Mizuno Neo Zen 2
Price: $159.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 8.5oz, 241g (men's size 9), oz, g (women's size 8)
Stack Height: 40 mm heel / 34 mm forefoot
Drop: 6 mm
Shoe Purpose: Daily Training Shoe
Pros: Secure fit, high underfoot protection, bouncy midsole
Cons: Stiff edges around upper eyelets may cause anterior ankle irritation, laterally biased midfoot may be too stable for some runners, EVA midsole feels firmer in cold temps
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Mizuno Neo Zen 2 is a non-plated, high stack daily trainer that features a nitrogen infused EVA midsole and moderate rocker geometry. The EVA midsole feels firmer than the TPU midsole of version 1, particularly during my test runs in sub-freezing temperatures. The updated upper fits comfortably and securely, but there are two pieces of stiffer material at the anterior ankle that may cause discomfort for some runners. The Neo Zen 2 also features increased heel collar padding to avoid Achilles irritation, and it does a good job of keeping the heel tab away from the Achilles and securely locking down the heel. Due to its laterally biased midfoot, the Neo Zen 2 will be best for those who need medial midfoot stability. The shoe feels best for easy miles, but some may find the midsole responsive enough for uptempo efforts as well.
SIMILAR SHOES: Feels like a lower stack, lighter version of New Balance SC Trainer v1
PAST MODEL: Mizuno Neo Zen
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Andrea: The Mizuno Neo Zen 2 fits true to size in my usual women's 9.5. The length and toe box width are similar to version 1, with greater than average toe box width and a full thumb's width from the front of the shoe to the end of my big toe. While I have to go up 1/2 size in the Wave Rebellion and Hyperwarp lines, both Neo Zen 1 and 2 have fit true to size for me. The knit upper is soft but has plenty of strucutre, thanks to large Mizuno logo overlays on the medial and lateral sides. I would not consider this shoe a true one piece upper because the tongue is a separate piece of material, but it is gusseted, with the attachment point over the dorsum of the ankle (instead of the usual gusseting near the mid-portion of the tongue). There is a firm edge between the upper and the gusset that dug into the front of my ankles and was mildly uncomfortable. I did not get any blisters from it, but I was aware of pressure on that point of my feet during all of my test runs. The midfoot and rearfoot are normal width and the rearfoot is narrowed by a large amount of internal padding, which extends forward all the way to the first row of eyelets. The result is a secure heel hold without my feet feeling like they are being pushed forward in the shoe. There is a small, rigid heel counter that gives additional structure to the heel. Overall, I liked the fit except for the discomfort on my anterior ankle.
Andrea's Typical Size: Women's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit Andrea well: Brooks Hyperion Max 1 and 2, Topo Cyclone 2, Nike Vaporfly 3, ASICS Novablast 4 and 5, PUMA MagMax Nitro
Shoes that have fit snug: Altra Escalante 4 (toe box width and volume), Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 2 and 3 (length), Saucony Endorphin Speed and Pro 1-4 (length)
Shoes that have fit large: Adidas Boston 12 (length), Adidas Adios 8 (length)
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: No
Is the Forefoot Flexible: No
How Flexible is the Shoe: Not Flexible
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: No
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: Yes
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: Average
PERFORMANCE
Andrea: The Mizuno Neo Zen 2 is a high stack daily trainer that features Mizuno's ENERZY NXT midsole, which is now a nitrogen-infused EVA. I enjoyed testing the original version of Neo Zen, finding it to be a comfortable, relatively light weight trainer that I enjoyed for easy runs and long runs. Neo Zen 2 features an updated upper and a change from the supercritical TPU midsole of version 1. My first run in the shoe was a recovery run after a hard speed workout the day before. The first thing I noted was that the shoe felt heavier on foot than I expected it to. I often find that shoes with sock-like uppers feel heavy on foot because the base of the shoe puts traction on the upper, making it feel like the base is pulling down on the foot. The nitrogen infused EVA provides a firm, but bouncy ride. It reminds me of the midsole feel of the New Balance SC Trainer v1, but of course the Neo Zen is significantly lighter than the SC Trainer. There is very little ground feel in the Neo Zen 2 due to its relatively high midsole stack. I should note that all of my test runs were in temperatures below 40F, so the midsole may feel different in warmer temperatures because it is EVA, which is notoriously worse in colder temps.
Subsequent runs included additional normal easy runs, some short pickups between marathon pace and threshold, and recovery runs. I was pleased to find that the midsole responds fairly well to faster paces, but the shoe still felt too heavy for me to choose to use it for real workouts. The shoe feels like its stated 6mm drop and the heel bevel made midfoot landings feel comfortable. The platform is very stiff and the firm midsole plus the moderate forefoot rocker created a nice rolling sensation through stance phase and into push off.
There are a couple of design features that diminished my enjoyment of the shoe. The pressure from the edge of the upper on the dorsum of my ankle was mildly annoying and I could not make it go away by loosening the laces. The midsole features a significant medial sidewall in the midfoot, which is a feature that I rarely get along with. This resulted in arch pain and a feeling that my foot was being pushed laterally during initial contact and mid stance. This discomfort limited my runs in the shoe to 4 miles or less.
