ASICS GEL-Kayano 26

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

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 10.4 oz · 22/12mm stack · 10mm drop

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

How it ranks

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

Decent

Overall

Decent 70

Cushioning

Good 89

Durability

Good 87

Comfort

Good 86

Appearance

Good 80

Value

Below average 67

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 is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

95 Very high

Very high 95

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Product line track record
Our ratings
External ratings

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

“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

“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

“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

“I don't feel as well supported in anything else”

5/5 Full review 12 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 870 v5

“Great cushioned shoe, excellent for heavy runners and high mileage”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 24

“The sole wears quickly”

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

“Build, cushioning throughout and structure are first rate”

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

“Shoe performs very well for 350 miles”

5/5 Full review 45 mpw training for a marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 25

“Had to give up some ankle support and cushioning”

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

“Some stitching in the toe box has come loose”

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

“Decent overpronation control”

4/5 Full review 15 mpw came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 25

“Ample cushioning”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GT-2000 5

“Comfortable from day one”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Kayano 24

“Super comfy and cushioned”

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

“This newest model is the best one yet”

5/5 Full review 20 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 Oct 22.

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 for sale, and two reviewers call it heavy.
It lists at $160, above the $150 median for daily trainers for 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 70. This shoe has very high confidence. 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

53 2011 72 81 2013 72 67 2015 74 78 2017 78 70 2019 78 78 2021 82 98 2023 88 81 2025 84

Release year

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

GEL-Kayano 33

2026 · 5 reviews

84 Good

77 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 32

2025 · 3 reviews

81 Good

80 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 31

2024 · 14 reviews

88 Good

87 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 30

2023 · 58 reviews

98 Exceptional

97 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 29

2022 · 20 reviews

82 Good

91 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 28

2021 · 5 reviews

78 Decent

82 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 27

2020 · 2 reviews

78 Decent

80 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 26 This shoe

2019 · 20 reviews

70 Decent

95 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 25

2018 · 16 reviews

78 Decent

95 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 24

2017 · 14 reviews

78 Decent

93 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 23

2016 · 8 reviews

74 Decent

88 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 22

2015 · 5 reviews

67 Below average

85 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 21

2014 · 10 reviews

72 Decent

90 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 20

2013 · 39 reviews

81 Good

97 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 19

2012 · 19 reviews

72 Decent

94 Confidence
GEL-Kayano 18

2011 · 13 reviews

53 Bottom-tier

89 Confidence

Runner 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: 10.4 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 11.1 oz · Women's 9.6 oz
Release: 2019 Q2
MSRP: $160
Stack: 22/12mm
Drop: 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