Best Marathon Running Shoes 2025: Our top picks for racing, beginners, comfort and value

Between us we’ve tested a lot of running shoes and we’ve run a lot of marathons, so we feel confident that somewhere in this video is the perfect marathon running shoe for you, whether you’re in need of a carbon super-shoe to chase a PB or a max-stacked cushioned shoe to protect your legs through the months of training and race day itself.
We’ve picked out the best marathon running shoes in a range of categories in the video, so check out the options below to head straight to the one that suits you best. Or just grab a hot drink, kick back and enjoy the whole video.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00​​​​ - Intro
01:24 - Best Carbon Racing Shoes For The Marathon
05:07 - Best Marathon Shoes For Beginners
10:53 - Most Comfortable Marathon Shoes
14:34 - Best Value Marathon Shoes
17:39 - Best Non-Plated Marathon Shoes
21:20 - Best For Training And Racing
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[@nikargiropoulos9433]

I've completed 13 marathons over the past 8 years after starting to run in 2017 (aged 34, now age 42.) I've tried almost every super carbon shoe during that time and ended up selling most of them - I overpronate slightly so the lack of stability just doesn't work for anything longer than a half marathon for me. I finally found one I loved - the Adidas Pro 3 - which got me back-to-back PBs in 2022 down to 3 hours 47mins, but on both occasions I struggled with calf pain in the last 5k and lost a lot of time. Everything changed when I bought the Saucony Pro 4 at the beginning of 2024 - it isn't mentioned in this video but it is by far the most comfortable & stable carbon shoe from my perspective and got me through 3 marathons with 3 PBs last year - 3:41 in Brighton, 3:37 in London and then 3:31 in Valencia. I've done 500km in them now and they've lost a bit of pop, so they are being used for training while I have brand new pair to use for London 2025. You can pick them up for £180 with discount codes - I'd highly recommend it to anyone who runs between 3:30 and 4 hour marathons.

[@alvinbgyt5143]

How about saucony speed 4, have you tried them? Are they as good as saucony pro 4?

[@nikargiropoulos9433]

@ no, I have 2 pairs of Speed 3s so no plans to get them at the moment. I did not get on with the Saucony Pro 3 btw, they gave me calf issues too

[@ashrafity]

What would you reccomend for shoes to run in 24 hours straight in? I wanna attempt a challenge

[@federicocosta6040]

I'm 6.6ft and weights 215lbs, Hoka Cielo X1 is a big man dream shoe. Stable, big stack of bouncy foam, a knee saver. Prepping for Barcelona Marathon right now. I use it for all my tempo and long runs.... I'm in love.

[@tymalax]

Really want a pair of these but am having trouble finding in my size!

[@NickNelsonReiners]

What size do you wear?

[@tymalax]

@NickNelsonReiners 10.5 in wider shoes, 11 in narrower, so id guess a 10.5 for the cielos

[@simonwatson8391]

Same as me, I’m the same height and weight the the Cielo is the business!!

[@eagle63-94]

bonjour, quelle adhérence sur bitume mouillé ? Fit ? j'ai les pieds larges. Merci d'avance

[@TomOlePetersen]

I was waiting for exactly that - thanks for delivering without asking!

[@ACs946]

I always appreciate the content you all put out. It will take a huge amount of time and effort to organise and edit. Its much appreciated. cheers

[@robfeakins783]

I love how you organized these categories and the shoes in them. Great job and a lot to think about.

[@horstbeham5756]

For newer runners like me targeting 4 hours and more the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 and New Balance SC Elite v4 are great shoes. Not too soft and a decent sized base to support tired legs.

[@scotthilton5406]

Did the Houston Marathon a couple weeks ago. Used the EVO SL for the marathon and it did great. The loudest shoe on the circuit was the Alphafly 3. I did see a lot of Glycerin Max out there.

[@asterix6139]

Awesome video!! Very helpful and informative. Those categories was well picked, good choice 👍 Thank you so much 😊

[@andyahtside5]

Should do a video of “if I had $150 I’d get this, $200, $300, etc” so that we could see what mix you’d come up with at different budgets. Would you go with one do it all shoe like superblast, 1 cushion one for speed/race, etc. think that would be useful for a lot of people.

[@1dsammie]

Priority: Running quality... Non priority: cost..

[@vincewarne228]

I don’t get too concerned on retail price, I’m quite patient and can wait for a discount. Just scored the Hoka Cielo X1 for half price!

[@cme982]

Ecellent content! Very original theme, please keep it coming!

