Andrea's Favorite Shoes of 2025
These are our team's top running choices that came out this year.
By: Andrea Myers
2025 brought big changes in my training and racing as I transitioned from marathon training to middle distance track racing, focusing on the 800 and mile. As compared to previous years, in which my weekly mileage was in the 50-70 range, my mileage has been steady in the 35-40 range plus two days of heavy weight training. Long runs max out at 10 miles and my speed work increased to include a lot of mile, 800, 400, and even faster paced work. These changes in my training resulted in changes in the shoes I need and prefer, as I was no longer looking for shoes to help me deal with the high levels of fatigue of marathon training, but needed shoes to handle fast paces on the track when not wearing spikes. From an industry perspective, 2025 was a great year of innovation in the racing category, but a year of mostly disappointment for me in the trainer category, as it seemed every daily trainer I previously liked gained stack and weight in its 2025 version.
Andrea's Favorite Shoes
- Best Daily Trainer: Topo Fli-Lyte 6
- Best Recovery Run Shoe: On Cloudboom Max
- Best Performance Trainer: Topo Cyclone 3
- Best Long Run: Diadora Gara Carbon 3
- Best Racing Shoe (Short Distance): Nike Streakfly 2
- Best Racing Shoe (Long Distance): Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3
- Bonus Shoe: Hoka Cielo X1 2.0
My Top Daily Trainer: Topo Fli-Lyte 6
Review | Shop
The Topo Fli-Lyte 6 was an easy choice for my top daily trainer of 2025 because it is one of the rare 2025 shoes that has a low stack height (23mm/20mm), low drop (3mm), and a comfortable, wide toe box. One thing I have found with the change in my training to mid distance is I no longer reach for high stack shoes for easy or recovery runs, simply because my mileage is not as high and I have become accustomed to doing speed work in spikes or low stack and drop shoes. The Fli-Lyte 6 is the perfect daily trainer for me because it feels like it gets out of my way and just lets me run in my preferred movement pathway. The ZipFoam midsole is on the firmer side and the moderately flexible platform has worked well for me at a variety of paces, including fast strides. While I do not find it protective enough for long runs, the shoe excels at everything else I have thrown at it. This shoe reminds me of the original Saucony Kinvara, which I similarly loved for its low stack, low drop, flexible platform.
My Top Recovery Run Shoe: On Cloudboom Max
Review | Shop
The On Cloudboom Max is an ideal recovery run shoe because it feels better the slower you run in it. That may sound like a strange statement, but there are too many super trainers that are too bouncy, despite their weight, which leads to an awkward ride in which you are supposed to be running at recovery pace, but the bounciness of the shoe makes you run faster than intended. The Cloudboom Max feels like it excels at my recovery pace, providing ample underfoot protection thanks to its 40mm/32mm stack height, but not feeling so tall that the shoe felt unstable. The firm platform, moderate heel bevel, and later forefoot rocker work well with my preferred lateral midfoot strike and provide a comfortable, rolling ride. I also greatly appreciate the wider and higher volume toe box, which made this one of the most comfortable shoes I tested this year. On markets this shoe as a super shoe for 4+ hour marathoners, but I think its design makes it work equally well as a recovery shoe for others.
My Top Performance Shoe: Topo Cyclone 3
Review | Shop
I feel like choosing the Cyclone 3 is cheating in this review, because the Cyclone 3 is just a Cyclone 2 with a relatively unnoticeable upper update. The Cyclone 2 was my top performance trainer of 2023 and I have since gone through 3 pairs, all with 250-300 miles on them before the midsole lost its responsiveness in the forefoot. I love the Cyclone 3 due to its lower stack (28mm/23mm), 5mm drop, non-plated, full PEBA midsole; and Topo's comfortably wide toe box. The Cyclone 3 has been incredibly versatile for me, working well for warmups, cooldowns, long runs up to 16 miles, and intervals ranging from faster than 400m pace to marathon pace. If I have a speed workout to do and I am not using spikes, I am using the Cyclone 3. The shoe is incredibly light on foot at 6.9oz for a men's 9 and 5.5oz for a women's 8, and its high coverage rubber outsole shows almost no wear after 250 miles. The area of exposed midsole in the midfoot does show wear past 200 miles, but I never found it to affect traction or performance. I really can't say enough good things about Cyclone 3, and I hope that v4 stays true to the 2 and 3 in terms of fit and performance.
