The Best Running Shoes of 2026

In this category, we zeroed in on shoes that we considered to be our everyday workhorses. Whether you feel like a 20-minute jog around town or you're training for a race and need some over-mileage, these shoes will get the job done in comfort.

The three standout Standard Daily Trainers are the Brooks Ghost 17, the HOKA Clifton 10, and the Nike Vomero 18. The Nike Vomero 18 wins our top pick because of the way it facilitates easy rolling strides, and the combination of ReactX and ZoomX foams for providing both cushioning and durability. It has an accommodating fit for a variety of foot types and can keep runners of any level and style feeling comfortable and moving.

At a glance: Nike Vomero 18

• 10.5 oz | 298 g (Men's size 9)
• 9.1 oz | 258 g (Women's size 8)
• Heel stack: 44 mm
• Forefoot stack: 34 mm
• Heel-toe Offset: 10 mm

Stability shoes are a great option for those who overpronate or need added support. The Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 wins our top pick because of the way Brooks' GuideRails holistic support system keeps excess movement in check. It's stability, provided in a way that feels natural to your footstrike.

Top to bottom, the Brooks Adrenaline GTS represents dependable stability, durability, and just enough cushioning to trust mile after mile.

At a glance: Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25

• 10.6 oz | 301 g (Men's size 9)
• 9.1 oz | 258 g (Women's size 8)
• Heel stack: 39 mm
• Forefoot stack: 29 mm
• Heel-toe Offset: 10 mm

The Daily Trainers- Premium category is all about luxury; elevating your runs through plush cushioning, fancy foams, and detailed uppers. For us, the three standout Premium Daily Trainers from this year are the ASICS Gel Nimbus 27, the Nike Vomero Plus, and the New Balance 1080 v14.

The Nike Vomero Plus offers a large, glorious stack of superfoam that feels both thickly cushioned and luxurious, but also responsive and runnable. Its ZoomX superfoam feels great, even through long miles, and it's exactly the shoe you want for crushing your mileage volume goals.

At a glance: Nike Vomero Plus

• 9.9 oz | 281 g (Men's size 9)
• 8.6 oz | 243 g (Women's size 9)
• Heel stack: 43 mm
• Forefoot stack: 33 mm
• Heel-toe offset: 10 mm

Max cushioned shoes are ideal for runners and walkers who are willing to deal with a little bit of extra weight in order to ensure the most cushioned experiences on their runs. The original PUMA Mag Max was our Max Cushioned shoe of the year for 2025, so it's no surprise to see the updated version 2 continuing to top our charts.

The PUMA MagMax Nitro 2 maintains the great, fast feel that made its predecessor such a fan favorite, but sheds a significant amount of weight. Its NITROFOAM midsole still strikes a brilliant balance between soft and energetic, and underfoot geometries keep you rolling through your strides, but a revisited toe box adds more spacious comfort. Overall, the shoe is a great choice for runners who prioritize comfort and protection on long run days.

At a glance: PUMA MagMax 2

• 9.4 oz | 266 g (Men's size 9)
• 8.2 oz | 232 g (Women's size 9)
• Heel stack: 46 mm
• Forefoot stack: 38 mm
• Heel-toe offset: 8 mm

With Energetic Daily Trainers, we ask shoes to do everything. They have to be approachable enough for us to slip on every single day, but they'd also better not slow us down. Each of our three standout Daily Trainer- Energetic shoes manage to thread this needle, with the New Balance Rebel v5, the ASICS Novablast 5, and the HOKA Mach 6 all providing comfortable, zippy rides and facilitating quick turnovers for your workouts.

The New Balance Rebel v5 wins our top pick, though, because of how immediately squishy and light it feels upon step-in, yet how bouncy and responsive it feels when pushing interval paces. Extra stack heights in the v5 means that you can rack up extra miles in the shoes, and even without a plate to force stability, the shoe remains structured enough to keep your workouts confident and fun every single time.

At a glance: New Balance Rebel v5

• 7.9 oz | 224 g (Men's size 9)
• 6.8 oz | 193 g (Women's size 9)
• Heel stack: 38 mm
• Forefoot stack: 32 mm
• Heel-toe offset: 6 mm

Long-Run focused Performance Trainers are especially fun to run in because they get to showcase maximal stacks of each brands' latest and greatest superfoams and features. The MEGABLAST wins the category for us thanks to its incredible under-foot feel, its game-changing foam composition, and its versatility.

