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40Race Shoe FinderEst. 2023 · London

Answers

Questions with
actual numbers.

Every page here is computed from the shoe data rather than written to a template, and every one has to earn its place: at least 3 qualifying shoes, at least 1 of them on manufacturer-confirmed specs, real observed prices where the page is about money, and a set of recommendations no other page already gives. 11 of 14 clear that bar. The rest still exist if you land on one — they are simply kept out of search, and say so on the page.

By your goal time

  • What is the best race shoe for a marathon?

    Over the marathon, the New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v5 returns the most time of any shoe in the index — about 4m 25s against a standard cushioned trainer, at roughly £0.13 a second over the shoe's racing life.

  • What is the best race shoe for a half marathon?

    Over the half marathon, the adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2 returns the most time of any shoe in the index — about 2m 30s against a standard cushioned trainer, at roughly £0.54 a second over the shoe's racing life.

  • What is the best race shoe for a 10K?

    Over the 10k, the PUMA Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 returns the most time of any shoe in the index — about 1m 4s against a standard cushioned trainer, at roughly £0.25 a second over the shoe's racing life.

  • What is the best race shoe for a 5K?

    Over the 5k, the Nike Vaporfly 4 returns the most time of any shoe in the index — about 30s against a standard cushioned trainer, at roughly £0.13 a second over the shoe's racing life.

  • What is the best race shoe for a ultra?

    Over the ultra / 50k+, the HOKA Cielo X1 2.0 returns the most time of any shoe in the index — about 4m 14s against a standard cushioned trainer, at roughly £0.13 a second over the shoe's racing life.

By what you can spend

By value

  • Which super shoe gives the most for the money?

    Costed on what it actually returns rather than what it costs to buy, the Saucony Kinvara Pro is the best value race shoe in the index at £0.10 per second saved over a four-hour marathon.

What they actually do

How long they last

  • How long do carbon race shoes last?

    Competitive life across the index runs from 120 km to 700 km, with a median of 280 km — roughly 4 marathons including the training runs you would do in them.

What is legal