ASICS GEL-Kayano 26

Name: ASICS GEL-Kayano 26
Brand: ASICS
Rating: 4.3 (19 reviews)

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 11.1 oz · 10mm drop · 22/12mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The ASICS GEL-Kayano 5 replaced it

How it ranks

The ASICS GEL-Kayano 26 ranks below most daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 20 runner reviews and 15 other rated shoes in the GEL-Kayano product line.

Below average

68/100

Overall

Below average 68

Cushioning

Excellent 95

Comfort

Very good 92

Durability

Very good 91

Appearance

Good 83

Value

Below average 64

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

88/100

High 88

What runners say

“The flytefoam is hard as a rock, providing no cushioning whatsoever”

1/5 Full review 35 mpw

“Felt like cardboard inserted instead of decent cushioning”

1/5 Full review 50 mpw came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 25

“Forefeet still hurting two days later due to lack of cushioning and tighter toe box”

1/5 Full review 50 mpw came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 25

“Like feathers on feet but offered great support”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon

“Had to stop and walk late in a 16-miler due to forefoot pain”

1/5 Full review 50 mpw came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 25

“Softer rubber in the forefoot is wearing out too fast”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 25

“Typically get 450-550 miles per pair”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a marathon

“Provides excellent cushion and support for heavier runners”

5/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 23

“Doesn't feel as responsive as other ASICS types”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw came from the ASICS GEL-Nimbus 19

“Laces bothered ankles and weren't as supportive”

4/5 Full review 100 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

33% 6/18

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Two reviewers report 350 to 550 miles from a pair.
Reviewers find it comfortable and well cushioned for daily mileage, rating both 4.4 out of 5.
Several reviewers have run in the Kayano for fifteen years or more, and praise the support.

Cons

Averaging 10.3 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is much heavier than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers on sale, and two reviewers call it heavy.
It lists at $160, above the $150 median for daily trainers on sale, and value is its lowest-rated dimension at 4 out of 5.
The GEL-Kayano 25 before it scores 84 on sixteen reviews and the 24 88 on fourteen.

GEL-Kayano 26 rates 68. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the ASICS GEL-Kayano

Each dot is one version of the GEL-Kayano, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

50 2011 77 91 2013 77 71 2015 86 88 2017 84 68 2019 71 78 2021 86 99 2023 94 87 2025 87

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

GEL-Kayano 33

2026 · 5 reviews

87 Good

72 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 32

2025 · 3 reviews

87 Good

74 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 31

2024 · 14 reviews

94 Excellent

89 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 30

2023 · 58 reviews

99 Exceptional

99 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 29

2022 · 20 reviews

86 Good

88 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 28

2021 · 4 reviews

78 Decent

68 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 27

2020 · 2 reviews

71 Decent

57 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 26 This shoe

2019 · 20 reviews

68 Below average

88 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 25

2018 · 16 reviews

84 Good

90 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 24

2017 · 14 reviews

88 Good

91 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 23

2016 · 8 reviews

86 Good

85 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 22

2015 · 5 reviews

71 Decent

67 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 21

2014 · 10 reviews

77 Decent

85 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 20

2013 · 39 reviews

91 Very good

94 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 19

2012 · 19 reviews

77 Decent

87 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 18

2011 · 13 reviews

50 Bottom-tier

90 Confidence

Reader Ratings

20 ratings

5/5 13

4/5 5

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 2

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 11.1 oz
Release: 2019 Q2
MSRP: $160
Stack Height: 22mm heel - 12mm toe
Drop Height: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

K 25 was great. K 26 is a disaster.

1/5

Overall

Been w/ K's or +10 years. Bought extra 25's when 26's came out. Ran my first 50 mile week in 26's last week, and my forefeet are still hurting two days later due to lack of cushioning in forefeet and toe box being tighter. Had to stop & walk late in a 16 miler due to pain in the forefeet. Feels like a lot of cushioning in the 25 removed to lighten shoe. Felt like cardboard inserted instead of decent cushioning, and that's w/ using a Spenco insole. Very disappointing. Could do 20 miler in all previous K's. Not the 26's, not even 10M, w/o feeling foot pain. Will hope for better when the 27's come out.

Anonymous runner · Mar 9, 2020

50 mpw came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 25

Comfort: 1/5
Cushioning: 1/5
Durability: 1/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 1/5

Truly Terrible Shoes

1/5

Overall

The Asics Kayano 26 are legitimately the worst shoes I have ever run in. The flytefoam is hard as a rock, providing no cushioning whatsoever.

Anonymous runner · Jan 14, 2020

35 mpw

Comfort: 1/5
Cushioning: 1/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 3/5
Value: 1/5

20+ years in Kayanos

5/5

Overall

Over 20 years ago I'd stopped running with knee and ankle pain from overpronating and probably other issues. Loving running as much as I did, I eventually went back to a running shoe store. They analyzed my gait, put me in different shoes on a videotaped treadmill, and sold me the most expensive shoes in the store. The spendy shoes got me back into running, usually injury free, and it's been a great run ever since. This particular model has a softer rubber in the forefoot that is wearing out too fast. Hopefully they fix it in the next edition.

Anonymous runner · Jan 6, 2020

25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 25

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Great Shoe

5/5

Overall

This is my third pair of Kayanos and I have loved every pair. ASICS makes a high quality shoe that provides excellent cushion and support for heavier runners. My only complaint is that the sole of the shoe wears quickly and some stitching in the toe box has come loose on mine.

Anonymous runner · Dec 30, 2019

15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 23