The shoe features Mizuno's X10 rubber outsole, which provided good traction on wet and sand covered roads and sidewalks. I have 25 miles on my pair and there is almost no visible wear on the outsole. I think durability will be limited by the EVA midsole as opposed to outsole durability.
VIDEO: See Nathan's thoughts on the Neo Zen 2 from his persepctive.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Andrea: The Mizuno Neo Vista 2 is a neutral shoe with a few guidance features. For me, the most prominent feature is the medial midfoot sidewall, which creates a strong laterally biased midfoot. This feature does not work for me, as someone with a history of multiple lateral ankles sprains and a tendency to land too far laterally at the midfoot. This feature will work best for those who need medial midfoot stability. Besides the laterally biased midfoot, the shoe runs fairly neutral, thanks to the heel bevel, moderate forefoot rocker, and guidance lines, which create a nice rolling sensation and guidance into forward motion. The wide base, firmer midsole, and stiff platform also increase the overall stability of the shoe.
Thoughts as a DPT: How Midsole Compliance Changes a Shoe
By Matthew Klein
Despite having a similar midsole material to the prior version, the Mizuno Neo Zen 2 has a noticeably different ride. Version one has a soft and bouncy underfoot feel, while version two has a relatively firmer but still bouncy ride. This is due to a few factors, most significantly changing the compliance of the material. Compliance refers to how much a material compresses underfoot. This is different than resilience, which refers to the ability of a material to reform after being compressed. A more compliant midsole will compress far more, often feeling "softer" underfoot. A less compliant midsole will compress less, often giving a "firmer" underfoot feeling.
A more compliant midsole may feel softer but is inherently less stable. The greater compression of the foam is rarely uniform, given that our landing and loading patterns are often asymmetrical. A softer midsole has inherently less structure and will resist motion in all directions, including side to side, vertically and horizontally. This means that whatever way your foot (feet) go, the midsole will compress with it. This means a less stable ride. Ironically, softer midsoles can often cause people to land harder with reflexive stiffening of the lower extremity to compensate for the less stable underfoot feel (Baltich et al., 2015). This can result in a perception of a stiffer ride despite the more compliant midsole AND increased joint loading due to the stiffer and harder landing (Kim & Park, 2025). A less compliant midsole will often feel firmer and more stable. The decreased compression of the foam means more resistance to motion, often resulting to a more stable feeling. This is why many stability shoes have firmer midsoles and it is rare to see soft structured shoes (although this is changing as companies experiment with duel midsoles). A final piece to this puzzle is the rate of compression. A midsole that compresses really quickly will add to the feeling of softness and instability, whereas a midsole that compresses less quickly will feel firmer and more stable.
This is why the foam names only mean so much. Many shoes can share a similar foam name, but the compound itself can feel quite different. The Neo Zen 2 feels snappier and more stable due to the less compliant midsole, increased outsole material (which adds firmness) and geometry changes that impact how the foam compresses. This is why it is important to either read reviews or try things on first before committing to a new model of a shoe as changes between versions can drastically alter the ride.
Baltich, J., Maurer, C., & Nigg, B. M. (2015). Increased vertical impact forces and altered running mechanics with softer midsole shoes. PloS one, 10(4), e0125196.
Kim, H. S., & Park, S. K. (2025). The Effect of Different Midsole Cushioning Types on Impact Forces and Joint Stiffness in Heel-Toe Runners. Applied Sciences, 15(24), 13132.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Andrea: For me, the Mizuno Neo Zen 2 is a step backward from the original version, which did not have a prominent lateral bias in the midfoot. I also think that the supercritical TPU midsole of the original made the shoe more versatile at faster paces. The new EVA midsole of version 2 makes the shoe best for easy paces for me. I hope that Mizuno will go back to TPU for version 3 of the Neo Zen and reduce the large medial midfoot sidewall to make the ride more neutral. I would also recommend fixing the stiff portion of the upper at the anterior ankle to improve comfort and fit.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Andrea: The Mizuno Neo Zen 2 is a daily trainer with a firmer platform and midsole, moderate rocker geometry, and a laterally biased midfoot. It will be best for those who need some medial midfoot stability and do well with socklike uppers. The new EVA midsole may make it less suited for cold weather running due to EVA's performance degradation in colder temperatures. If the shoe works for you, $160 is pretty standard for a daily trainer these days due to US tariffs, so it will be a good value for the right person.
GRADES
Andrea
Fit: A- (Fits true to size with sufficient toe box width and volume. The edge of the upper closest to the dorsum of the ankle is too stiff and caused irritation. Otherwise, comfortable fit.)
Performance: B+ (Firmer midsole that still has enough bounce and rolling geometry to keep you moving forward. Laterally biased midfoot caused arch pain for me, as someone who is sensitive to this feature. Best for easy paces.)
Stability: [neutral] B+ (Rocker geometry, stiff platform, and wide base help create a centered ride. However, the medial midfoot sidewall creates noticeable lateral bias. which did not work for me.)
Value: A- (For the right person, this will be a good value at $160, although it is disappointing that $160 is a normal price for daily trainers these days.)
Personal: B- (I like the midsole feel, but the laterally biased midfoot was a dealbreaker for me.)
Overall Design: B
SHOP | SUPPORT DOR
Mizuno Neo Zen 2
Price: $159.95 at Running Warehouse
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