7 Best Men's Running Shoes in 2024

How we test running shoes

As a testament to how dedicated we are to find the GOATs among all running shoes for men, we’ve invested in our own shoe testing lab. We also buy the shoes we examine with our own money to avoid brand loyalty. 

Before we decide on anything, we also strictly follow these: 

• Log a minimum of 30-50 miles in each running shoe to assess performance and durability
• Slice them into bits to assess what’s inside
• Gather data on breathability, flexibility, softness, etc through our calipers, durometers, scales, and custom-made smoke machine

It’s much easier to talk about men’s running shoes than women’s because men’s shoes have the majority of the running shoe market. The only runners asking for specific differences between the 2 are those who want to wear shoes in other gender’s sizes. If this is you, we highly recommend reading our guide Understanding the differences between men's and women's running shoes immediately! 

How to find the best men’s running shoes for you 

Everyone wants a short answer. “Just give me one pair to work with”. If you’re that kind of person, see our top picks that are highlighted in this buying guide. 

But, if you want to make sure you covered everything, learned what was needed to be learned, and assessed all your options fairly, stick with us here. You should learn about these things and make decisions accordingly: 

1. Which terrain you will usually use your shoes on, road or trail. There are also hybrid running shoes and we will cover them as well. 
2. Pace: do you plan to do daily runs in the shoes, some tempo work, or to race in them? Shoes that excel at recovery runs and long slow distances do not excel at racing, so it’s best to pick one. 
3. Your pronation: do you overpronate (most common in runners), underpronate (supinate), or have a normal pronation? Based on this, we suggest different technologies and features in running shoes. 
4. Footstrike: do you land on the heel (most common footstrike), midfoot, or forefoot? 

The 4 most important things are covered now. Then, we can talk about.. Everything else! 

      5. By everything else, we mean breathability (do you need a summer or a winter shoe), durability (do you specifically prioritize this), padding, the width of the toebox, etc. We also cover these features and teach you how to look for exactly what you have in your mind. 

Let’s get started! 

1: Take a pick: road or trail

If you plan to run mostly on roads covered with concrete or asphalt, choose road running shoes. If you want to explore the trails, choose trail running shoes. 

There’s an in-between category called hybrid running shoes or road-to-trail running shoes. They are best used on runs that have a little bit of road and trails. Maybe you want to run in the park on the soft ground, but you also plan to run to the park from your apartment. Hybrid shoes could work well in this scenario, without the lugs beating your legs on the roads or wearing prematurely. 

On our website, we list hybrid shoes under trail shoes. They are easy to recognize (or filter for) because they have shallow lugs (shallower than 3 mm). 

2: Pace choice: daily, tempo, or competition running shoes 

It’s all about the pace! How fast do you plan to run in your new pair of running shoes? Here’s a quick overview of the most prominent features of these running shoes: 

Race shoes are often very tall (cushioned) and narrow (up), while daily trainers are more stable thanks to their wider platforms (down)

If you’re a beginner, we recommend getting a daily runner. This means you’re just starting out and want to see how it goes or follow a training program. Daily running shoes are used for easy runs, recovery runs, and LSDs (long slow distances). 

Tempo running shoes are shoes we use at faster paces so we need them to be lighter and more responsive than daily shoes. We also use them for sprints and fartlek sessions. 

As you can see in the tables below, often the same shoe works well for both speed runs and racing. Sometimes, daily trainers overlap with speed trainers too.

Race or competition running shoes are used on the race day! You can also train in them but given their price tag and (non)durability, many runners save them for the race day. They are insanely responsive and lightweight! 

3: Overpronation determination

When we talk about pronation, there are 3 options: 

1. Overpronation, which is the most common. Overpronation happens when the runner’s ankle rolls inward when the foot touches the ground while running. Overpronation is usually easy to notice because runners land on the inner side of the shoe, and it’s also the part of the outsole that gets damaged the most. 
2. Neutral pronation. These runners distribute the impact evenly, and the wear&tear pattern on the outsole is even from heel to the forefoot, with no side being more damaged (inner or outer). 
3. Underpronation or supination is the least common and, contrary to overpronation, the ankle rolls outward. Runners with underpronation or supination usually land on the outer side of the shoe and that’s very noticeable on the outsole wear and tear pattern below the pinkie toe.

What does pronation have to do with shoes? This: 

• Overpronators usually run in stability running shoes 
• Neutral pronators and underpronators run in neutral running shoes. 

The difference between stability and neutral running shoes is in the existence or non-existence of stability technologies. Overpronators appreciate extra support that comes from wider platforms, guiding technologies, stiff heel counters, and so on, while neutral runners don’t have to spend extra on those. 

