Fall Running Shoe Buying Guide: Top 10 Brands
Fall Running Shoe Buying Guide: Top 10 Brands
Coming up on the change of seasons means one thing: New shoes to buy!
The trainers you bought in the late spring early summer are probably beat to crap by this point. You need a few fresh trainers and racing shoes to get you across the line come race day this fall and put a bow on your peak training weeks.
Below is a chart of the top grossing shoe brands in the US right now. I go through all of these brands and their offerings, and simply show what shoes are worth getting (or at least taking a look at) in the categories of 1) Daily Training 2) Tempo-Threshold Running and 3) Distance Racing.
You may have heard me talk about a few of these from the big brands already, such as Nike, Hoka, etc…so just skip those. Keep this handy for the next time you go to your local running store to try shoes on.
Nike
Daily Training:
Pegasus
The most durable, firm, and neutral (slightly boring) shoe Nike has to offer. Best for every day running, most people are fine doing all of their training in this shoe.
React foam midsole is paying for what you get. A solid, middle-of-the-road shoe that is durable as anything. React foam will essentially never go dull, the mixed in EVA will, or the outsole will first.
Invincible
Nike’s much softer daily trainer. You will sink into this shoe a lot more than the Pegasus. Some people enjoy that, especially those only into the easy running, and really only run for cardio reasons, who also want to reduce impact as much as possible.
A shoe comfortable going any distance.
Tempo/Threshold:
Pegasus Turbo Plus
Nike’s remake of the Pegasus Turbo 2. This is a lower stack shoe for Nike’s standards, around ~30mm in the heel. You’ll feel the ground a lot more in this shoe.
With that lower stack height comes a lighter shoe featuring Zoomx. This shoe is great from running faster than your easy pace, for any kind of workout. I would be comfortable in this shoe up to the half marathon distance.
Racing:
Alphafly
Nike’s max comfort marathon shoe, made to save your legs while also providing you with as much energy return as possible. A common choice for Nike’s elites.
Vaporfly
Amateurs like this shoe more because it’s a bit more stable, although it’s still a lot more aggressive than the alphafly over shorter distances. Perfect for 10K-Marathon, where the Alphafly is a marathon specialty shoe.
Adidas
Daily Training:
SL2
Adidas hit it out of the park with this shoe. All your easy running can be done in this shoe, along with your tempo/race pace miles. Hell, even long runs are good in this shoe. The addition of Lightstrike Pro (peba) to the midsole is amazing.
Tempo/Threshold:
Takumi Sen 10
This is basically Adidas’ 5K-10K specialty shoe. Featuring a full length Lightstrike Pro and a 28mm stack height, this shoe was built for speed over shorter distances. Wear this for shorter + faster workouts on a track or road. I wouldn’t take this over the 10K distance due to midsole being so minimal.
Racing:
Adizero Adios Pro 3
You may notice a trend with Adidas’ shoes…they like to confuse people with the name and the look. They essentially all look the same, take a second look if purchasing.
This is Adidas’ elite distance racing shoe, and is on par with the Vaporfly. The only problem is that the Vaporfly is found on sale much more often versus this.
ASICS
Daily Training:
Novablast
Asics keeps the nostalgic look and feel while adding in some modern flare—most notably in the midsole. This shoe is low density foam—meaning it will feel very soft—perfect for easy running and long runs. If you want something more firm to pick up the pace with at will, look elsewhere.
Tempo to Threshold:
Magic Speed 4
A great shoe here that rivals the Endorphin Speed and Hoka Mach. Firm, first, and durable. Most people can take this 400 miles, run a few races in, and train all their long runs + tempo miles in it.
Racing:
Meta Speed Sky+
This is a peculiar shoe compared to others in the same category on the market. The heel stack height on this shoe is 33mm, where most other marathon distance racing shoes are 38-39mm. Take note of this in case you are sensitive to impact or want a more max cushion racer.
New Balance
Daily Training:
1080
New Balance fresh foam is the hall mark of walking on pillows. So much that it sometimes comes at the detriment of running economy. If you are exclusively doing easy runs, or have another shoe for faster paces, this is still good.
Tempo-Threshold:
FuelCell SuperComp Trainer
I would recommend buying up to the supercomp trainer over the rebel for the carbon plate and overall more energy return this shoe gives you. A great “Super trainer”
Racing:
FuelCell SuperComp Elite
New Balances taking a page from Adidas’ book here and making their shoes look extremely similar.
