David's Favorite Shoes of 2025
These are our team's top running choices that came out this year.
By: David Salas
David's Favorite Shoes
- Best Daily Trainer: Saucony Ride 18
- Best Recovery Run Shoe: Nike Vomero Plus
- Best Performance Trainer: New Balance Rebel v5
- Best Long Run: ASICS Megablast
- Best Racing Shoe (Short Distance): Nike Streakfly 2
- Best Racing Shoe (Long Distance): ASICS Metaspeed Edge Tokyo
- Bonus Shoe: TYR Maverick V1
My Top Daily Trainer: Saucony Ride 18
Review | Shop
The Saucony Ride 18 has been a shoe that I have come back to frequently throughout the year. The shoe uses a moderate stack height (by today's standards, 37mm heel) in a well balanced package. The Saucony Ride 18 has several things that provide a predictable and friendly ride. The shoe provides a relatively lightweight ride with good cushioning and a subtle bounce. The PWRRUN + foam is durable and is a solid foam for logging many runs on. The upper is also spacious and surprisingly plush for the price point. The shoe doesn't knock it out of the park in any specific categories, but provides a simplicity to running easy daily miles that I appreciate.
My Top Recovery Run Shoe: Nike Vomero Plus
Review | Shop
The Nike Vomero Plus could easily double as a daily trainer and a recovery shoe. The Vomero Plus is the middle tier option of the Vomero lineup by Nike. The goal is to provide a plush and protective experience underfoot. The shoe uses a full Zoom X midsole at 43mm of stack in the heel and provides plenty of cushioning underfoot. The shoe has a well done rocker that eases the transitions while running. At 9.9 ounces, the Nike Vomero Plus is also at a very reasonable weight for how plush the shoe is. The platform is wide underfoot and has some gentle guidance from sidewalls. The upper is also plush while maintaining good breathability. The Vomero Plus checks a lot of the boxes I look for in a recovery shoe. When my legs are beat up, this is the shoe I lean into.
My Top Performance Shoe: New Balance Rebel v5
Review | Shop
The New Balance Rebel v5 has been the performance trainer that I have leaned into this year. The shoe is very lightweight at 7.7 ounces in Men's size 9 and has enough cushioning for a large variety of efforts. At 35mm of stack, the shoe is low enough to turn over while still being able to take a punch from longer road efforts. The flexibility in the forefoot is also appreciated. When I am running fast during workouts, I do like having some flexibility up front. This is especially true on the track. The New Balance Rebel is a "Swiss Army Knife" of shoes and can tackle a decent variety of workouts and speed sessions.
My Top Long Run Shoe: ASICS Megablast
Review | Shop
The ASICS Megablast took over the long run king for me. Previously that belonged to the ASICS Superblast 2. The Megablast has a similar geometry to the Superblast, but uses an entirely different midsole. The ATPU based Flyte Foam 2 (squared) is much more compliant and bouncy than the Flyte Foam Turbo + predecessor. The shoe is more neutral, but provides a nice rocker with plenty of protection underfoot. The shoe is also very lightweight for the stack height. The shoe only weighs 7.9 ounces in men's 9, while boasting a stack height of 45mm in the heel. The geometry works for me, and the foam combined with the weight make for a very rhythmic shoe that I can take for miles and miles. The foam does have some bounce to it and the Megablast can also handle a little bit of uptempo work. For me though, this is a cruising shoe for long outings.
My Top Racing Shoe (Short Distance): Nike Streakfly 2
Review | Shop
The Nike Streakfly 2 is a very lightweight racing shoe that is bred for short distance racing. The shoe feels much more grounded than other super shoes, being at 26mm of stack in the heel. The shoe uses a full length Zoom X midsole with a full length carbon plate as well. The Streakfly 2 is also very impressive from a weight standpoint. Being at 4.5 ounces in Men's size 9, this shoe is comparable with many track spikes. The shoe is very responsive and loves to eat up the ground. This could easily be a road mile racing shoe upwards to 5k. If I was racing on the track, this would be worth a look too. The Streakfly 2 is an aggressive racing shoe for those looking to rip it at shorter distances.
My Top Racing Shoe (Long Distance): ASICS Metaspeed Edge Tokyo
Review | Shop
The ASICS Metaspeed Edge Tokyo is my long distance racing shoe of the year. The Edge Tokyo introduces a new ATPU based midsole by the name of FF Leap that is incredibly compliant and bouncy. The Edge Tokyo uses a dual density midsole, with the heel having a majority of FF Turbo + and the forefoot being majority FF Leap. The heel feels a bit more structured, while the forefoot is incredibly soft and bouncy. The shoe loves to explode off of the forefoot and this is something you feel immediately. The rocker is not overly dramatic but does a good enough job. The sensation you get in this shoe is more of a "drop" into the forefoot as you explode off of the spooned carbon plate. I can easily race a 5k in this shoe, and I feel comfortable getting into rhythm for a marathon in it too.
Bonus Shoe: TYR Maverick V1
Review | Shop
The TYR Maverick V1 was a very surprising shoe for me. The Maverick V1 could be a runner up to both the daily trainer and long run shoe on the list above. At 44mm of stack, the only shoe that competes with its weight of 7.7 ounces in Men's 9 is the ASICS Megablast. The Maverick V1 has a less bouncy foam, but a sturdy and very reliable forefoot rocker. You feel like you are constantly rolling into your next step. Though the midsole isn't incredibly bouncy, it does provide a nice amount of cushioning in a slightly firm package. The upper is a little bit lower in volume, but does have a lot of forefoot width. I really like this shoe for easy shuffling miles and could see this being both a daily trainer and long run shoe for me.
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