Bounce into 2025 with the latest running shoes
With a new year comes new shoes and some exciting models from all the top brands. Here we look at the latest shoes offering premium levels of cushioning:
Becoming the range-topping, neutral cushioned running shoe from Nike, the Pegasus Premium takes the Pegasus name and ramps up the cushioning to the max! With a stack height of 45mm combining ZoomX foam, a sculpted Air Zoom unit and ReactX foam, Nike has thrown everything into this model. The result is the brand’s most cushioned running shoe to date, with a soft yet highly responsive ride.
The shoe soaks up every bit of impact, with the Air Zoom providing a plush ride yet rebounds quickly to give a very energised toe-off. The upper is inspired by the looks of classic Nike Air models, and the outsole features a familiar waffle pattern for great traction. The Pegasus Premium is a great option for neutral runners wanting an everyday trainer that feels as good at an easy run pace as it does at tempo and interval speed.
One of the highest-stacked running shoes on the market, the new Glycerin Max manages to offer such a high degree of cushioning and remain very stable. At 45mm, the new DNA-Tuned midsole foam features a dual-cell construction: larger cells in the rear of the foot for amazing shock-absorbing properties and small cells in the forefoot to provide a more responsive toe-off.
The aggressively shaped forefoot rocker helps the shoe toe off smoothly and makes the shoe surprisingly agile for one with such deep cushioning. As far as training shoes go, this has to be one of the most cushioned yet, at the same time, versatile shoes ever made for those logging higher weekly mileage.
It’s a shoe you simply have to try on as the step in comfort is unlike anything else, and that alone will be enough to convince many people that this could become your new daily trainer.
Feeling fast and lively, the new Novablast uses the Japanese principle of ‘kaizen’ (continuous improvement) to make the shoe more responsive than before. A new FF Blast Max midsole offers around 8.5% more ‘energy return’ than the outgoing model and is the only shoe in the current ASICS lineup to offer the foam in the whole of the midsole.
The new model feels more stable as well as more responsive. The midsole is slightly broader and allows the foot to sit ‘within’ it a little more rather than ‘on’ it. This stability makes the shoe more controlled and balanced and should see it prove more popular with a wider range of runners. It is a very versatile model, too, feeling accommodating on easy runs where it simply soaks up the impact, as well as being agile and flexible enough to easily pick up the pace and run faster intervals or tempo sessions.
The Novablast 5 is a great, lightweight allrounder that could become a one-shoe solution for Spring training.
This premium daily trainer from New Balance aims to seamlessly transition you from an easy running pace into up-tempo workouts. A new, PEBA-blended midsole mixes the cushioning from the brand’s race day models into a shoe for more regular use to offer a smooth and fast-feeling ride. A pronounced rocker running from the heel to the forefoot also contributes to the swift transition through your gait cycle.
It’s a relatively light shoe, too, for one with such deep and plush cushioning, weighing in at just 260g and with a great fitting upper that helps the shoe disappear around your foot.
The Balos is a really versatile option that is perfectly cushioned for long, easy miles but springs into life when you pick the pace up, allowing it to be used for tempo runs and interval sessions where the responsive nature of the midsole comes into its own.
The Atomo V7000-2 shoe embodies the rich, made-in-Italy tradition of Diadora. This model is the first running shoe to be manufactured in Italy in the last 30 years, crafted at the Centro Ricerche Diadora, it exemplifies the brand’s attention to detail and smart Italian styling.
The Anima technology cushioning is a lightweight, high-energy-return midsole with a smooth, plush ride. A 5mm heel-to-toe drop gives the shoe a fast, performance-type feel, but it is very much a daily trainer, capable of long miles on the road.
From the ground up, the shoe uses high-performance materials to create this great-looking and high-performing shoe. The outsole rubber provides excellent traction, the midsole great, energises cushioning and the upper a neat, stylish fit and design that hugs the foot from the moment you step inside.
Available in a wide range of colours, this unisex model offers a great, propulsive ride that sits between a daily trainer and a racing model, making it a versatile choice for varied-pace running.
Getting an update this season, the Glycerin 22 uses the latest DNA Tuned midsole cushioning, as seen in the new Glycerin Max model. When standing next to its ‘big-brother’, the Glycerin 22 appears to offer much less cushioning; in fact, its 38mm stack height is 7mm less than the Max, but still sits near the top of ‘max-cushioned’ models.
The DNA-tuned, nitrogen-injected foam offers a highly cushioned feel in the heel area and a more responsive sensation in the forefoot. While the Max simply supplies cushioning in spades, the Glycerin offers a more versatile running sensation thanks to it being a little lower, a little lighter and more flexible. The Glycerin rolls forward more easily as speed thanks to its lower, flexible forefoot, whereas the Max depends on its deep rocker for toe-spring.
Elsewhere, the Glycerin remains a gentle upgrade to the previous model with a neat, well-made upper and durable outsole. Both the Glycerin Max and Glycerin 22 can sit very neatly side by side in your shoe rotation: the Max is perfect for longer, easier miles, and the 22 is a touch quicker when you vary the pace a little.
You may not be too familiar with the brand 361° and, indeed, this model, yet it is certainly a shoe worth of consideration if a lightweight, well-cushioned and versatile training shoe are your requirements.
A combination of the brand’s Primo and Engage foam technologies are used in the sixth iteration of the MERAKI and provide a level of soft, plush cushioning as well as ‘springy’ toe-off that’s as good as any of the more familiar, big-name brands. Although a neutral model, the shoes have a slightly wider ‘footprint’ and side walls to the upper of the shoe that gently cradles the foot. This results in making the shoe very stable and opening it up as a choice for a wider range of runners.
The upper is a very neat, engineered mesh design that’s breathable and holds the foot snuggly within for a sock-like fit that’s plush and very well made.
If you simply want more cushioning from a shoe, the New Balance More v5 does exactly that. It’s right there in the name, as well as in the super-deep stack of Fresh Foam X cushioning.
The midsole is super-soft and has a lower 4mm heel-to-toe drop than other shoes in the brand’s range. This encourages a slightly more midfoot strike and maximises the effect of the deep cushioning. The midsole is also a little broader than many shoes, meaning your foot sits within the cushioning rather than on top of it, which creates a little more stability.
For those long, easy runs where you simply want a shoe to soak up every bit of road fit, the More v5 does it.
Aiming to reduce its carbon footprint, the Impact is manufactured with a high percentage of recycled materials while still managing to perform to a high standard. The upper uses 100% bio-based nylon, the midsole a bio-EVA foam and the outsole 60% natural rubber.
As with all shoes, the main element is the cushioning, and, in this case, the shoe performs very well. The HyperBolt foam is a supercritical, nitrogen-injected foam and proves to be as light, responsive and shock-absorbing as many of its competitors. The lightweight knitted upper provides a generously plush fitting experience and uses a DWR coating for water repellence, making it a good option for the winter months.
The Hylo Impact is probably the best-performing, bio-based, technical running shoe on the market right now, mixing cushioning, ride and carbon footprint into a versatile and lightweight package.