[@carloacetre677]

I’m doing my first marathon in Novablasts! For a 4:40 est time should be good enough.

[@nathyjegs]

Hey, I'm also running my first marathon in the NB5. Just ordered it so excited to get and test it out before race day.

[@MusicChristo]

I ran a sub 3:30 in Novablast 4 last summer after having big heelissues with Vaporfly3 in Stockholm marathon 4 weeks earlier. Had no problems with NB and had an almost normal weekly milage the week after the marathons. I figure NB5 is a bit softer, but will still do you well. Good luck! If you come across a pair of Superblast2, I would prefer them above NB.

[@adeeltariq7011]

You guys seem much more positive about the novablast 5 now compared to your initial reviews of it. Most shoetubers reviews were much more positive than your reviews (I think run testers generally felt NB5 was too soft). Nothing wrong with that of course, it’s good that everyone has their own opinions and run testers is my favourite resource for shoe reviews!

[@ortizluismario23]

I just did my first 10 mile run ever in a new pair of NB5, definitely felt a bit too soft for my liking. Did the NB4 have a snappier feel? Not sure if I want to keep them.

[@adeeltariq7011]

I haven’t run in the NB5 yet. I’ve got NB4 and superblast 2. Run testers seem to prefer the NB4 to the NB5 but general reviews I’ve seen almost unanimously seem to favour the NB5. For me, because I’ve already got the SB2 for a firmer more responsive ride I wouldn’t mind the NB5 being softer than the NB4.

[@Kaisersozze]

If a lot of people are sizing up in the AP4 and a certain someone complains about their toe in it but they went TTS I wouldn't necessary blame it on the shoe.....

[@TomCantu-q2x]

I tried both sizes and TTS fit much better if you use this one trick. Put the shoe on resting your foot all the way back in the heel and lace up like that. The lockdown is so good without having to crank the laces down that your foot won’t slide forward and cramp your toes. Half size up felt sloppy for me which is not ideal for a race shoe. Love the AP4.

[@Kaisersozze]

@ Interesting. It was a general comment, there is never a 100% consensus for any shoe as far as sizing.

[@Curt-o8h]

@@TomCantu-q2xexactly! Put your heel firmly back and do your laces. It fits me exactly the same as all my other shoes: tts 100%

[@TomCantu-q2x]

@@Curt-o8h Awesome!

[@andreasschwarz4908]

The Ghost 16 felt really really good. It's a bit firm but bouncy ride and rolls through nicely. The only potentially problematic thing I noticed could be the upper, it's very firm.

[@Ginguredrunner]

Oh man gotta have the deviate 3 in here somewhere!!! Bangerrrrrrr.

[@jamesrokel9517]

I’d put the Hyperion Max 2 in there as well. I just did a 16mile long run preparing for an April Marathon and legs felt great the next day.

[@hugoq6186]

Wow, where the hell is the magmax ? For me it is THE shoe to train with for a marathon in 2025. Super comfortable for long runs, really great for marathon tempo training, very durable grip and a lot of great deals currently making it really valuable

[@shreykalra5602]

Where are the deals

[@JDeezle21]

Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 ❤

[@scorqui]

Thank you for the review. Could you do a “best 10k running shoes” episode?

[@ItsJakeTheBrake]

Would love that. It's annoying that 90% of running youtube is hyper focused on marathons.

[@mvincent020]

​@@ItsJakeTheBrakeI agree! I'm training for my first half this spring but honestly the full marathon just seems uninteresting to me 😅

[@jimoconnor8597]

I'm a lighter runner and find the Glycerin Max a bit firm. It also is tough to run slower in due to the outsole geometry. The big, flat piece of midsole with no rocker doesn't make it easy to get to toe off for me. Shoe relies completely on the huge rocker portion in the front on the shoe. Try to run slower and it is tough.

[@SpiKrishPri]

Nothing to complain about the Edge!

[@blueaoki1]

Sales may change the value of your racing shoe. I just got Nike Alphafly 3 for 30% off because the shop had to make room for new color waves. The Alphafly is also quite durable

[@paulcarlson4230]

I'm excited to try the glycerin maxim an over 60 runner and prefer comfort also soft because I'm hurting after long runs ugh.. also the more v5 is maybe in my price range

[@benbauer7866]

More V5 sounds like a nice pick, too. Or the “normal” Glycerin

[@JDeezle21]

Brooks Glycerin Max ❤

[@charliemiskelly7053]

I’ve got the Puma velocity nitro 3s, I ran a half marathon in them and got a really bad blister under my arch with the power tape structure they put on never had this issue with the other velocity nitro 2s so probably won’t be using these now for the marathon as they’re much narrower around arch area.

