It’s still stiff-though the winged nylon plate is far more flexible than carbon fiber-and snappy, and the cushioning works well for short, fast races all the way up to the marathon distance.
While most of the fastest runners will still reach for pricier racers with carbon fiber, like the Endorphin Pro and Nike Alphafly Next%, the Endorphin Speed is a suitable racing option for most of us.
You’ll also appreciate the 880’s smaller price tag you’ll lose some cushioning, but we found it is still plenty plush. “I also like the 1080 v12, but I prefer the more traditional upper in the 880 v12, compared to the 1080’s knit material,” added Dengate. “The 880 takes the prize for being my favorite line of shoes,” one tester said. If you regularly bounce from your daily run to long hours on your feet, this is a great candidate that can keep up for both. Plus, New Balance recently tweaked the durometer (a measurement of firmness) of the Fresh Foam X cushioning, which makes it feel a little softer this time around. It’s not the lightest shoe, but it’s still nimble enough to keep you cruising without clunkiness through double-digit mileage. A new two-layer midsole makes the 12th version softer than ever, the upper is comfortable and accommodating for wide feet, and the generous blown rubber outsole handles high-volume marathon training well (especially if the bulk of your runs are on slick roads and sidewalks). There’s a lot to love about the 880 series. Shop the best deals on men’s running shoes on Amazon
(For an even deeper breakdown of our rigorous testing process, check out how we evaluate shoes.) Seeking tips to get the best fit and price? We’ve got you covered there, too, on how to choose your next favorite pair. After putting countless pairs through the wringer and evaluating the data, we’ve rounded up some of the standouts that have received especially high marks and praise from our male testers. To select these shoes, we consulted Runner-in-Chief Jeff Dengate for his recommendations on the top running shoes for men, and we also relied on feedback from hundreds of male runners on our wear-test team. That’s important for longer runs, because the extra cushioning can reduce aches in tired feet and joints. The Skechers GOrun MaxRoad 5, one of the most cushioned shoes we’ve tested, tips the scale at only 8.7 ounces for a men’s size 9. Thanks to newer foam technology, that’s no longer the case. In the past, you usually had to sacrifice some cushioning in order to find a shoe that felt lightweight enough to help shave fractions of a second off your finish time.
Others like something plush that absorbs impact forces. Runners who focus on speed may prefer a firmer shoe that gives them a good feel for the ground. This is an area where opinions vary widely. Saucony fuses together pellets of PEBA-based foam using steam and pressure to create the Endorphin Speed’s durable yet bouncy midsole cushioning. Chances are, there’s a shoe here that you’ll love as much as they do, and you can scroll deeper for a variety of shoes that cater to different preferences for stability and cushioning. The one thing they’ve all got in common is that they’re passionate about running, and log at least 25 miles per week in their test shoes. We have runners of all shapes, sizes, ages, abilities, and backgrounds-from full-time English teachers and new dads to night-shift nurses and grandfathers. Some are seriously speedy dudes hitting sky-high mileage and knocking on the door of the Olympic Trials others are just getting into running or coming back from injury. About half of those runners are men-and most importantly, they’re an extremely diverse group of guys. We’re constantly testing the latest running shoes in our lab and on the feet of our 250-runner-strong wear-test team. In addition, we have replaced any pairs that are out of stock or no longer available. Editor’s Note: We reviewed these shoe selections on Septemand updated our recommendations to reflect our most recent round of testing.