With 45 mm FULL of ASICS’ incredibly bouncy, responsive FFTURBO2 foam on display, and a steep toe rocker/heel rocker combination, ASICS encourages you to fly through your next workout. They're plenty quick enough to tackle our fastest interval workouts. Need to get some recovery miles in? Good news, the MEGABLASTS are also plush and bouncy enough to let us cruise around those miles in casual style. Want to do a long run in them? There’s enough foam here to keep your feet happy for however long you're hoping to go.

At a glance: ASICS MEGABLAST

• 7.8 oz | 221 g (Unisex Men’s size 9/Women’s 10)
• Heel stack: 45 mm
• Forefoot stack: 37 mm
• Heel-toe offset: 8 mm

Performance trainers are designed to combine the speed-ready feel of a racer with the durability needed to handle repeated use. The Evo SL wins the category for us thanks to its incredible light weight and the zippiness of its Lightstrike Pro-based midsole. Also, the wide variety of upper configurations (Standard, Woven, AND Exo) available lets you customize your ride in a way that's wholly unique to the Evo SL.

Blending inspiration from adidas’ Adizero and Boston lines, the Evo SL features a minimal design with Lightstrike Pro racing superfoam underfoot for an ultra-responsive ride. A nylon-reinforced midfoot adds structure and encourages smooth transitions while minimizing weight, so you can put in max effort with less strain on your legs. Whether you're pushing a tempo run or even lining up for race day, the adidas adizero Evo SL is engineered to handle it all with easy speed.

At a glance: adidas adizero Evo SL

• 8.1 oz | 230 g (Men's size 9)
• 7.2 oz | 204 g (Women's size 8)
• Heel stack: 37 mm
• Forefoot stack: 30.5 mm
• Heel-toe offset: 6.5 mm

Super shoes have undergone a revolution in the past decade. Low-Stack Super Shoes keep their focus on shorter races. Perfect for 5ks and 10ks, with the ability to stretch to miles or half marathons, these shoes don’t worry so much about durability or longevity as much as they just try to push you faster, and faster, and faster.

The Takumi Sen 11 is a razor-sharp road racing shoe that seats you low in its profile, allowing you to feel connected to the ground, while simultaneously generating propulsion through adidas’ familiar glass-fiber EnergyRods. These rods, instead of plates, enhance the shoes’ responsiveness without necessitating the rigidity of a plate. The result is a fast and flexible, and responsiveness that makes fast feel easy.

At a glance: adidas Takumi Sen 11

• 6.5 oz | 184 g (Unisex Men’s size 9/Women’s 10)
• Heel stack: 32 mm
• Forefoot stack: 25 mm
• Heel-toe offset: 7 mm

Super shoes combine lightweight builds, high-performance foam and midsole plates to maximize energy return and running economy. The three standout Super Shoes- High Stack are the PUMA FAST-R Elite 3, the ASICS Metaspeed Ray, and the Nike Alphafly. The PUMA Fast-R 3 wins the category for us thanks to its pure, unmatched performance capabilities.

Designed for race day speed, the Fast-R 3 pairs a lightweight, ultra-breathable upper with high-performance NITROFOAM for responsive cushioning and efficient energy return. Underfoot, a full-length carbon PWRPLATE extends past the toes to drive powerful toe-offs and to create a smooth, propulsive ride from start to finish. This impressive balance of performance features and user comfort offers an explosive, energy-sustaining ride that's sure to make a difference at your next competition.

At a glance: PUMA Fast-R Nitro Elite 3

• 6.0 oz | 170 g (Men's size 9)
• 5.2 oz | 147 g (Women's size 8)
• Heel stack: 39 mm
• Forefoot stack: 31 mm
• Heel-toe offset: 8 mm

When choosing a trail running shoe, it's important to identify the types of trails you will run on and the amount of cushioning you prefer underfoot. In this category, we are looking for trail running shoes that can do a bit of everything—smooth fire roads, more technical terrain, or even road to trail.

