Mizuno Wave Inspire 22: Quick Evaluation

 

Mizuno Wave Inspire 22: Quick Evaluation
By Bach Pham

 

My first Wave Inspire was Version 17, which feels like a very long time ago. Then, it featured a very prominent medial support system. Recent versions have transitioned to a new wave plate design that focuses more on guidance than medial support. The Wave Inspire 22 aims to make subtle changes around their wave plate design, specifically in adjusting their foam and transitioning from 12mm to 10mm. In this quick evaluation, I'll share the good and the bad with this latest update from Mizuno. 

Mizuno Wave Inspire 22

Price: $149.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 9.9 oz, 281 g (men's size 9), 8.5 oz, 241 g (women's size 8)
Stack Height:  37 mm heel / 27 mm forefoot
Drop: 10 mm
Shoe Purpose: Stability daily trainer

Pros: Wave plate design provides solid medial stability, high durability
Cons: Heel not secure, stiff sole

SIMILAR SHOES: Hoka Arahi 8
PAST MODEL: Mizuno Wave Inspire 21

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

The Wave Inspire 22 is a daily trainer for runners with moderate stability needs. It features a midsole update, offering an updated version that kicks out Enerzy altogether for Enerzy Nxt, a nitrogen-infused variant of their everyday midsole. I did feel the midsole was more responsive in past years, but in a stiffer package that takes some time to break-in. Once I logged a few miles in the shoe, the sole opened up a little bit and felt a little bit more responsive and lively. There is a ton of outsole which also stiffens the ride up. I would not take this for long mileage though due to fit which I'll cover shortly. The shoe does have a decent amount of forefoot flexibility that helps make the shoe feel like it could be versatile. The shoe does weigh under 10oz for the first time in the series (that I can remember) which is a big deal, especially with stability shoes being under 10oz being rare. The shoe features a wave plate design that provides guidance and loads of rigidity in the rear to midfoot, along with extra rigidity from the outsole. The shoe does offers a lot of rearfoot stability, but that is offset by another issue.

The heel was a huge problem I had with the new Wave Inspire 22. The heel security felt very poor, always on the verge of slipping. Its slightly large width, shallow in height and the laces don't help reel the heel in. The material on the heel collar is a bit slick as well, causing my heel to lift. The forefoot and midfoot are okay, but on the snug side already so resizing would not solve the issue for me. Thicker socks also did not alleviate the problem. Those with a wider heel may do okay, but this is definitely worth testing in store first before purchase. Even though I never slipped out of the shoe, I felt the need to be extra cautious on the run which didn't help with grinding miles. I also felt walking in the shoe wasn't ideal due to the heel fit. It would be comfortable otherwise, but that mental awareness of the heel is not ideal for all-day use. 

Doctors of Running Checklist

Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: Yes
Is the Forefoot Flexible: Yes
How Flexible is the Shoe: No
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: No
Recommended for Haglunds: No
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: No
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: High

FINAL THOUGHTS

Bach
Fit: C (Heel fit is a huge component that is hard to overlook)
Performance: B (There is some promise with the Enerzy Nxt midsole, but the fit holds it back and there is a ton of stiffness that may be hard for many to overcome)
Stability: B- (A very mild stability shoe that is offset with the heel)
Value: B (It is fairly well-priced for a Mizuno trainer)
Personal: C (I think the shoe is very close to flipping into an A, but in its current state the heel can't be overlooked for me)
Overall Design: C+  

This is one of those what if shoes. The Enerzy Nxt midsole does provide some promise. As I racked up miles, I could feel the shoe opening up and getting better and better with each run, but the heel design just wasn't something that was fixing with different lacing techniques or socks. If the shoe can hit the fit notes and keep updating the midsole design (this edition does manage to break the 10+ oz stability curse which is a big deal) then I expect future versions to be really ones to look out for. In the meantime, I recommend if you are interested in this to either get a fit check to see if it works for you, or look into some Inspire 21 deals to tie you over for 2026.

SHOP | SUPPORT DOR

Mizuno Wave Inspire 22

Price: $149.95 at Running Warehouse

Shop Men | Shop Women

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Editor's Note: As always, the views presented on this website belong to myself or the selected few who contribute to these posts. This website should not and does not serve as a replacement for seeking medical care. If you are currently injured or concerned about an injury, please see your local running physical therapist. If you are in the Sherwood, Santa Barbara, Danbury and Stevens Point areas, we are currently taking clients for running evaluations.

***Disclaimer: These shoes were provided free of charge in exchange for a review.  We thank the people at Mizuno for sending us a pair.  This in no way affected the honesty of this review. We systematically put each type of shoe through certain runs prior to review. For trainers and performance trainers, we take them on daily runs, workouts, recovery runs and a long run prior to review (often accumulating anywhere from 20-50 miles in the process). For racing flats we ensure that we have completed intervals, a tempo or steady state run as well as a warm-up and cool down in each pair prior to review. This systematic process is to ensure that we have experience with each shoe in a large variety of conditions to provide expansive and thorough reviews for the public and for companies. Our views are based on our extensive history in the footwear industry and years testing and developing footwear. If you are a footwear rep looking for footwear reviews or consultations on development, we are currently looking to partner with companies to assist, discuss and promote footwear models. Partnership will not affect the honesty of our reviews.

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