Looking back at the 50-plus pairs of running shoes I’ve reviewed in 2023, I wouldn’t say it’s been an outstanding year for new shoes. Most of the picks in my best running shoes round-up are actually older shoes. Shoes like the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 and Puma Velocity Nitro 2, which did not get updates in 2023 and are yet to be surpassed by new shoes in their category.
However, a lot of great shoes have come out this year, and narrowing down the shoes I’ve tested to my five favorites was not easy. It’s been a good year for brands playing catch-up with their carbon plate running shoes, with Hoka, On, Under Armour and Mizuno all finally launching a quality racer, and another big trend this year has been max-cushioned shoes, with loads of easy day cruisers with 40mm-plus stack heights coming out.
