Best Marathon Running Shoes 2024: Top Picks for Every Category and Budget

Introduction

Marathon season brings a familiar challenge: choosing the right shoe for months of training and one very long day. With so many excellent options across carbon racers, cushioned trainers, and do-everything all-rounders, we have put together picks across a wide range of categories and budgets, including a few older models that still deliver outstanding value.

Best Carbon Plate Racing Shoes

We are deep into the super shoe era, and nearly every brand now fields one or two carbon plate racers. The competition is close, and personal preference matters a lot, but two options stand out.

The Nike Alphafly 3 is our first top pick, though honestly any recent generation is a strong choice. You get Nike’s bouncy ZoomX foam, a full-length carbon plate, and Air Zoom pods under the forefoot that add a little extra pop. The Alphafly 3 is the lightest and most forward-rolling of the family, while earlier versions trade a bit of weight for extra bounce. Stand on a start line in any of them and you can be confident you are in a shoe built for fast marathons.

The Hoka Cielo X1 is the other standout. It is a little heavier than most carbon racers, but it is very fast, very bouncy, and its rocker geometry helps propel you along, especially on long runs. Do not let the weight put you off: over the marathon distance, the extra protection and bounce pay off in the final kilometres.

Honourable mentions in this crowded field include the Adidas Adizero Metaspeed Sky Paris, a genuinely lightweight carbon option at the opposite end of the scale, the Nike Vaporfly 3 (or the Vaporfly 2, if you can find it on sale), and both the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 and the softer-feeling Endorphin Pro 3. The Adidas Adizero Pro Evo 1 is now the top elite choice for Adidas but remains expensive and hard to find.

Best Marathon Shoes for Beginners

First-time marathoners are guaranteed a personal best no matter what, so reliable comfort across every hour of race day and training trumps everything else. You want cushioning, protection, and a stable platform that keeps working when your form fades late in the run.

The Saucony Ride 17 is our first pick here. It offers what we would call disappearing comfort from the moment you lace it up, with a no-nonsense design and a smooth ride that balances cushioned landings with rolling response thanks to PWRRUN+ foam and Saucony’s Speedroll geometry. At £135 or $140, it is good value too.

The Brooks GhostMax is the other top pick. A large stack of soft DNA Loft v2 foam paired with a rocker creates an easy clip-along feel, while a wide platform keeps landings stable and reliable. At 10.3 oz (293 g) it is not the lightest or snappiest shoe, but the consistent comfort and protection make it an excellent workhorse at £140 or $150.

Also worth considering: the Asics Novablast 4, a bouncy max-cushion option under 10 ounces that responds well when you are feeling good, and the Puma Velocity Nitro 2 and 3, both dependable, comfortable long-mileage shoes with the Nitro 3 offering more stack at just £110 or $130.

Best Marathon Shoes for Value

If you do not have a rotation of shoes for training and racing, you need one pair that can cover long runs all winter and still deliver on race day. Our top value pick is the Puma Velocity Nitro 3, with the older Velocity Nitro 2 still worth a look at an even lower price.

The Velocity Nitro 3 is versatile, affordable, and performs well above its price tag. A dual-density midsole combines bouncy Puma Nitro foam with a firmer layer for protection over long distances, the upper is comfortable and breathable, and the Pumagrip outsoles hold up well in both dry and wet conditions. The Velocity Nitro 2 has a slightly more relaxed, comfortable upper and is a touch lighter.

If you want a faster edge at an affordable price, the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 remains worth trying now that the Pro 4 has arrived and pushed it down in price, and the Asics Novablast 4 also makes a solid value pick for marathon day.

Best Shoes for Pure Comfort

For many runners the goal is simply to cross the finish line, and comfort across all 26.2 miles matters more than marginal gains. Our top pick here is the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v13.

This version is a big overhaul of earlier models, which we found too firm. The new Fresh Foam midsole is significantly softer, squishing the foot in comfortably and minimising impact. It is breathable, has a decent outsole, and it is one of our favourite shoes for long runs and recovery days. The main caveat is versatility: the soft midsole makes it harder to pick up the pace. It also has a leaner stack than many max-cushion options.

If you want something a touch firmer and more responsive, the Brooks GhostMax is a very good balance of softness and stability. The Brooks Glycerin 21, with its nitrogen-infused midsole foam, adds more versatility while keeping the comfort the line is known for. The Saucony Triumph 21 is another favourite, bouncier than the Glycerin and genuinely good at many types of run. And the New Balance More v4 remains one of the most enjoyable cushioned shoes around, with a wide stable base, lots of cushioning, and a lovely rolling rocker.

Best Non-Plated Racing Shoes

Not everyone is convinced by carbon plates. If you just want a lightweight, comfortable, fast shoe for a marathon, the Hoka Mach 6, or the Mach 5 before it, is our top pick.

The Mach 6 moves to an entirely supercritical foam midsole, while both versions are lightweight, comfortable, protective, and fast enough for a strong marathon time. You lose the propulsive punch of a plate, but not much else. One of our testers set a 10K personal best in the Mach 6.

The Asics Superblast is the other standout. Its 45 mm heel stack technically exceeds the elite racing limit, but that rule targets elite super shoes rather than an un-plated trainer like this. A huge slab of bouncy FF Turbo foam, a lightweight build, and serious versatility make it excellent, though it is an expensive shoe for a non-plated option.

Honourable mentions go to the New Balance Rebel v4, a lightweight and comfortable shoe with a peba-and-EVA foam blend that works for everything from track sessions to long runs, and the Puma Velocity Nitro 3, a solid non-plated option with good value in both its generations.

Best Shoes to Train and Race In

The all-rounder category is dominated by super trainers: shoes that borrow plates and foams from carbon racers but stay friendly for everyday training. The Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 has been the top pick here for a while, and older versions are equally worth buying.

You get a stack of bouncy but stable PWRRUN PB foam, a Speedroll rocker, and a winged nylon plate that offers some propulsive feel without the stiffness of full carbon. It is one of the few shoes you could race in the morning and run an easy recovery run in the next day, and it gets close to full carbon performance when you push the pace.

Other strong super trainers include the Adidas Adizero Boston 12, a lightweight dual-density option with Lightstrike Pro on top that handles easy runs and uptempo work alike, the Asics Magic Speed 3, which feels very close to a full carbon racer, and the Asics Superblast, which can genuinely do any kind of training and still race well.

Conclusion

There is no single best marathon shoe, only the best shoe for your goals. Carbon racers like the Alphafly 3 and Cielo X1 target PB hunters, cushioned options like the Ride 17 and 1080v13 protect first-timers and comfort seekers, and all-rounders like the Endorphin Speed 4 cover training and racing in one package. Match the shoe to the marathon you are actually running, and you will be in good shape on the start line.