Best Running Shoes – It’s That Time of Year Again

Today, we’ll be reviewing some of the best running shoes in 2020.

As soon as you start investing a little bit more into your running kit, then running shoes can quite quickly become somewhat of an obsession.

With so many different brands out there and different models, your shoe collection can quite quickly build up and take over your cupboards, your shelves, or even your whole house.

But what are the best running shoes this year?

Well, in today’s article, we’re going to take you through the very best running shoes of 2020.

So, we’ve been out running to test all of the shoes featured in this article and we’ll be giving you our honest opinions on each as well as highlighting some of the key features.

Best Running Shoes

Brooks Adrenaline GTS

This is Brooks’ staple stability shoe. The Adrenaline GTS 20 has got a similar feel to the Adrenaline 19 and also the Ghost. These are all very comfortable when you put them on.

It’s really well cushioned around the heel and feels like a super comfy shoe for any kind of long or recovery runs.

I wouldn’t say this running shoe is designed particularly for speed work, but this really is your kind of all-rounder for everything other than faster stuff.

Stability System

So, with the stability shoe and the Adrenaline GTS, there is no separate medial post anymore.

The GuideRails that were brought in by Brooks are part of the midsole now. So, it feels less stiff and less like a stability shoe while still giving you that extra support.

The Adrenaline GTS is not overly heavy and it’s not overly light. That’s why I would say that this shoe is a good all-rounder, especially for beginners, people who are taking up running, or someone who just wants something comfy to trot around in on a Sunday afternoon.

Price-wise for the Brooks, it’s kind of middle of the road for the reviews that we’re doing today and similarly with the weight as well.

Related:

• Brooks Adrenaline GTS 21 vs. Adrenaline GTS 22

New Balance 880

This is a neutral cushioned running shoe that you can use for everything from your easiest shortest runs right the way up to your longest runs as well.

Fresh Foam

The New Balance 880 is not quite as soft as the sister shoe the New Balance 1080, but this is the softest most cushioned version of the 880 yet because it’s the first one that incorporates New Balance’s Fresh Foam technology in the midsole.

The addition of Fresh Foam to the midsole has made a difference. It’s made the 880 more cushioned while still maintaining the responsiveness that I liked in the previous versions.

Add to that the fact that this shoe feels really solid and durable and like you can tackle any distance running in it and that’s a really solid shoe for you to consider investing in.

Hypoknit

There’s also a brand new upper featuring new balance’s Hypoknit material which provides a nice snug secure fit on your runs.

I also noticed that over time, the 880 didn’t stretch or give too much, which can be the case with some knitted uppers.

I’m really familiar with the 880 series from New Balance having run in most of the previous versions of this shoe, but this one is my favorite yet.

Looking at the bottom, there’s no sign of wear as yet after running in the 880 for quite a few miles.

Asics Novablast

New for 2020, I think the Asics Novablast is a pretty attractive-looking shoe. It’s a step change away from some of your standard Asics ranges like the Gel Kayano and the Nimbus, for example.

No Gel

There’s no gel in the Asics Novablast in fact and Asics have kind of put it in the speed category. It’s very light and actually, I found that it’s pretty good as an all-around shoe.

But definitely, if you do want to do a little bit of speed work, the Novablast has got that extra responsiveness and lightness that you can really feel like you can pick the pace up a bit in these shoes.

FF Blast Midsole

So, within the Novablast, you have got the FF Blast through the midsole. It is there to give you extra energy return.

Asics say that this shoe should feel like a bit of a trampoline with the energy return that you get and it definitely does feel very bouncy.

Fit-wise, this is the shoe that fits my feet the best probably out of all of the ones that I’ve reviewed for this article and that’s because I’ve got a bit of a wider foot.

Upper

Some other reviews have said that the Novablast feels a little bit roomy in the toe box, but for me, that’s not an issue and these fit really nice and comfortably.

The tongue on it is really minimal and all-round, it’s just an incredibly comfy shoe and a great all-rounder.

Stack Height

It also has a higher stack height than most Asics shoes are used to. So that’s something to be aware of, but the heel-to-toe drop is 10 millimeters and all-round, this is a great shoe for any kind of run that you want to do

The price is so pretty standard for the level of shoes that we are reviewing today.