The biggest selling point for this ASICS Gel Trabuco 14 is the upgraded foam. Introducing FF BLAST MAX into the trail shoe has made the Trabuco's ride lighter and better than ever, while still remaining plenty durable and tough enough to handle hundreds of trail miles. A rock plate helps protect your foot from the worst of the trail's elements, and altogether, the Trabuco 14 is a great option to grab and go for any light or moderate trail days.

At a glance: ASICS Gel Trabuco 14

• 9.8 oz | 278 g (Men's size 9)
• 8.5 oz | 241 g (Women's size 8)
• Heel stack: 36 mm
• Forefoot stack: 28 mm
• Heel-toe offset: 8 mm

Performance Trail running shoes are designed to be nimble and agile. They tend to be light and are the preferred choice for many who run sub-ultra trail races. The Salomon S/Lab Pulsar wins the category for us thanks to its versatility.

Taking the basic framework of the S/Lab Pulsar 3, but adding extra stack height, makes the 4th iteration of this shoe feel more robust and multi-capable than ever before. Whether you're scrambling across loose terrain or bombing down technical descents, the S/Lab Pulsar 4's Active Chassis will keep you feeling confident and secure. Then, when you hit the flat or climbing portions of your runs, Salomon's Energy+ superfoam feels quick and responsive.

At a glance: Salomon S/Lab Pulsar 4

• 8.9 oz | 252 g (Unisex Men’s size 9/Women’s 10)
• Heel stack: 35 mm
• Forefoot stack: 29 mm
• Heel-toe offset: 6 mm

Max cushion running shoes have exploded in popularity in recent years, so it only makes sense that high stacks are starting to pop up more frequently out on the trails. Max cushion trail shoes are designed for off-road runners looking to prioritize comfort and stability, while still seeking a high level of durability and performance.

The Altamesa 500 v2 excels as a long-lasting, protective, cushioned trail option that you can slip on foot for an incredible number of recovery miles. With broad, deep chevron-shaped lugs for confident traction and a roomy toe box, the Altamesa 500 v2 is ready to guide you through high-volume weeks or relaxed recovery paces.

At a glance: The North Face Altamesa 500 v2

• 9.8 oz | 278 g (Men's size 9)
• 8.5 oz | 241 g (Women's size 8)
• Heel stack: 44 mm
• Forefoot stack: 38 mm
• Heel-toe offset: 6 mm

Super trail shoes are built to speed up the best trail runners in the world, though you don't have to be elite to benefit from the cutting-edge technology these shoes have to offer.

The Brooks Cascadia Elite is a carbon-plated trail racing shoe packed with the ultra-resilient cushioning needed to deliver speed and protection over long distances. It's sculpted in a way that provides approachable stability for any runner, but also lends super shoe levels of speed and responsiveness for race day. With some of the best outsole traction in the game and a comfortable, durable upper, the Cascadia Elite feels like a shoe that does everything right.

At a glance: Brooks Cascadia Elite

• 9.5 oz | 269 g (Men's size 9)
• Heel stack: 41 mm
• Forefoot stack: 35 mm
• Heel-toe offset: 6 mm

Once you identify the right shoe for you, it's also vital that you choose the correct size. While running, your feet tend to swell. With that in mind, it is typically recommended to go up half a size as compared to your street shoe size.

This will depend on the shoe you are wearing. The shoes on this list should last anywhere from 300-600 miles. Some telltale signs that it is time to replace your shoes are if they feel “dead” underneath your feet, have creases in the midsole, or if the rubber on the outsole is worn down.

If you are newer to running, one shoe that can do a bit of everything is perfect. If you are looking to train for a race, improve your speed, or run on different terrains, you may consider owning several pairs. This answer will depend largely on your running routine.

Daily trainers provide balanced cushioning and moderate speed for everyday miles and easy runs, while performance running shoes are lighter with less cushioning to enhance speed. Consider what matters most for your runs, comfort for mileage or responsiveness for races, to pick the right category.

While not completely necessary, trail running shoes offer better traction, protection and durability than road shoes for off-road runs. Using a trail specific shoe, such as the Salomon Genesis or HOKA Mafate 5, helps increase performance and reduce the risk of injury.