Solid shoe
4/5
Overall
Aweng · Jul 26, 2019
45 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance 1080 v8
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 4/5
- Durability
- 3/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 4/5
Mizuno Wave Rider 22
Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.6 oz · 12mm drop · 37/25mm stack
Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Mizuno Wave Rider 23 replaced it
How it ranks
The Mizuno Wave Rider 22 is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Comfort and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 18 runner reviews and 15 other rated shoes in the Wave Rider product line.
Exceptional
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
95/100
What runners say
“Excellent durability: had a pair lasting for 3 marathon cycles and well over 1k miles.”
“Sizes run about a half too small, and a little too narrow.”
“They breakdown a bit quicker than I'd like and have worn out on the inside material near the base of my big toe.”
“Really mitigated the impact pain that I have felt in other shoes.”
“Cushiony feel around foot, compared to WR20, which feels good but not as comfy as the 22s.”
“My little toes start to wear through and make holes.”
“The wave technology seems to do as it says and gives a bit of spring when going forwards.”
“Still feel cushiony soft and light when running.”
“Very roomy toe box and great cushioning.”
“Smooth soft run easy on the knees enjoyable during long runs.”
Prefer this shoe over another
52% 13/25
Where to buy
No offers available
Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.
Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.
Pros
- Reviewers describe a soft, cushioned ride suited to long, easy miles.
- Reviewers praise the roomy toe box, one finding more room there than in adidas or Nike trainers.
- Three reviewers report pairs lasting well past 600 miles.
Cons
- Three reviewers report the upper wearing through near the big toe.
- Three runners want more responsiveness or find it a little heavy at 9.6 oz.
- Appearance is the weakest dimension at 4.1 out of 5, and one reviewer calls the looks unremarkable.
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.
50
60
70
80
90
100
25
50
75
100
Better Shoes Rating
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.
Release year
-
2026 · 0 reviews
74 Decent
49 Confidence
-
2025 · 2 reviews
81 Good
75 Confidence
-
2024 · 6 reviews
97 Excellent
89 Confidence
-
2023 · 17 reviews
81 Good
85 Confidence
-
2022 · 21 reviews
75 Decent
88 Confidence
-
2021 · 2 reviews
71 Decent
72 Confidence
-
2020 · 4 reviews
68 Below average
48 Confidence
-
2019 · 7 reviews
90 Good
86 Confidence
-
Wave Rider 22 This shoe
2018 · 18 reviews
97 Exceptional
95 Confidence
-
2017 · 25 reviews
74 Decent
91 Confidence
-
2016 · 16 reviews
92 Very good
91 Confidence
-
2015 · 12 reviews
62 Below average
88 Confidence
-
2014 · 36 reviews
85 Good
95 Confidence
-
2013 · 49 reviews
56 Bottom-tier
97 Confidence
-
2012 · 42 reviews
66 Below average
93 Confidence
-
2011 · 4 reviews
60 Bottom-tier
85 Confidence
Specs & fit
Sizing and ride details at a glance.
- Weight
- 9.6 oz
- Release
- 2018 Q3
- MSRP
- $120
- Stack Height
- 37mm heel - 25mm toe
- Drop Height
- 12mm
Runner reviews
Consistently Great
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Jul 18, 2019
42 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Mizuno Wave Rider 20
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 5/5
Bought them 10+ times over
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Jul 14, 2019
60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Nimbus 20
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 4/5
- Appearance
- 4/5
- Value
- 4/5
Ride the Wave!
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Jul 13, 2019
20 mpw training for middle distance
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 5/5
- Durability
- 5/5
- Appearance
- 5/5
- Value
- 4/5
Wave rider like a rock
5/5
Overall
Anonymous runner · Jul 9, 2019
60 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Defyance 7
- Comfort
- 5/5
- Cushioning
- 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.
Mizuno Wave Rider 22 In Context
More on the Mizuno Wave Rider
- Mizuno Wave Rider 30
- Mizuno Wave Rider 29
- Mizuno Wave Rider 28
- Mizuno Wave Rider 27
- Mizuno Wave Rider 26
- Mizuno Wave Rider 25
- Mizuno Wave Rider 23 next version
- Mizuno Wave Rider 21 previous version
Reviewers Also Ran In
- Mizuno Wave Rider 20 2 runners
- ASICS GEL-Nimbus 20 2 runners
- On Cloudflow 1 1 runner