Mizuno Wave Rider

Enerzy/Wave Combo

Related:

• Mizuno Wave Rider 25 vs. 24

The Wave Rider series is Mizuno’s neutral cushion shoe. This is a significant update because it incorporates a brand-new foam called ENERZY which Mizuno say gives us 17% better cushioning and 15% more energy return.

The ENERZY foam in the midsole is combined with Mizuno’s Wave technology. The Wave technology is essentially a piece of plastic-type material that runs through the midsole to increase the support or the responsiveness that you feel.

At 10.2 oz in the men’s and 8.4 oz in the women’s, the Wave Rider falls squarely into the everyday trainer category, one that you could wear for any length of run.

What I found really interesting was its brilliant balance of responsiveness, cushioning, and support. It felt like a much lighter shoe and one that you could run more quickly in for things like perhaps threshold runs.

There’s also a gusted tongue for a nice secure fit and alongside that, the upper has been redesigned with breathability in mind.

Under Armour Hovr Machina

If you like your shoe to do a little bit of multitasking, then the Under Armour Hovr Machina might be the one for you. So, this isn’t just a shoe.

Related:

• Are Under Armour Really Good for Running?

Midsole

In the midsole of the right foot, you have a Bluetooth chip that links up to Under Armour’s Map My Run app.

The app gives you constant feedback by linking up through your phone through the chip through your headphones. It monitors things like your cadence and your stride length so you can get updates as you’re out on your run and you get loads of data afterwards that you can go through in the Map My Run app if that’s your thing.

So, as well as the usual distance and pace, you get loads of extra data that deals with your foot striking and your stride length, etc.

Let’s talk a little bit about the shoe itself.

Fit

Fit-wise, I felt like it was really cushioned and when I first put it on, it did feel incredibly stiff, but actually, after a couple of runs with this shoe, it does start to ease a little bit and become a little bit softer.

The Machina is true to size and I didn’t have any issues with the length or width.

Related: 

• Running Shoe Size Comparison Between Brands

Realistically, if you want a little bit of extra tech, you do pay a tiny bit more for that, but you do get the extra data as well. It’s something really interesting to look at to try and improve other areas of your run like your cadence and your stride length.

The Hovr Machina is pretty heavy on my feet. Actually, weight-wise, the men’s comes in at 10.5 oz and the women’s checks in at 8.8 oz.

So, it’s not the heaviest shoe out there, but it does feel so because of all this padding that it felt like I did have really heavy shoes on my feet while I was running in it.

Adidas UltraBoost 20

The UltraBoost is Adidas’ flagship neutral cushioned running shoe.

There haven’t been massive updates compared to the UltraBoost 2019 version at least aesthetically, but they have managed to add in an extra 20% of the Boost material in the midsole to give you an increased level of responsive cushioning.

They do feel great on the road with that 10-millimeter drop.

The UltraBoost 20 is not the lightest shoe in the Adidas’ running shoe lineup, but it is ideally suited to everyday use across a variety of different-length runs.

It wouldn’t be my go-to shoe for faster runs, but the Boost foam does go a long way towards making the UltraBoost feel more responsive and you could really pick up the pace on longer runs in what is a reassuringly solid shoe.

Eco-friendly

The Adidas shoe also features recycled materials. Those materials have been intercepted on beaches and in coastal communities before they reach the ocean.

Upper

This version adds in what’s called Tailored Fiber Placement technology (TFP) to the Primeknit upper essentially providing you with extra support in the areas that you might need it to give you that secure snug fit that you’re looking for.

Talking of the upper and the fit, it’s essentially one piece of knitted upper with these overlays holding the laces in place over the top.

It does provide a lovely secure fit, it’s nice and snug, and it seems like it stretches to conform to your foot.

If you haven’t run in an Adidas shoe before, it’s worth noting that these laces actually start a little bit further back from your toe than you might be familiar with from other brands.

So, that can feel a little bit different but nothing to worry about.

On CloudBoom

First off, the ON CloudBoom is one of these best carbon-plated running shoes

This is the brand-new offering from the Swiss brand ON and it’s called the CloudBoom.

So, what’s so special about this shoe is that it’s super lightweight. In fact, the women’s weighs in at around 6.6 oz so it is really lightweight

This shoe is designed to be a road shoe but also for racing. ON say that this is good for races of 10k and above. Also, they do do a much lighter shoe as well that’s aimed more at the 5k speed stuff.

