The Monday Shakeout: The State of Stability Shoes in 2026
By Matthew Klein
This week, Matt talks about where stability shoes are from a design perspective in 2026. He discusses notable trends, both positive and negative, with hopes and predictions for the future.
2026 has been an interesting and positive year for stability shoes. The prior 10 years have seen a decline in the number and variety of stability shoes. We lost all the stability racing shoes, with the Saucony Fastwitch 9 taking its last breath in 2019. Recently, it seemed we were losing all the lighter/faster stability shoes, with the Adidas Solution 2 becoming the heavier (and unavailable) Solution 3 and the Saucony Tempus moving to being an Asian market shoe only. This is why we at Doctors of Running have been focusing on stable neutral shoes for so long, out of desperation to find shoes that might still work for those of us with stability needs. Fortunately, while not a complete fix, 2026 has shown to be a possible turning point.
The Positives
Two of the major positive themes have been the slow introduction of super foams and an increased number of shoes with full-length stability. Sauciony. has been a leader in the super foam introduction, debuting the Omni 23 ST and the Hurricane 26. Both feature a combination of EVA foams/frames that create firmer medial material combined with PWRRUN PB and IncrediLux superfoams (respectively). They are both on the lighter side, a benefit of these foams, coming in at 10.1 oz and 9.2 oz. The Hurricane is one of the few stability shoes to drop back into the low 9 oz range, with only the Altra Flow ST being lighter. What makes these shoes so unique is not only the great integration of super foams and the lighter weight, but also the excellent and smooth rides that can often be rare in stability shoes. While not a superfoam shoe, the Hoka Gaviota 6 has been another smooth-riding, lighter-feeling stability shoe. A massive upgrade from the prior version, it features a rare Hoka anatomic fit, a 10 oz weight, a well-rockered sole and full-length medial and lateral stability. This comes from an extended H-frame, something that Hoka has used before but not to the extent seen in the Gaviota. It should be known that pronation and supination occur along the entire length of the foot. Many people who have trouble controlling them at the forefoot and not just the heel/midfoot, where most companies have focused on stability methods for years. This is an important area for control as appropriate stability, either from the person or assisted by the shoe, is important for the propulsion phase of gait. The ASICS GT 4000 was one of the rare shoes that had forefoot stability, but that has changed now with shoes like the Mount to Coast P1, the New Balance 860 v15, the upcoming ASICS GEL-Kayano 33 and of course the Hoka Gaviota 6, among a few others.
The Challenges
While there are some positives this year, there are obvious continued challenges. Despite the smoother shoes listed above, clunkiness and weight are still massive problems. Many stability shoes this year still have either a posterior flared heel/lack of a heel bevel or excessive stiffness in the heel in an attempt to create stability. Despite firmer and stiffer shoes being more stable, creating a stiff or early heel transition is counterintuitive as it often accelerates a person's initial contact, thereby increasing the rate of pronation, or makes the transition uncomfortable, so they attempt to land somewhere else and alter their mechanics in a potentially non-productive and awkward way. This is a really simple fix, ie creating an appropriate posterolateral heel bevel that will help with an appropriate heel transition while also creating lateral bias at the same time. I am not sure why this continues to be difficult, as I have been complaining about this for years, but I am just a tiny voice on this planet.
The other massive challenge is weight. The majority of stability shoes continue to be quite heavy, with only a few on the market under 10 ounces for men's size 9. This reduces the variety of efforts those with stability needs can do, and many of us do want to be able to run fast. This is why I have continued to talk about stable neutral concepts, both for lightweight trainers and racing shoes. This year has been difficult for those with stability needs looking to run fast as we only have a few stable neutral options like the On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper LS, the 361 Flame 5 or the Hoka Rocket X 3. There are certainly challenges with creating light, bouncy, responsive racing shoes that are also stable, but if the Hurricane 26 can be so excellent with a superfoam top layer, then this is certainly possible with the variety of design and midsole options.
The Racing Side of Things
While stability shoes are still on the heavy side and many are still clunky, there is hope based on a few of the models being debuted. Saucony is clearly leading with debuting great superfoam stability shoes and proving that they don't have to be heavy clunkers. Hoka has kept the Rocket X series as the more stable option in their racing lineup. Nike debuted the Structure Plus, which, despite having an incredibly clunky heel transition, features a top layer of their ZoomX midsole foam. I can't promise a true super stability racer, but the same technology seen in neutral shoes for years is beginning to come to the stability realm. Most companies will tell you that the reason they don't have faster stability shoes is that there isn't a market for them. This is ironic, given that the designers for the Adidas Adizero Pro Evo 3 discussed that one of the major redesign themes for the plate and last for the lightest super shoe on the planet was focused on trying to make the shoe more stable based on complaints from their elite athletes. Regardless, things are slowly getting better and while things may not happen as fast as we want, there is light on the horizon for those with stability needs.
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