This is the elite racing shoe NB has to offer. This is a more cushioned shoe that lacks the aggressiveness the Nike and Adidas racers have, but if your thing is non-aggressive racing, this could be for you.
Brooks
Daily Training:
Ghost
The ghost is the best selling shoe in the US for a reason, it’s comfortable and durable as hell. Great for easy running where you want to not worry about your stride and drive your heel straight into the ground.
Glycerin
Glycerin is another daily training option from Brooks. This differs from the Ghost in that it is slightly lower drop and a bit softer. Many older folks prefer this model.
Like most Brooks shoes, they aren’t show stoppers, but they are reliable and durable.
Tempo-Threshold:
N/A: None to mention.
Racing:
N/A: None to mention.
Hoka
Daily Training:
Clifton
Maybe the most divisive shoe on the internet. Hated by one side, loved by another.
If you’ve run in this shoe before, you probably land someone on the enjoyment side of it, but you still know there’s something better out there. And that’s okay!
This shoe is a great introduction into max cushion and still being lightweight. This shoe is great for all around training, from easy to race day. I have many athletes training in Cliftons and then buying a fresh pair for race day. A solid shoe!
Tempo-Threshold:
Mach
The Hoka Mach took a few iterations to figure out, chiefly because I think they didn’t have a solid blend for their premium midsole compound. But it appears they figured it out. A great super trainer option that can go toe-to-toe with the Endorphin Speed.
Racing:
Cielo
Like I said, I’m just explaining the offerings of these brands without trying to place my bias anywhere. But this Hoka hasn’t really figured out their racing shoe yet. Yes, it’s good and will return a lot of energy, but at this point stick to what we know works (Adidas/Nike/Saucony).
Saucony
Daily Training:
Triumph
One of the best trainers out there currently, and honestly underrated. It now features a blend of Saucony’s premium foam (Pebax), to return even more energy and bounce. This shoe will go as far as you are able to take it in one run.
Tempo-Threshold:
Endorphin Speed
We all knew it was coming, my baby, the Endorphin Speed. Honorary mention for the Endorphin Pro here as well, both are the cream of the crop super trainers.
Insane (for the price) energy return and durability out of these shoes. Saucony continues to dominate this niche of shoes.
Racing:
Saucony is quickly catching up in the elite racing department is a close second behind Nike (I would say currently tied with Adidas also), their midsole compounds are essentially the same, it just comes down to geometry and on-foot feeling.
Puma
Daily Training:
Deviate Nitro
A sneaky shoe that is really only talked about in the back rooms of online shoe forums and subreddits. I think of this shoe like the Saucony triumph, but a bit lighter and more aggressive. This shoe can cover easy-tempo training.
Tempo-Threshold:
Use above for tempo-threshold, Puma still lacks a true “threshold” shoe, although the Deviate Nitro can handle tempo just fine.
Racing:
I barely want to look at this shoe because it’s highly unaesthetic, but pros are qualifying for the Olympics wearing it. While it is highly unstable, I wouldn’t advise the average amateur to use this, it’s at least worth trying on to understand what the geometry of the midsole is doing.
ON
Daily Training:
Cloudmonster
Don’t be fooled by ON. Yes their midsole have holes in them and look insanely weird, but they make a well-engineered shoe.
The one problem is that these shoes run exceptionally narrow and tight in the uppers.
Tempo-Threshold:
Cloudstratus
A lower stack shoe that provides solid ground feel and responsiveness. I wouldn’t wear this on a track, as it doesn’t turn well, but it still is good for the roads.
Racing:
Cloudboom Strike
An interesting shoe that pops up at world majors and even has won the Boston Marathon the last 2 years (and I think Berlin). I would want to see more amateurs wear this shoe first before purchasing myself. For now, I stick with what I know (at this price point at least).
Mizuno
Daily Training:
Wave Rider
Mizuno dials their more modern looking shoes back here and resembles a more classic “ASICS” look. This is a decent shoe for daily training, and if you have some affinity to Mizuno, you won’t be disappointed in buying this. There just might be other (better) shoes out there.
Tempo-Threshold:
Buyer beware: the heel “scoop” or rocker will cause you pain if you start to heel strike in this shoe. It will cause an over stride and your hamstring will be at risk.
Racing:
Buyer be even more aware: This shoe will tear your Achilles if you heel strike in it.
Fun shoes though.
Okay that’s it. A quick Fall 2024 Shoe Buying guide.
On Deck:
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