Best Cushioning Racing Shoes
The shoes for sale rated highest for cushioning by real, experienced, and knowledgeable runners.
All Racing Shoes
18 shoes
Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.
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#1 Nike
Vaporfly 497 97 Exceptional Exceptional Ranked by Cushioning 3 reviews Confidence 96
Racing shoe · Neutral · 6.1 oz · 35mm stack · 6mm drop
It is much lighter than the typical racing shoe for sale.
Overall 97 Comfort 86$111 $260 Buy now ↗ As of Oct 22, 8:33 AM UTCOverall97Appearance98Cushioning97Comfort86Value69Durability53Confidence96Buy it now
Other retailers
Running Warehouse $165 37% offNike $165 37% offDick's $204 22% offMSRP $260
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Pros
It is much lighter than the typical racing shoe for sale.
Our ratings put its cushioning among the best of any racing shoe.
It is lighter than the Vaporfly 3 before it.
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#2 HOKA
Rocket X 288 88 Good Good Ranked by Cushioning 18 reviews Confidence 93
Racing shoe · Neutral · 7.5 oz · 36mm stack · 5mm drop
Our ratings put its durability among the best of any racing shoe.
Overall 88 Comfort 88Overall88Durability92Comfort88Cushioning88Value88Appearance78Confidence93Pros
Our ratings put its durability among the best of any racing shoe.
Cons
At 7.5 oz it is heavier than most carbon-plated racers.
It is much heavier than the typical racing shoe for sale.
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#3 HOKA
Rocket X 386 86 Good Good Ranked by Cushioning 2 reviews Confidence 66
Racing shoe · Neutral · 7.2 oz · 42mm stack · 7mm drop
Overall 86 Comfort 84Overall86Cushioning86Comfort84Durability80Value76Appearance73Confidence66Cons
It is heavier than the typical racing shoe for sale.
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#4 Saucony
Endorphin Pro 479 79 Decent Decent Ranked by Cushioning 15 reviews Confidence 89
Racing shoe · Neutral · 7.0 oz · 40mm stack · 8mm drop
It costs less than the typical racing shoe for sale.
Overall 79 Comfort 81$91 Buy now ↗ As of Oct 22, 8:32 AM UTCOverall79Appearance93Value91Comfort81Cushioning79Durability73Confidence89Pros
It costs less than the typical racing shoe for sale.
Some reviewers single out its cushioning as one of the best things about the shoe.
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#5 New Balance
FuelCell SuperComp Elite v379 79 Decent Decent Ranked by Cushioning 3 reviews Confidence 47
Racing shoe · Neutral · 7.0 oz · 35mm stack · 4mm drop
Overall 79 Comfort 80$130 Buy now ↗ As of Oct 22, 8:33 AM UTCOverall79Comfort80Cushioning79Appearance77Value77Durability75Confidence47Buy it now
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#6 adidas
adizero Adios Pro Evo 279 79 Decent Decent Ranked by Cushioning 1 review Confidence 21
Racing shoe · Neutral · 4.6 oz (men's) · 39mm stack · 3mm drop
Overall 79 Comfort 72Overall79Durability85Appearance83Cushioning79Value74Comfort72Confidence21Cons
It costs much more than the typical racing shoe for sale.
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#7 New Balance
FuelCell SuperComp Elite v578 78 Decent Decent Ranked by Cushioning 5 reviews Confidence 54
Racing shoe · Neutral · 6.6 oz · 40mm stack · 8mm drop
It is lighter than the FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4 before it.
Overall 78 Comfort 81$121 $265 Buy now ↗ As of Oct 22, 8:33 AM UTCOverall78Comfort81Appearance79Cushioning78Durability76Value74Confidence54Buy it now
Other retailers
Running Warehouse $145 45% offDick's $265MSRP $265
We share affiliate links. Learn more.
Pros
It is lighter than the FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4 before it.
Cons
It costs more than the FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4 before it.
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#8 Nike
Alphafly 377 77 Decent Decent Ranked by Cushioning 22 reviews Confidence 95
Racing shoe · Neutral · 6.9 oz · 40mm stack · 8mm drop
Some reviewers describe a snug, secure heel paired with a forefoot wide enough that their toes are not cramped.
Overall 77 Comfort 77$143 $295 Buy now ↗ As of Oct 22, 8:31 AM UTCOverall77Appearance83Cushioning77Comfort77Value70Durability60Confidence95Buy it now
Other retailers
Dick's $220 25% offNike $222 25% offMSRP $295
We share affiliate links. Learn more.
Pros
Some reviewers describe a snug, secure heel paired with a forefoot wide enough that their toes are not cramped.
Cons
It costs much more than the typical racing shoe for sale.
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#9 ASICS
METASPEED Sky Tokyo75 75 Decent Decent Ranked by Cushioning 1 review Confidence 76
Racing shoe · Neutral · 5.8 oz · 40mm stack · 5mm drop
It is much lighter than the typical racing shoe for sale.
