The Mizuno Wave Rider 19 trails most daily trainers in our data. Cushioning and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. Value scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 12 runner reviews and 15 other rated shoes in the Wave Rider product line.
Below average
62/100
Overall
Below average62
Cushioning
Good80
Durability
Decent77
Comfort
Decent75
Appearance
Decent71
Value
Below average62
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.
Three reviewers find the ride smooth and versatile across tempo, long and easy runs.
Four reviewers keep coming back to it, one of them four years in and one seven.
Durability averages 4.3 out of 5 across twelve reviews.
Cons
Three reviewers find the midsole firm or stiff, one saying it feels almost like concrete.
Two reviewers wear holes in the toe box fabric before the sole is done.
Averaging 9.4 oz across the men's and women's builds, it is heavier than the 8.9 oz median for daily trainers on sale.
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
5060708090100255075100
Better Shoes Rating
Wave Rider 19 rates 62.
This shoe has high certainty.
See how we rate shoes.
Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Mizuno Wave Rider
Each dot is one version of the Wave Rider, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.
I ended up in these after years (a decade and change) in stability shoes. Maybe those were right for a time but I had a string of injuries and sought input at the local running shop. They thought I didn’t need stability and put me in a stiffer pair of Mizuno’s than these as an intermediate choice. This line was discontinued, back to the store I went and I’ve been about four years in the wave riders. They are cushioned but don’t feel like too much. Injuries at bay despite two pregnancies that were each full of running. Only complaint is I get holes in the fabric of both toes before they otherwise wear out.
Anonymous runner · Feb 6, 2018
35 mpw·training for a half marathon
Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
5/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
4/5
Mizuno wave comfort
5/5
Overall
This is a show I continue to repeat buy as each pair wears out. The are comfortable and durable. I am somewhere between someone who needs a neutral shoe and stability shoe. It's perfectly in the middle. Other stability shoes feel like they are pushing up into my arches, but I call this one my Goldilocks shoe.
Anonymous runner · Jan 4, 2018
65 mpw·training for a half marathon
Comfort
5/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
4/5
Too Hard Cushioing
3/5
Overall
The cushioning of the shoe is to hard, it feels almost like concrete
Wave Rider by the addition of an improved U4icX midsole. This midsole is a lighter and more cushioned iteration of the U4ic that was seen in the previous models. The Wave Rider 19 still has the Mizuno Parallel Wave technology that is a hallmark of the Mizuno brand. The Parallel Wave technology is essentially how Mizuno incorporates stability into their shoe. Instead of having a gradient of foam density to create stability (like a majority of other running companies), Mizuno has essentially a plastic material that runs along the forefoot and the heel for optimal foot guidance. The Wave Rider is a neutral shoe so the Wave Plate is there to provide minimal guidance and some lightweight flexibility.
Overall, the Wave Rider 19 was very comfortable, responsive and just soft enough to feel like it was absorbing shock yet still agile enough to respond to changes in speed. I think this shoe is a great overall trainer for a neutral runner. This shoe also felt light enough that it would be a good choice to race a half marathon or even a marathon.
The Wave Rider 19 has improved flexibility and is soft, but not too soft. It felt cushioned, yet still responsive. It was a really nice shoe immediately out of the box. I have to admit, that I didn’t notice the upgraded premium sock liner, but maybe that would make more of a difference in longer runs and in hotter temperatures.
The Wave Rider 19 is light and springy. I know this sounds silly, but I felt fast in this shoe. I liked how this shoe was still shock absorbing yet had a softer feeling under foot. During my run, I felt like there was a smooth transition through the running cycle.
I have narrow to normal feet and I found this shoe to fit true to size. There was no break in time (for me). I was able to put the shoes on immediately and head out for a run.
The forefoot Wave Plate does provide some guidance in the forefoot, but there was no added stability to the heel or the midfoot.
This shoe weighs in at 8.1 oz which is light, giving this shoe a peppy feel..
This shoe is a great trainer and is particularly great for runners who like doing faster tempo workouts and speed workouts. The Wave Rider 19 is a durable shoe thanks, in part, to the Wave Plate technology. This shoe would be great for an everyday trainer for someone that enjoys a variety of running workouts. Basically, you cant go wrong wearing this shoe and it is worth trying on to see whether the support in the midsole and the Wave Plate technology works for you.
