Brooks Running: Glycerin 11
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Price: $150 Extremely light and supportive, as soon as you slip these shoes on you'll be ready to run. The Glycerin 11 manages moisture, provides excellent arch support, and fits true to size. Specs: Pronation: Normal Arch: Medium/High Waterproof: No Best Surface: Road/Track Wear Tester: "Very comfortable as soon as you slip on the shoe. Logging 50 miles a week is not a problem. The only con about this shoe is that it's a narrow/tight fit."
Brooks Running: Ghost 6
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Price: $110 Seemingly weightless and extremely comfortable, you'll love how durable this shoe is. The Ghost 6 has spectacular heel-to-toe strike and great stability. If you're prone to blistering, you may want to give these a try. A fit true to size and has nice color options. Specs: Pronation: Normal Arch: Medium/High Waterproof: No Surface: Road/Track Wear Tester: "After logging 40 miles in a week no blisters were found. Love to wear this shoe on race day."
Mizuno: Wave Sayonara
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Price: $120 Hit the ground running with this lightweight and supportive shoe. The traction on the shoe makes it ideal for road or dirt runs. Also ideal to wear in most weather conditions because of the traction and material used. The Wave Sayonara offers great spring-like responsiveness and flexibility. However, it is narrow and has a smaller toebox. Specs: Pronation: Neutral Shoe Weight: 7.1 oz U4ic midsole provides resiliency and a smooth ride at a fraction of the weight of traditional midsoles. G3 SOLE has lightweight, superior traction, creating a pure connection to the ground. Wear Tester: "Love this shoe. It's very light, flexible and sharp looking. It's great to wear on training runs or race-day. It has a narrow toebox, but it's very flexible."
Asics: Gel-Kayano 20
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Price: $160 Once you slip on these shoes there's no slowing down. The Keyano 20 (20th anniversary) offers a few new technologies to improve the fit and feel of such an iconic shoe. The FluidFit? offers a more accommodating and stretchy fit over the lateral and medial side of the shoe. And the FluidRide? provides a luxurious, plush cushion on the midsole for exceptional durability. Specs: Pronation: Overpronators Gender-Specific Cushioning: Women's model features a lower-density top layer in the midsole. Men's Midsole Heights: Heel: 22MM Forefoot: 12MM Men's Weight: 11.3 oz Women's Midsole Height: Heel: 24MM Forefoot: 11MM Women's Weight: 9.2 oz Wear Tester: "The shoe is a little stiff once you slip them on, but after a few runs the shoe molds to your foot. Great for long distance training runs."
Asics: Gel-Cumulus 15
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Price: $115 This secure and flexible shoe is stable for underpronators to neutral runners. On a scale of 1 to 5 in weight, this shoe ranks three. You may experience some heavy foot in this shoe, as the responsiveness is not very firm. It's a light shoe, but after your foot contacts the ground, it doesn't spring back up for a fast response. Specs: Pronation: Under to Neutral Shoe Weight: 9.3 oz Heel Height: 22MM Forefoot Height: 12MM Wear Tester: "The toebox felt bigger when I was standing in them compared to running in them. It's not alarming or hindering, though. The fit of the shoe remained consistent from first lacing up to after the sixth run."
Asics: Gel-Flux
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Price: $100 This light and secure shoe is great for training runs on a road surface or dirt trail. The Gel-Flux is latest newcomer to the ASICS cushioning collection. It offers great shock absorbent, strong bounce back features, and smooth heel to toe foot strike. Specs: Pronation: Neutral Shoe Weight: 11.2 oz Heel Height: 23MM Forefoot Height: 13MM Wear Tester: "Loved these shoes from the moment I slipped them on. The color options are awesome and the shoe comfort level on a scale of 1 to 5 (five being the best) is a four. I've been looking for a shoe that won't cause pain in the knee...after several long-distance runs in these shoes, my knee has not bothered me."
Zoot Sports: TT Trainer 2.0
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Price: $120 Whether you run 4 or 20 miles, this shoe is a great everyday running shoe. It offers a nice balance of cushion, flexibility and responsiveness. These are great for speed training because of the quick, spring-like reaction the midsole offers. Specs: Pronation: Neutral Weight: 10.5 oz Midsole Heights: 21MM/11MM Wear Tester: "I definitely feel light on my feet when I wear these shoes. Instant comfort."
Under Armour: SpeedForm
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Price: $120 It's not a minimalist shoe, yet it's not your traditional running shoe. The SpeedForm is inspired by spacesuits and paired with the innovation of a bra cup to anatomically fit the foot like a glove. This shoe is for a runner who is looking for a lightweight shoe that has a fast feel under the foot. Great as a racing shoe, best for the road. Specs: Pronation: Neutral Shoe Weight: 6 oz Height: 6MM Micro G? cushioning in the heel rebounds your impact into forward momentum. Wear Tester: "This is great for speed and agility training because it's so light and offers quick response, but not ideal for long-distance runs. Didn't offer strong enough support for a long run. It's okay to wear for shorter runs, anything under 5 miles."
Nike: Free Flyknit+
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Price: $160 If you have a narrow foot, this is a great shoe option. It's a very snug and secure shoe, and extremely lightweight. It's formfitting, flexible and breathable. Made with sock material, there's no need to wear socks. The sockliner mimics the foot's curvature for a comfy and supportive fit. Nike offers a wide-array of colors. Specs: Pronation: Under to overpronators Fabric: Made entirely of polyester yarn Nike Free 5.0 midsole features flex grooves to promote natural motion and help increase stability and foot strength. Wear Tester: "It was stiff for the first few days, loosened up and formed to my foot after a few runs. It is a little snug around the ankle, but overall a great shoe. Love the color options."
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