Type a shoe name, like Pegasus, Clifton or Kayano.

Mizuno Wave Elixir 8

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 9.0 oz (men's) · 27/15mm stack · 12mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Mizuno Wave Elixir 6 replaced it

How it ranks

The Mizuno Wave Elixir 8 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Value and comfort are its strongest sub-ratings. Cushioning scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 13 runner reviews.

Good

86
Overall
86
Value
89
Comfort
84
Appearance
82
Durability
80
Cushioning
73
Confidence

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.

Confidence

90 High

90

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.

  1. Brand rating
  2. Our ratings
  3. External ratings

What runners say

“Holds up for 6+ months of 40 miles/week.”
5/5 Full review 40 mpw
“The support is great for somebody with slightly fallen arches and a mid to heel striker.”
5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon
“Light with good ground feel; this shoe has the right amount of support for me.”
5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the ASICS GT-2000 2
“Responsive shoe that is nice and lightweight.”
5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a marathon
“Only problem is a slight pressure on top of foot when the tendons are tight.”
4/5 Full review 37 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Flex Run 2015
“Very sad that it's been discontinued because Sayonara is not an adequate replacement.”
5/5 Full review 33 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Elixir 6
“I will search for something with a little more forefoot cushioning and midfoot support.”
4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon
“A great ride for faster workouts, including tempos and race pace runs.”
5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a marathon came from the ASICS GT-2000 2
“Downside is this was recently replaced with the Sayonara which feels a little softer.”
5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a marathon
“My favorite thing is how light it is.”
5/5 Full review 30 mpw came from the adidas adiZero Adios Boost 2
“Still has moderate support, which adds to the life of the shoe.”
5/5 Full review 30 mpw came from the adidas adiZero Adios Boost 2
“I like the lightweight, smallish toebox.”
4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon
“Reliable light-weight trainer.”
4/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

27% 6/22

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.


Pros

  • At 9 oz, reviewers call it light while still feeling supportive.
  • Reviewers race it from 5K to marathon and train daily in it.
  • Reviewers describe a responsive ride, and one gets six months at 40 miles a week from a pair.

Cons

  • One reviewer after five years in it wants more forefoot cushioning and midfoot support.
  • Another notes slight pressure on top of the foot when their tendons are tight.
  • Three of thirteen reviewers report an injury while running in it.

Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale

Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.

Confidence
50 60 70 80 90 100 25 50 75 100

Better Shoes Rating

Wave Elixir 8 rates 86. This shoe has high confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Runner Ratings

13 ratings
5/5 9
4/5 4
3/5 0
2/5 0
1/5 0

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
9.0 oz (men's)
Release
2013
Stack
27/15mm
Drop
12mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 1–5 of 13 written reviews

Shoe

5/5

Overall

Been wearing for years. Alternate between ASICS DS trainer. Works well for me. Holds up for 6+ months of 40 miles/week. Cycle between 2 pairs for races-5k to marathon. Use superfeet inserts also.

Anonymous runner · Jul 2, 2019

40 mpw

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
5/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
4/5
Value
5/5

4/5

Overall

Only problem is a slight pressure on top of foot when the tendons are tight

Anonymous runner · Feb 13, 2016

37 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Flex Run 2015

Comfort
4/5
Durability
5/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
5/5

5/5

Overall

Been running in Mizuno Elixir since the original model came out. Use them for all training runs - lately alternating speedwork in Mizuno Sayonara - and races up to marathon distance. Very sad that it's been discontinued because Sayonara is not an adequate replacement. There isn't much else in the light stability category. Cannot wait for Mizuno to bring some redesigned version of the Elixir back in 2016.

Anonymous runner · May 3, 2015

33 mpw training for a marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Elixir 6

Comfort
5/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
4/5

4/5

Overall

gavs · Apr 7, 2015

40 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort
4/5
Durability
2/5
Appearance
4/5
Value
3/5

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Apr 6, 2015

90 mpw training for a marathon

Comfort
5/5
Durability
5/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
5/5

Alternatives

Other shoes worth considering.

More from Mizuno

Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Current shoe
Choose a model
Lightest / Best appearance / Best value rating
Newest / Best overall / Best comfort
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Stability
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
9.0 oz (men's) Lightest
—
9.9 oz
Stack
27/15mm
—
40/35mm
Drop
12mm
—
4mm
Release
2013
2016
2022 Q3 Newest
MSRP
—
—
$165
Best price
—
—
$95
Ratings
Overall
86 Good
—
99 Exceptional Best overall
Comfort
84 Good
—
99 Exceptional Best comfort
Cushioning
73 Decent
—
99 Exceptional Best cushioning
Durability
80 Good
—
97 Exceptional Best durability
Appearance
82 Good Best appearance
—
75 Decent
Value
89 Good Best value rating
—
77 Decent
Specific shoe

Search for the exact model to add to this comparison.