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

Mizuno Wave Elixir 8

Daily trainer · Stability · Road · 9 oz · 12mm drop · 27/15mm stack

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 rests on 13 runner reviews.

Excellent

96/100
Overall
96
Value
94
Comfort
91
Durability
85
Appearance
85
Cushioning
78
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 will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

Confidence

92/100

92

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
“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
“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
“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
“Responsive shoe that is nice and lightweight.”
5/5 Full review 70 mpw training for a marathon
“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

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 Sep 14.


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 96. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Reader 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 oz
Release
2013
Stack Height
27mm heel - 15mm toe
Drop Height
12mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 11–13 of 13 written reviews

Reader review

5/5

Overall

A great lightweight trainer that I have used to run as far at 18 miles in, and race everything up to the half in. The support is great as well for somebody with slightly fallen arches and a mid to heel striker.

allanco · Aug 28, 2014

40 mpw training for a marathon

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Reliable light-weight trainer. I have run in this shoe for 5 years, and have been relatively injury free. This model is now discontinued. I will search for something with a little more forefoot cushioning and midfoot support for my next trainer.

Anonymous runner · Aug 28, 2014

50 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

I like the lighweight, smallish toebox.

thelvyn1984 · Aug 28, 2014

30 mpw training for a half marathon

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

Alternatives

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Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Current shoe
Choose a model
Best value
Lightest / Newest / Best overall
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Stability
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
9 oz M
8.5 oz M Lightest
Stack
27/15mm
40/35mm
Drop
12mm
5mm
Release
2013
2016
2023 Q1 Newest
MSRP
$145
Best price
$149.99
Ratings
Overall
Excellent (96)
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Comfort
Very good (91)
Exceptional (99) Best comfort
Cushioning
Decent (78)
Exceptional (99) Best cushioning
Durability
Good (85)
Very good (92) Best durability
Appearance
Good (85)
Very good (91) Best appearance
Value
Excellent (94) Best value
Good (88)
Specific shoe

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