Some runners who don’t overpronate also appreciate the support, so we have a) stability running shoes (for overpronators) and b) stable neutral running shoes (for neutral pronation, underpronation, and very very mild overpronation). 

4: Footstrike recognition  

Footstrike is often related to the pronation. Many heel strikers overpronate, while many midfoot/forefoot strikers supinate or have neutral pronation. But it’s not a rule, so it’s best to determine your footstrike. 

Like pronation, there’s no best footstrike. This is too individual and as long as you’re a healthy recreational runner, there’s no need to obsess about foot strike or try to change it. Here are a few things to pay attention to: 

1. Forefoot/midfoot strikers land on the forefoot or midfoot, which is why they should look for more cushioning at the forefoot (forefoot stack height). These runners often don’t enjoy a very high heel drop because it means there’s a big chunk at the back, which means the shoe is heavier. 
2. Heel strikers land on the heel, so they should look for a cushioned heel (heel stack height) and pay attention to the rubber placement on the outsole. Some shoes are made with forefoot strikers in mind and they don’t feature rubber on the heel. While they are still usable, their outsoles are less durable and grippy because of the non-existent rubber. 

Now that we’ve covered the most important things that make it or break it the most in running shoes (terrain, pace, overpronation, footstrike), we will cover other shoe features that are very important and you should be paying attention to. 

Stack heights in men’s running shoes

More stack height means more cushioning and more room for the foam to offer shock absorption. Less stack height means more ground feel and a more natural feel while running. Often, it also means more flexibility. 

If you’re a beginner, we recommend to start with 25-35mm in the heel. On the opposite end of such cushioned running shoes are barefoot and minimalist running shoes. They are rarely cushioned and usually very flexible. 

The most flexible shoe we tested in our lab so far (it's minimalist)

If you prefer very high running shoes, keep in mind that they can be unstable (if the platform is also narrow) and that the legal limit for official races is 40mm according to WorldAhtletics. 

In our lab, we measure the stack heights according to the WorldAthletic guidelines. This means that we measure the heel stack height at 75% of the inner shoe length and the forefoot stack height at 12% of the inner shoe length. It also has to be measured at the center of the shoe, not to the left or right, which is why we cut shoes in half. 

Which heel drop do you need? 

We can’t talk about the stack heights without mentioning the heel to toe drop. Nor should we ever forget to talk about the heel drop because it is very important. 

Heel drop is the difference in height between the forefoot and the heel. That’s why we calculate it by subtracting the forefoot stack height from the heel stack height. The unwritten industry standard is 10mm and we recommend a heel drop of 8-12mm to absolute beginners. 

We recognize 4 groups of heel drop: 

1. Zero drop, when the forefoot and heel are at the same height. These running shoes ask for a long adaptation period, especially if you come from a 10mm drop or so. They also utilize the foot muscles the most. 
2. Low drop 1-4mm. Shoes with a low drop utilize the lower-leg muscles the most (calves, Achilles). 
3. Mid drop 5-8mm. More often present in trail running shoes than road shoes. Uses higher leg muscles. 
4. High drop 9mm+. The maximum heel to toe drop we measured so far is 16.1mm. Heel drops this high utilize muscles around the hips the most. 

Why do we mention which muscles are used more with a changing heel drop? Because if you have, for example, an iliopsoas injury, a high drop might aggravate it. It’s best to choose a lower drop then. And vice versa, if you’re experiencing foot pain or Achilles injuries, best to choose running shoes with a higher heel drop. 

What’s tricky here is knowing that brands sometimes promote a wrong heel drop. Fortunately, our lab numbers are here to set things straight. Small variations are not a big deal, however, we’ve seen large discrepancies (over 100%!). For more information on this, please read our guide How brands' heel-to-toe drop measurements differ from reality in running shoes. 

Soft vs. firm running shoes for men

We all love that feeling of putting a new pair of shoes on and experiencing their midsoles for the first time. Is it soft? Is there a bump under the arch? Is the forefoot too firm? If you’re wondering the same and often wishing for something else, we’ve got you covered. 

Most men directly relate comfort to the softness of the midsole. Here are a few things to keep in mind: 

• Soft running shoes can be too soft if they bottom out and make your feet work extra instead of being responsive 
• Soft running shoes, when narrow and tall, can also be quite unstable 
• Firm running shoes can hurt your feet when they are too firm, but when balanced, they can feel quite supportive and stable 
• Stability running shoes can feature a dual-density midsole, which is firmer on the inside to help stabilize your ankle that’s collapsing inward at the landing 

In the RunRepeat lab, we use a shore A durometer to measure the softness of the shoes. We stick the needle into the foam and note down the numbers. It’s important to do this on the shoes cut in half because performing this test on the outer side of the midsole results in inaccurate measurements. 