Carbon Plate Speedboard

But the thing is with the CloudBoom is that it has a Carbon-fiber-infused Speedboard inside it. This Carbon-fiber-infused Speedboard is along the same sort of thoughts as the Nike Alpha Fly with their carbon-fiber plate.

The Speedboard is designed to move in different ways to give more of a rocking and propulsion motion to really make this a very fast shoe.

CloudTec Midsole

It’s got the usual ON look of the CloudTec technology in the midsole. There’s two layers of the CloudTec and the idea is that they compress on impact, which gives you more energy return to really spring you back off.

In between those two layers is that Speedboard. It’s got a minimal amount of the ON Helion foam in it and so that means that it’s less of a cushioned ride and more of a speedster.

Having done a 5k in these shoes, I can definitely feel the speed in it.

Fit

One thing I would say about the fit is that I did feel that it came up quite narrow. I do have this issue with lots of different brands, but particularly with the CloudBoom from ON, I’ve had to take out some of the lacing in the eyelets to give my foot a little bit of extra room.

That’s worth bearing in mind if you do struggle with a wider foot like I do.

Looks

Finally, a word about the look of this shoe. The ON CloudBoom running shoes is a really unusual but lovely looking shoe.

It looks very different onto your standard running shoe, but I would expect to see these on the feet of plenty of people at the start line of 10k and half marathon races once they all start to be back on after what’s going on in 2020.

This really is a contender for a fast speedy race shoe.

Saucony Triumph 18

Saucony’s latest offering is the Triumph 18. This is a neutral cushioned shoe designed to give you comfort on long runs.

The fit for the shoe feels a bit snug and that probably comes down to the amount of cushioning on it.

So, weight-wise, the Triumph 18 is a reasonably heavy shoe compared to some of the others that we’ve been reviewing like the New Balance 1080.

It’s got a lot of padded cushioning around the heel for added comfort and the tongue is very well cushioned with this kind of faux-suede on it.

Related:

• Saucony Hurricane vs. Triumph

Laces

One thing I did find about these shoes was the shape of the laces. It’s the tubular type laces and they’re ever so soft.

However, the laces did come undone on my runs a couple of times and that was something that was a little bit frustrating.

So, it’s worth noting to tie those ones in a double knot because of the shape of those laces or you can change them for other laces if you wanted to anyway.

So, the Saucony Triumph 18 is a brand-new release and is the updated version of the 17. Saucony have stuck with what they do best with their shoes from the Triumph range and there’s not a lot of updates to this shoe compared to the Saucony Triumph 17.

It’s a good all-round shoe for any kind of run really especially if you want to go out on longer stuff and want that extra cushion and comfort from your shoe.

The Saucony Triumph 18 does it all really.

Make sure you read this comparison of the Saucony Triumph and the Saucony Ride.

Nike Alphafly

Related:

• 3 Best Nike Shoes for Marathon

This is not an everyday trainer and it’s aimed squarely at high-performance racing, but we couldn’t do a blog post rounding up the best running shoes of 2020 without at least mentioning Nike’s incredible AlphaFly.

The Nike Alphafly is the shoe that evolved to help Eliot Kipchoge become the first person to run under two hours for the marathon distance.

With Nike’s VaporFly Next% and now the AlphaFly setting such a high bar for performance racing shoes, all of the other brands are trying to catch up and they’re all coming out with their own versions to try and compete all using new proprietary foam technology and usually a carbon plate.

So, keep an eye out for Saucony’s Endorphin Pro, the New Balance FuelCell TC and soon to be the FuelCell RC Elite which is being released in the autumn, Hoka Carbon X alongside Asics Meta Racer and the Adidas Adizero Pro.

Related:

• Saucony Endorphin Pro vs. Speed

We haven’t had our hands on all of those to test them, but please stay tuned to come back and see what we make of them.

And if you guys have got any experiences with them, then let us know in the comments section below.

So, is there a shoe out there that we’ve mentioned that’s now top of your wish list?

Or, perhaps your favorite running shoe wasn’t mentioned?

Do let us know in the comments below because we absolutely love hearing from you.

Let us know how you get on if you do invest in a new pair of running shoes and we’ll see you next time.

Related:

Saucony Endorphin Pro vs. Nike Vaporfly Next%