My Top Long Run Shoe: Diadora Gara Carbon 2
Review | Shop
The Diadora Gara Carbon 2 is one of the most comfortable super shoes I have tested, both in terms of fit and ride quality. The fit is more like a daily trainer than a racing shoe, with more volume and width in the forefoot than I would expect for a Diadora and because of the relatively plush heel collar. Even with its comfortable upper, the shoe is pretty light weight at 8.1oz for a men's 10/women's 11.5 (my women's 9.5 weighs 7.3oz). It features a full AnimaPBX (PEBA) midsole and a full length carbon plate, which combined with its moderate rocker geometry, results in a moderately cushioned, rolling ride that reminds me of a slightly firmer version of the New Balance SC Elite v3. I have used it for numerous 7-8 mile tempo runs at half marathon to 5k pace as well as longer easy runs of 10 miles. The shoe feels well tuned for any of these paces as well as warmups and cooldowns. The one drawback to this shoe is its premium price tag, which at $310 makes it one of the most expensive super shoes on the market.
My Top Racing Shoe (Short Distance): Nike Streakfly 2
Review | Shop
The Nike Streakfly 2 is the shoe I have been waiting for ever since Nike released the original Streakfly and New Balance released the original SC Pacer. While I enjoyed training in both of those shoes, neither of them lived up to their promise of being true super shoes for the mile to 5k. Streakfly 2 is even better than I had imagined, weighing in at a ridiculously light 4.5oz for a men's 9 and truly feeling like a road version of a super spike. I raced a couple of road mile races this spring, and Streakfly 2 felt like the perfect shoe for the distance and surface. I ran 4:59 in a net downhill road mile and 5:20 in an out and back hilly road mile the following day, with zero foot or calf discomfort and a surprisingly comfortable fit for a racing shoe thanks to the squared off toe box. This past weekend, I wore them for a rust buster outdoor track mile and 500, as I have not quite acclimated back to spikes leading into indoor season. I had confidence racing in them because they are 0.3oz lighter than my Nike Victory 2 spikes and because I had tested them in a few track workouts leading up to the race and trusted their performance on the curves. These shoes are an ideal option for mid distance or even 400 runners who do not want to race in spikes or for anyone racing short distances on the road. I could see them being a great 5k or even 10k racer for those who prefer a lower stack shoe, but for me, I have not used them for anything longer than a mile. Additionally, I think they are a great value at $180 for their weight and performance.
My Top Racing Shoe (Long Distance): Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3
Review | Shop
Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 is another shoe I was thrilled to receive for testing this year because the geometry of the shoe looked particularly well suited to midfoot landings (and reminded me of the geometry of my favorite super shoe, the Nike Alphafly 1). I requested a half size up because I remembered that the original Deviate Nitro Elite fit short on me. This was the right move, as it resulted in sufficient length and toe box width and an overall comfortable, secure fit. I tested it in many workouts ranging from half marathon pace to mile pace, and consistently noticed that I was running 5-10"/mile faster in them at a given effort level. I originally did not have any longer races planned for 2025, but I decided to end my outdoor season by running a 5k back home in Illinois in August, and knew the Fast-R 3 would be my racing shoe. At 6.0oz for a men's 9 and 5.2oz for a women's 8, this shoe is incredibly light for such a high stack racing shoe and the rocker geometry and decoupled heel design line up very well with my mechanics as a midfoot striker. The shoe feels not only bouncy, but explosive on foot, particularly at faster paces (5k-mile) and if the Streakfly 2 did not exist, I would have used Fast-R 3 for the road mile races I did earlier in the year. At $300, the shoe is one of the most expensive super shoes on the market, but it is absolutely worth it for its performance.
Bonus Shoe: Hoka Cielo X1 2.0
Review | Shop
If I hadn't received the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3, the Cielo X1 2.0 would have been my favorite long distance racing shoe of the year. Like the Fast-R 3, the Cielo X1 2.0 has a decoupled heel design and an even more aggressive forefoot rocker that also feels well designed for midfoot landings. The medial midfoot cutout also results in decreased resistance to medial midfoot motion, which is something that I benefit from as someone who tends to land and stay too far lateral during mid stance. I have used the shoe for many workouts and long runs and I have over 100 miles on my pair. The PEBA midsole feels just as bouncy as it did when it was new out of the box, and while there is some wear on the exposed midfoot midsole, the rubber outsole shows minimal wear. While not quite as light as the Fast-R 3 at 8.1oz for a men's 10 and 6.8oz for a women's 8, it feels light on foot and extremely propulsive. The shoe feels best at 5k-half marathon paces for me, but it could certainly be a marathon racer for others.
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