Running gear has never been better than now in 2026. Super shoes are lighter than a smartphone, foams are bouncier and more responsive, fabrics breathe, wick and regulate body temperature in ways that would have seemed impossible a few decades ago.
And yet, for all that progress, running these days can feel strangely… complicated. As someone who reviews running gear for a living, lately I keep thinking about how nice and, more importantly, simple late-80s and early-90s running fashion was.