If you prefer a softer ride, here are the softest running shoes ever measured in our lab. These tables are updated with every shoe that we test so they are always fresh: 

In case you prefer a firm ride, here are men’s running shoes with the firmest midsoles so far: 

Energy return of men’s running shoes 

Energy return or responsiveness is all the craze, especially when you’re looking for tempo or race running shoes. However, different foams have different features because they can be a mix of various compounds, they can have a plate embedded in them, or we’re talking about dual-density midsoles, where each midsole has different properties. 

But, what we do know is that premium foams offer the highest energy return, unlike standard foams. Premium foams are more expensive and much less durable. Standard foams, on the other hand, lack responsiveness but offer durability at a much affordable price. With that in mind, you can use our tables below to see which foams satisfy your needs. 

What to expect from premium foams

What to expect from standard foams

Breathability lab tests done on men’s running shoes

We wear test all men’s running shoes. That means we already have first-hand experience with the shoes and know how they perform breathability-wise. But we don't stop there. 

Testing the breathability of men’s running shoes in RunRepeat lab 

We take the running shoes to the lab, where we pump the smoke into them and then watch the smoke come out. We pay attention to the areas where it comes out and how fast it happens. Based on this, we assign a 1-5 breathability rating to each shoe, 5 being the most breathable. 

Then, we also look at the uppers under the microscope. A general rule is that the breathable uppers have a looser structure and often even large ventilation holes. Non-breathable uppers, on the other hand, are very tightly packed, no ventilation holes, and sometimes even 2-layered. The 2nd layer is a Gore-Tex membrane. 

Shoes that we rated with 5/5 in breathability are perfect for very hot weather. 

Shoes that we rated with 1/5 in breathability are great for very cold weather or even winter (snowy, rainy conditions) if they feature a waterproof membrane. The most common waterproof membrane is Gore-Tex or GTX. 

Wide toebox in running shoes for men

If you’re reading this, that means that, like many of us here at RunRepeat, you prefer a wide toebox in your running shoes. Worry not, we have lab data ready! 

There are shoes that are very pointy and there are shoes that are shaped more like actual feet. But how are actual feet shaped? Turns out, it depends on the runner himself! 

With many different toebox shapes out there, no wonder some runners struggle to nail the fit. To end this nonsense, we decided to measure the width of the toebox in 2 places: where it’s the widest and at the big toe. This way, you can decide which measurement matters more to you and prioritize that one! 

Knowing this, you can consult the tables below. Or, you can read any shoe review on our website and focus on the toebox-width sections. We list there all the measurements and you can see in the charts all the running shoes and their widths. 

As you might have noticed, Altra running shoes are usually the widest. A word of caution, though: Altra shoes have a zero drop or a low drop (4mm). Keep this in mind if you’re transitioning from a high drop—it will and should take time to do it properly and without injuries. 

Stability of men's running shoes 

Here, we’re not discussing stability running shoes (used by overpronators) but the overall stability of the shoe. Men usually research this when they want to buy a shoe with a a) tall and narrow midsole, b) very soft midsole, as it can wiggle while being squished, or c) very soft midsole with no rubber underneath to “keep it steady”. Let’s look at videos for examples. 

Shoe that lacks lateral stability

One of the most unstable shoes we’ve tested so far (Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 2)

Foam that has no rubber at the bottom and is very soft and unstable 

What we suggest you look at, next to the rubber placement on the outsole, is the width of the platform. The wider it is, the more stable the shoe. Or, you can at least compare to the averages (we do that in all of our shoe reviews) to get an idea of how wide the shoe is. 

Heel strikers and men using running shoes for walking/hiking should focus on the heel width. 

If you’re a forefoot striker, prioritize the width of the forefoot. 

Sizing for men in women’s running shoes 

If you want to buy running shoes that are available in women’s sizes only, the general rule is to go 1.5 sizer larger. You should also know that sometimes brands change the shoes slightly. For example, Hoka Mach 5 was released with 29mm at the heel in men’s sizes and 27mm at the heel in women’s sizes. Nike changed the air chamber pressure in older Pegasus models from 20 PSI (men’s) to 15 PSI (women’s). It’s always best to compare specifications for both genders. 

However, when it comes to width, things can be somewhat different. Women’s shoes could fit narrower than men's, but it’s not a rule. It depends on the brand and shoe model. 

Sizing for men in unisex running shoes 

In unisex running shoes you should choose your regular size if the box implies that option (you can see sizes for men). If the size is the same for both genders, it most likely represents men’s sizes. If you want to be super sure, best to check the length in cm and whether it matches your length.