Overall 75 Comfort 64Overall75Cushioning75Value70Durability67Appearance65Comfort64Confidence76Pros
It is much lighter than the typical racing shoe for sale.
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#10 adidas
adizero Adios Pro 475 75 Decent Decent Ranked by Cushioning 5 reviews Confidence 54
Racing shoe · Neutral · 6.6 oz · 39mm stack · 6mm drop
It is much lighter than the adizero Adios Pro 3 before it.
Overall 75 Comfort 67Overall75Appearance85Durability79Value78Cushioning75Comfort67Confidence54Pros
It is much lighter than the adizero Adios Pro 3 before it.
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#11 Mizuno
Wave Rebellion Pro 375 75 Decent Decent Ranked by Cushioning 1 review Confidence 39
Racing shoe · Neutral · 7.9 oz (men's) · 50mm stack · 4mm drop
Overall 75 Comfort 72Overall75Cushioning75Comfort72Value70Durability69Appearance68Confidence39Cons
It is much heavier than the typical racing shoe for sale.
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#12 On
Cloudboom Strike70 70 Decent Decent Ranked by Cushioning 1 review Confidence 24
Racing shoe · Neutral · 7.1 oz · 40mm stack · 4mm drop
Overall 70 Comfort 72Overall70Appearance81Durability76Comfort72Value71Cushioning70Confidence24Buy it now
Other retailers
Dick's $190 32% offRunning Warehouse $220 21% offMSRP $280
We share affiliate links. Learn more.
Cons
It costs more than the typical racing shoe for sale.
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#13 Nike
Streakfly 269 69 Below average Below average Ranked by Cushioning 4 reviews Confidence 81
Racing shoe · Neutral · 5.1 oz (men's) · 26mm stack · 4mm drop
It is much lighter than the typical racing shoe for sale.
Overall 69 Comfort 68Overall69Appearance86Cushioning69Comfort68Durability59Value59Confidence81Pros
It is much lighter than the typical racing shoe for sale.
It costs much less than the typical racing shoe for sale.
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#14 Salomon
S/Lab Spectur67 67 Below average Below average Ranked by Cushioning 1 review Confidence 51
Racing shoe · Neutral · 8.2 oz · 39mm stack · 8mm drop
Overall 67 Comfort 75Overall67Appearance87Durability82Value77Comfort75Cushioning67Confidence51Buy it now
We share affiliate links. Learn more.
Cons
It is much heavier than the typical racing shoe for sale.
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#15 PUMA
Fast-R Nitro Elite 366 66 Below average Below average Ranked by Cushioning 4 reviews Confidence 23
Racing shoe · Neutral · 5.3 oz · 40mm stack · 8mm drop
It is much lighter than the typical racing shoe for sale.
Overall 66 Comfort 63Overall66Appearance71Value69Cushioning66Comfort63Durability60Confidence23Pros
It is much lighter than the typical racing shoe for sale.
Cons
It costs much more than the typical racing shoe for sale.
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#16 New Balance
FuelCell SuperComp Pacer65 65 Below average Below average Ranked by Cushioning 4 reviews Confidence 29
Racing shoe · Neutral · 6.3 oz · 25mm stack · 8mm drop
It is lighter than the typical racing shoe for sale.
Overall 65 Comfort 70$99 $150 Buy now ↗ As of Oct 22, 8:33 AM UTCOverall65Appearance82Value81Durability72Comfort70Cushioning65Confidence29Buy it now
Other retailers
Running Warehouse $100 33% offMSRP $150
We share affiliate links. Learn more.
Pros
It is lighter than the typical racing shoe for sale.
It costs much less than the typical racing shoe for sale.
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#17 Saucony
Endorphin Elite 265 65 Below average Below average Ranked by Cushioning 1 review Confidence 20
Racing shoe · Neutral · 6.7 oz · 40mm stack · 8mm drop
Overall 65 Comfort 70$112 $290 Buy now ↗ As of Oct 22, 8:34 AM UTCOverall65Value71Comfort70Durability70Appearance70Cushioning65Confidence20Buy it now
Other retailers
Running Warehouse $160 45% offMSRP $290
We share affiliate links. Learn more.
Cons
It costs much more than the typical racing shoe for sale.
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#18 adidas
adizero Adios 953 53 Bottom-tier Bottom-tier Ranked by Cushioning 3 reviews Confidence 51
Racing shoe · Neutral · 5.6 oz · 28mm stack · 7mm drop
It costs much less than the typical racing shoe for sale.
Overall 53 Comfort 66Overall53Appearance80Value75Durability74Comfort66Cushioning53Confidence51Pros
It costs much less than the typical racing shoe for sale.
How this ranking works
Ratings come from our statistical models of runner reviews: each rating is our best estimate of how runners rate a shoe, and the bar behind it in an expanded row is the range we consider plausible given how many reviews it has. Shoes with few reviews rank more cautiously rather than shooting to the top on a handful of glowing write-ups. Prices are the live prices at the retailers we track, and everything ranked here is a shoe you can buy today.