[@jamieharris8127]

Novablast 5 is very wide in the standard width - can't find any mention of a wide fit version. It is a bit slippery in the wet though. Still love it

[@JDeezle21]

The Asics Superblast 2 for me is the Puma MagMax Nitro ❤

[@Tegulatus]

how’s it compare to glycerin max?

[@JDeezle21]

@Tegulatus Glycerin Max is more on the plushy side of things and the MagMax I find easier to pick up the pace in if I need to shift gears on a progression run.

[@MSaxp]

I just bought the Magmax (I also have the Superblast). I am concerned about the arch as it seems quite high for my fairly low arched feet. Havent run in it yet, so technically i can return them

[@Tegulatus]

@@JDeezle21 ok maybe they’re not for me then I bought the glycerin max for recovery and thought I would want even a little more squish to them!

[@scottwiggans6292]

Kiran can you help mate my be a bit of topic but your same size and stats as me mate if you were to run a 50 mile race tomorrow light trails at a 7:30 per mile pace which would you choose between adidas agravix speed ultra or metafuji trail if that was your only 2 options please reply pal

[@spou20]

Brilliant overview. Love the Hoka Mach X 2, SBv2, Metaspeed Sky Paris, NB5 and have recently purchased the AF3 ✌🏽🫶🏽

[@eagle63-94]

Sacré travail, entierement d'accord sur les modèles que je connais, bien que je classerais aussi la NB 1080 dans les chaussures plus confortables. La Hoka mach x est hyper dynamique, vraiment l'impression de courir en carbone. En un peu plus polyvalente : Mizuno Néo Vista, mérite d'être essayée. C'est un mixte de confort, entrainement, fractionnés (plutot seuil) amorti+++ et pour pieds larges. Je pense que pour le long elles conviendraient aussi. Du coup, prochaine paire, mais en carbone, envie de changer et d'essayer les Mizuno pro rebellion, mais attaque talon interdite

[@JDeezle21]

Under Armour UA Infinite Elite v2 is a great value Marathon shoe

[@JDeezle21]

Puma Velocity Nitro 3 ❤ I haven't tried the EVO SL

[@i2ambler2002]

I got back into running a month or so ago, and got the Novablast. It just feels huge on foot. It is lightweight for training, but it just feels clumsy and *massive*. i guess these max cushion shoes are like that?

[@edwinduisburg8138]

EVO SL has been on my list but that shoe currently sells for 200$ in my region. Waiting for discounts or maybe I'll get the Adios 9 if it drops soon.

[@Paulo-ze1tl]

For a first marathon, between the Novablast and the Superblast, what would you recommend? Based on my half and 10k, my ambitious, but still feasible goal would be a sub 3:30 marathon, a sub 4hr for an easier goal, and lastly just to finish.

[@MrJhockley]

The Superblast is a faster Novablast. Very similar shoes. Comfy and stable. Both will lock you into a pace. Superblast is Peba Turbo foam and Novablast is Blast Eva Foam. I guess it comes down to price, and availability.

[@Paulo-ze1tl]

Thank you, much appreciated. I already own both. Just starting to put some miles on them. The Novablast already feels broken in, but the superblast feels like needs a few more miles in them. Maximum distance I’ve ran in both of them in one workout were 10k distances. I still have longways to go and I’ll eventually make that decision myself. My training plan only starts in Nov for early next year race. Just wondering, between the two, what would more experienced marathon runners recommend for someone running their first marathon if price and availability wasn’t an issue.

[@mattbarrett6186]

Maybe the run testers need people of different foot sizes the big four are 8-9uk, shoe weight does not scale linear for the larger sizes. But generally they are on the money as these supershoes are generally light weight regardless of size

[@joelharris9463]

looking for a shoe to do it all, mainly for the faster tempo and race splits around 1:40 for a half marathon pace. what would you recommend

[@ChairmanAntelope]

Saucony Endorphin Speed 4

[@hooareya6261]

So you have all run a marathon in the Mach 6 ?

[@kinghassan3122]

I hate superblast every time I run using them I develop shin splint ❌️

[@JDeezle21]

Hoka Mach X2 ❤ (I had to put a heel pad tape on the heel but that fixed the heel issue for me)

[@angelomartinez3688]

what heel pad tape did you end up using?

