Running shoe index
The Running Shoe Index
Every shoe worth knowing, with the numbers that actually matter. Filter by what you need, sort by what you care about. Reviews land as we put the miles in.
9 shoes
RacedayNew Balance
SuperComp Elite v6
Twenty grams lighter than the v5 on New Balance's new Infinion foam. Built to hold its shape in the last hour of a marathon.
- Stack
- 40 / 32mm
- Drop
- 8mm
- Weight
- 190g
- Foam
- Infinion*
R5 499
Daily trainerAsics
Novablast 6
The trampoline shoe grew up. Megablast foam in the forefoot gives the Novablast the pop it always promised, without losing the soft heel.
- Stack
- 41.5 / 33.5mm
- Drop
- 8mm
- Weight
- 249g
- Foam
- Polyolefin + ATPU pod
R3 299
Daily trainerPuma
Deviate Pure Nitro
The first Deviate with no plate. Puma kept the PEBA foam that makes its racers bounce and took the stiff bit out, which is where the weight went.
- Stack
- 38 / 30mm
- Drop
- 8mm
- Weight
- 220g
- Foam
- PEBA
R3 199
Super trainerAsics
Superblast 3
The cult long-run shoe, ten grams lighter with a full layer of FF Leap on top. A huge amount of foam that somehow still lets you run fast.
- Stack
- 46.5 / 38.5mm
- Drop
- 8mm
- Weight
- 239g
- Foam
- ATPU + EVA
R4 699
Speed trainerPuma
Deviate Nitro 4
The same stack and the same foam family as the plateless Pure, with the carbon PWRPLATE left in. Thirty grams heavier for it, and a lot more shoe on a tempo day.
- Stack
- 38 / 30mm
- Drop
- 8mm
- Weight
- 250g
- Foam
- PEBA + PEBA blend
R3 999
Super trainerAsics
Megablast
Asics took the Superblast idea and made the whole midsole out of its bounciest foam. Big stack, no plate, and light enough that nothing in the rotation is safe.
- Stack
- 45 / 37mm
- Drop
- 8mm
- Weight
- 230g
- Foam
- ATPU
R4 999
Max cushionNike
Vomero Plus
A full slab of ZoomX under an easy-day trainer. Softer and bouncier than most max-cushion shoes, and heavy enough that you will not want to race in it.
- Stack
- 45 / 35mm
- Drop
- 10mm
- Weight
- 285g
- Foam
- TPE
R3 699
Speed trainerNike
Zoom Fly 6
Nike put racing foam and a full carbon plate in a shoe built to survive a training block. Heavier than a racer, and that is the point.
- Stack
- 40 / 32mm
- Drop
- 8mm
- Weight
- 244g
- Foam
- ZoomX + EVA
R3 499
Speed trainerAdidas
Adizero Evo SL
The same Lightstrike Pro that made the Adios Pro 3 famous, in a shoe you can train in every day. Light, quick and a lot cheaper than the racer it borrows from.
- Stack
- 39 / 33mm
- Drop
- 6mm
- Weight
- 224g
- Foam
- TPEE
R2 999
Prices are indicative South African retail and move around a lot between stores and sales. Treat them as a guide, not a quote.