Bowen, the senior editor who reviewed the Runner's World list, ran the shoe on what she described as "genuinely ugly trail" and credited the rocker with keeping her pace steady while the foam blunted gnarled roots underfoot.

Traction drew the most tester praise. Diane Grim said the Vibram outsole sticks to everything she ran across, and she rated the lug pattern on the seventh version well above the sixth, singling out how much more readily it cleared mud and snow. Lugs that pack solid stop gripping within a mile, so the layout matters as much as the rubber compound.

At long distances the shoe stays comfortable rather than punishing, and the pull tab at the heel makes it easy to yank on with cold or muddy hands.

The tradeoff is width. The Speedgoat 7 runs snugger than most other Hoka models, and testers asked for a roomier toebox to let the toes spread. That becomes a practical concern late in a long run, when feet swell and toes press into the front of the shoe on steep descents. Runners with broad forefeet should size and fit carefully before committing.

Credit: Lululemon

The Lululemon $LULU Wildfeel, $168, is Runner's World's pick for runners who cover pavement and dirt in the same outing. It is a neutral trail shoe with moderate cushioning, 11.8 ounces in a men's 9 and 10.3 ounces in a women's 8, with a stack height of 31.5 mm in the men's build and 29.5 mm in the women's.

The midsole carries the hybrid logic. Lululemon built it from supercritical foam in two densities: the softer material sits under the heel to handle landing impact, and a firmer compound sits under the forefoot so toe-off stays quick instead of sinking. That split lets the shoe run on asphalt without feeling like a plank, and on singletrack without feeling vague.

The outsole uses lugs four millimeters deep, angled in both directions so they hold on climbs and on descents rather than gripping only one way. Rubber wraps over the toe as a shield against rock strikes and exposed roots. Heel-to-toe drop measures 7.5 mm in the men's version and six millimeters in the women's.

The tradeoff is heat. The upper that keeps debris and trail hazards out also traps warmth, which matters more on an exposed summer climb than on a cool morning loop.

Tester Jenny Stump, who runs mostly on roads, said flexibility was what sold her. She found the Wildfeel comfortable enough for easy road miles and secure on uneven trail surfaces, and contrasted it with earlier trail shoes she had tried, which felt stiff and thick enough underfoot that she would not want to warm up on pavement in them. The tread depth, she said, was deep enough to feel planted on slick ground without turning the shoe heavy or rigid, and she pointed to long runs and mixed-surface days as where it fits best.

That range is why the Wildfeel takes the hybrid slot instead of a dedicated trail model, which typically feels clumsy on the paved connector miles between trailheads.

Credit: On.com

The On Cloudultra Pro is Runner's World's pick for distances that run into the hundreds of miles, at $260. It is a trail racing shoe with max cushioning, weighing 9.7 ounces in men's sizing and 7.4 ounces in women's, with a 6mm drop and a 38.5mm stack height.

The midsole uses a responsive TPEE foam, part of the broad family of supercritical materials now gaining ground on PEBA in high-end racers because they hold their bounce longer. Sitting inside it is a fiberglass Speedboard, which On builds in for propulsion. The upper prioritizes heat management over weather protection, and the fit is meant to stay locked down across hours or days of running as feet swell.

Tester Pat Heine-Holmberg took the shoe to the ZUT1000, a 102-mile race circling the Zugspitze in Germany, and covered close to every surface the course offered. His read was that the thin tongue and lacing make the Cloudultra Pro feel much like a road shoe, with extra cushioning built up around the heel and a thin toe cap layered on to guard against rock strikes.

Senior Editor Cat Bowen has worn through three pairs. Her note is a practical one for ultra runners: she never needed to slit the sides open for relief, a step some runners take once their feet have taken a beating over many hours. She also rated the shoe's lateral stability highly on uneven ground, where a tall stack can otherwise feel tippy.

Two limitations are worth weighing. The shoe is not waterproof, so stream crossings and sustained rain will soak through. The traction is also milder than what rivals put on their outsoles — enough for runnable mountain paths and mixed terrain, less convincing on deep mud or wet technical rock, where a deeper lug pattern would hold better.