Super shoes are designed to slim down your race time with extra bounce from carbon plates and ultra-light foam.Adidas
Scott Lipp, a runner from Washington, made headlines at this year’s Boston Marathon. His claim to fame? Being the first finisher not wearing super shoes. For the uninitiated, super shoes are sneakers with curved carbon plates and superlight midsole foams designed to spring you forward – and chop minutes off your finishing time.
Lipp crossed the line in 2:42:33. An accomplishment, but hardly the stuff of legend. Perhaps an equally impressive display of endurance belonged to the ambitious X poster who combed through thousands of finish-line photos before spotting Lipp and his non-carbon-plated Topo Atmos.
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Of course, there’s nothing wrong with racing in a pair of classic trainers. For one thing, it will save you money: Most super shoes cost at least $300, with some even topping $700. But if you’re chasing a speed goal – whether that’s a two- or five-hour marathon – the benefits of super shoes are undeniable.
Choosing which pair to buy, however, is much less obvious. Below, I’ve addressed some common questions, such as how to decide whether you should buy super shoes, whether they work for runners of all speeds and how to figure out which ones are right for you.
Super shoes have become a much more common sight, with elite and casual runners alike looking for a boost on race day.Mary Schwalm/The Associated Press
I’m doing a race this fall. Should I buy a fast shoe or a comfy one?
The Asics Gel-Nimbus Nimbus 27.Asics
Running happens at different speeds, so if you run even a few times a week, it’s recommended that you have more than one pair of shoes. The most important pair are daily trainers: comfortable shoes with no carbon plate and a midsole made of cushioned, durable EVA foam. These can last more than 1,000 kilometres, with popular options including the Asics Gel-Nimbus, New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 and Brooks Ghost.
The second most important kind of shoe to own, if you plan to challenge yourself with a race, is a pair of super shoes. Most running shoe brands now have a few different models, with some weighing no more than a single serving of yogurt. They don’t last as long as daily trainers but will generally keep their bounce for 300 to 400 kilometres.
Am I too slow to race in super shoes?
There is no speed minimum for super shoes. Research from 2019 even suggests that slower runners have more to gain from wearing them than faster runners. A possible take-away is that non-elite runners may have more room for improvement in their stride. However, a 2024 study found that improvements from super shoes were greater at speeds faster than 8:00 a mile.
If lighter shoes are better for racing, should I just race barefoot?
Some people do run barefoot (it’s easiest if you’ve been doing it since you were a child), but if you were raised wearing shoes, I’d recommend that you run and race in shoes. Super shoes propel you forward in a way that barefoot running doesn’t, and, to state the obvious, running barefoot without a lifetime of calluses on your feet really hurts.
Will super shoes get me injured?
Some research points to the possibility that super shoes put greater stress on the knees and some bones in the feet. That being said, many of today’s super shoes tend to come with more support than they did five years ago. Still, I reserve them for key workouts and races only and do the majority of my runs in traditional daily trainers. That also saves me from having to buy a pricey new pair of super shoes every year.
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge wears Nike Vaporfly shoes in October, 2019. Super shoes might be everywhere now, but when the Vaporfly first started making appearances on the feet of top runners like Kipchoge they made waves for the noticeable advantage they gave athletes.ALEX HALADA/AFP/Getty Images
How do I find the right super shoe?
It’s important to keep in mind that not all super shoes are created equal. I’ve broken down my favourites into three categories based on the common priorities of runners.
Most comfortable: The first super shoes that came out, in 2017, were designed for speed only and weren’t overly comfortable. Today, several brands are cleaving their super shoe offerings to have a second, more conservative option with increased support, such as the Nike Vaporfly 4, Hoka Rocket X 3, Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 and On Cloudboom Strike. These models are still fast, but made with foot feel in mind.
The New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5.New Balance
Most durable: After a few years of new iterations, super shoes have gotten faster, as well as more durable. Most pairs in this category cost around $350, and they’re maximally fast and will last multiple seasons. These include the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4, Nike Alphafly 3, Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo and New Balance SuperComp Elite v5.
The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1.Adidas
Fastest: Over the past 18 months, we’ve seen the rise of “one marathon only” shoes – a label I use loosely, since their longevity is still up for debate. These shoes are made from superfast, superexpensive and not-at-all durable foams. They’re a game-changer for anyone who wants the very best, regardless of cost.
Last year, in preparation for the TCS Toronto Half-Marathon, I bought a shoe from this category: the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo. I paid $724 and raced two half-marathons in them, setting personal bests in both, and then tossed them in the trash because their bounce was gone. But because my main goal was to run fast, the purchase felt worth it.
Other brands followed Adidas and are experimenting with the same ephemeral material found in the Pro Evos, known as A-TPU foam. The Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3, Saucony Endorphin Elite 2, Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2 and Asics Metaspeed Ray all contain these superlight foams.
Final tips
Before splurging on a pair of super shoes, I have two final pieces of advice. First, I encourage runners to go to their local running store and try running in shoes before buying them. Purchasing a sneaker online, without testing it first, exposes you to all kinds of fit issues.
Second, shoes are updated every year, becoming slightly better, lighter and more durable. But there’s no shame in choosing last year’s model. In most cases, they’re nearly as good and will also save you money.
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The bottom line: If you’re willing to part ways with a few hundred bucks, a super shoe for racing is a terrific investment – especially now that years of innovation have made them more comfortable and longer-lasting. But not all super shoes are created equal, so spend time deciding what’s important to you, and only then, go and find your solemate.
A timeline of the evolution of marathon shoes
1960s: Abebe Bikila won the Rome Olympic Marathon running barefoot. Others wore the New Balance Trackster– reportedly the first running shoe sold in different widths, with ripples in the sole meant to protect against shin splints. The price: $15.65.
Ted Shaffrey/The Associated Press
1970s: Enter Nike. First came the Cortez, built with a cushioned midsole designed for long-distance comfort and reduced Achilles strain. It was followed by the iconic Waffle, dreamed up by legendary coach Bill Bowerman, who famously melted rubber onto a waffle iron to create the shoe’s gridded outsole for enhanced grip. Adidas countered with the SL, featuring a nylon upper and an EVA midsole for comfort.
1980s: Cushioning became popular as Asics entered the fold. Its GT-II featured gel cushioning technology meant to improve shock absorption. This decade also saw the first iterations of the Nike Pegasus and Adidas Boston – shoes that are still around today.
1990s: Highly cushioned shoes such as the Asics Gel-Kayano and the Nike Air Max Triax dominated the racing scene. Bells and whistles were common; performance improvements, less so.
Hoka’s maximalist Clifton 1.Hoka
2000s: Here came the rise of the minimalism movement, spawning superlight racing shoes with almost no support, such as the Nike Zoom Streak and the Mizuno Wave Universe. Most tackily: The Vibram Five Finger shoes, a thin footglove meant to mimic barefoot running, had a moment.
2010s: Things swung the other way, and maximalist shoes re-entered the fold. Hoka’s chunky Clifton became popular. The Adidas Adizero Adios Boost, thanks to its lightweight foam, was the fastest shoe in the world. Then, in 2016, Nike developed the original Vaporfly, launching the era of carbon-plated super shoes.
2020s: Nearly everyone is racing in super shoes, and brands are diversifying their offerings. Top-end super shoes are becoming faster thanks to improved foams and rock-forward technology, while slower, comfier super shoes are a hot commodity for recreational runners wanting to improve their times.