[@JDeezle21]

@angelomartinez3688 i have to get back to you on that. The track team is help coach had extra from the cross country and indoor season so I used that. If I remember to ask the pt I'll respond to this message later but it helped a lot 👍

[@ChasesdadNYC]

Which are best for over pronounced walk please?

[@danwdl96]

Any recommendations for best racers over 200lbs (90kg)?

[@willgoodfellow3144]

Would you have the same selection for half marathon? I have my first half in April and not sure what to race in.

[@kalvin.]

It all depends on mostly preference and a little bit of ability. Many of the super aggressive marathon racers might be too much for a non-elite to go the full, but they could be great half marathon shoes. Id say if you don't have a lot of issues then you could pick whatever you want for that distance.

[@paulcarlson4230]

I dont have confidence in the ghost anymore but I probably should give it a try again but with all the shoes out there I think it's a no, my pick here is the 1080

[@JDeezle21]

I pretty much agree but the new Ghost 17 looks promising. Probably going to be the first Ghost I get myself. I like my 1080v13's though.

[@DC-dl6sm]

ASICS always out of stock for me 8.5. Are they deleting them for next years model?

[@paulnolan97]

I liked the Asics Metaspeed Paris Edge better than the Sky and the Diadora Gara.

[@JJ_Stat]

What’s the deal with all the does being puffy clouds now like I don’t want all this foam

[@m0e566]

it’s the first year where i have to buy a new race shoe my supply of AF1s is done 😢

[@ryanorlewicz6310]

I wish the ASICS super shoes came in size 14.

[@JamieDonald]

I wish they were just available! ASICS has had no stock of any SB2 at all, or NB5 in my size since I started looking in early December

[@radoslavstoev4550]

I may be spoiled, but I can't imagine running a marathon in a basic daily trainer like the NB 1080 or the Novablast.

[@GregoryM472]

Adios Pro 3

[@Aron-t6m]

2024/2025 =Adidas/Asics/Mizuno

[@karls8989]

Boston 12 should be in there and also the Hyperion Elite 4PB just because i view that more as a super trainer than a shoe i would take for a race

[@shane7051]

Boston 12 is my absolute favorite running shoe for any type of run, it's so good and versatile.

[@njs_gc]

I'm going to do a marathon in a Boston 12. I will do a half marathon first to see how they are. They are very roomy which should work well at the end of a marathon.

[@MrJhockley]

FYI. Mach X2, Zoom Fly 6, Evo Sl, Superblast 2, Endorphin Speed 4 all have smaller than average tapered toe boxes. Only Neo Vista fits my big toes.

[@dshathaway]

How stable do you find the Neo Vistas?

[@MrJhockley]

@@dshathaway only tried on for size. I've been meaning to give them a treadmill shop test so i can see if the heel bevel is stable. I'm a heel striker so it concerns me.

[@andrewstorm8240]

What will happen to all those poor shoes ?

[@tombola4046]

I must have a Dud pair of Novablast 5 as my grip is some of the worst I’ve ever encountered! Similar to the NB3 yet all you shoetubers praise it 🤷‍♂️

[@hamshipey4279]

Why is Mike's room always so messy?

[@RunTommy123]

Just throwing it out there, but NO ONE who watches your channel would purposely run a marathon in the Novablast

[@njs_gc]

If you are a lighter runner and not looking for a fast time they would be ok.

[@nathyjegs]

I think you're speaking from a place of privilege. Running is a global sport and almost anyone can do it, that doesn't mean almost everyone can afford the "ideal" gear, tools and training. I only started training for a marathon with a month to go, did all my research, and the NB5 is what I went with given it's price. While it may be affordable to the western market, it certainly isn't to someone working and living in Nigeria like me. When I told an experienced runner about my thoughts on getting the shoe, he said "no one is spending a month or three month's salaray on a shoe" that's because most people buy the used shoes by y'all that get dumped in Africa. I had to buy from Canada (CAD) eventually as that gave me the best price vs USD & GBP. In the little time that I've had to engage in long distance running, I have given lots to research, and following good youtube channels like The Run Testers.

[@davidpage8147]

You wouldn't use it for a pb attempt but if you just wanted to cruise along, the shoe is great.

[@motoarch]

My tri club mates give me a hard time over being a heal striker. Im sending them this review.

[@1RealFacts]

How was the 𝙂𝙤 𝙕𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙉𝙞𝙩𝙧𝙤 𝙀𝙙𝙜𝙚 for 10km run race