Best New Running Shoes from the Latest Running Event: New Balance, Nike, Puma, Salomon, Saucony and More

Introduction

The latest running event brought a wave of new road and trail shoes from nearly every major brand, and the second half of the alphabet delivered some of the most interesting announcements of the show. New Balance refreshed its cushioned trainers and added a short-distance racer, Nike confirmed updates across the Pegasus family, Puma detailed its marathon super shoe, and Salomon unveiled a racing shoe purpose-built for 4-hour marathoners. Saucony, Topo, Tracksmith and TYR rounded things out with updates and ambitious new entrants.

This guide walks through the highlights, what each shoe is designed to do, and who each one makes sense for.

New Balance: Max Cushion and Short-Distance Racers

New Balance arrived with one of the deepest lineups at the show. The More v5 continues the More line’s identity as a true recovery shoe, with a stable platform and a modernized foam package that raises the stack height compared with the More v4. There is a new outsole pattern that adds a touch of forefoot stiffness, and a wider base than the previous version to keep the foot stable under load. It is aimed at long runs, recovery days, or any run where you simply want extra protection.

The Fresh Foam Balos sits alongside it as the lighter, fun-but-cushioned option. It uses a PEBA and EVA blend in the midsole, and its outsole is one of the most comprehensive road outsoles on display, with exceptionally thick coverage. Compared with the SC Trainer v3, which offers a plated experience with more energy return, the Balos leans toward pure cushioning. It is a strong training option.

New Balance Balos

The Balos works well for runners who want a lighter daily shoe that still delivers a cushioned, comfortable ride without a plate.

New Balance SC Pacer 2

The SC Pacer 2 is a plated 5K and 10K racing shoe with a lower stack and New Balance’s new PEBA FuelCell foam, and it is already being raced in by many of the brand’s elite athletes. It competes with shoes like the Takumi Sen and the Saucony Sinister. Because the SC Elite v4 carries a massive stack of FuelCell foam with a softer, marshmallowy feel, the Pacer 2 complements it for runners who prefer a firmer, snappier ride in short-distance races.

New Balance SC Elite v4

The SC Elite v4 is New Balance’s flagship racer, built around a massive stack of FuelCell foam. It delivers a soft, cushioned feel rather than a ground-contact ride, making it best suited to runners who like a plush marathon racing experience.

Nike: Pegasus Line Updates on Road and Trail

Nike confirmed the Pegasus 41 for the road with ReactX foam in the midsole, and the Pegasus Trail 5 builds on that formula for the dirt. The most exciting development on the trail side is a brand-new rubber compound called Nike ATC, or All Terrain Compound, designed from the ground up specifically for the Peg Trail 5 and Nike’s new trail shoes. Several compounds were tested before this one made it to production, which speaks to a development process that leaned heavily on runner feedback.

The bigger surprise is the return of the Pegasus Turbo. The Pegasus Turbo 4 is coming, aimed at recapturing the beloved feel of the original: soft and bouncy, but also fast, light, responsive, and versatile across a variety of paces. That combination is hard to find in the current market, and Nike is positioning the Turbo 4 to fill that gap.

Nike Pegasus 41

A dependable road daily trainer refreshed with ReactX foam for a cushioned, efficient ride.

Nike Pegasus Turbo 4

A versatile do-everything trainer designed to handle a wide range of paces with a soft, bouncy but light and responsive feel.

Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 2: Powerful Marathon Propulsion

The Fast-R Nitro Elite 2 launches in February 2024 as Puma’s flagship marathon racer, with a bold, disruptive design. It uses a two-piece midsole of full Nitro Elite foam, 40 mm in the heel and 32 mm in the forefoot, wrapped around an aggressive carbon power plate with a pronounced S-curve. The plate extends beyond the forefoot, which lengthens the lever, helps lengthen the stride, and lets runners take fewer steps and use less energy over the marathon.

Puma cites almost 90% energy return from the combination of plate and foam. The UltraWeave upper, a material technology borrowed from the brand’s football team, is lightweight and breathable while remaining strong and durable for the full marathon distance. Puma positions this shoe for runners with a powerful, lower-cadence stride, often with a track background, who can build momentum and harness the shoe’s propulsion. The ride is firmer underfoot than most super shoes.

Salomon S-Lab Specter: A Super Shoe for 4-Hour Marathoners

Salomon’s head of road product walked through the entire road lineup, and the standout was the S-Lab Specter, launching May 1st. It is a super shoe purpose-designed for middle-of-the-pack runners targeting times like a sub-4 or 3:30 marathon. The dual-density midsole pairs a PEBA top layer, the same energy compound used in Salomon’s elite super shoe, with a firmer EVA bottom layer for added stability, topped with a carbon plate in a spoon-shaped geometry adapted for midfoot and forefoot strikers.

The idea is simple: runners spending 4-plus hours on their feet need more heel stability, more support, and a more comfortable, stable platform than an elite racer. Salomon appears set to be first to market in the US with a racing shoe purpose-built for non-elite marathoners, which makes this one of the most compelling launches of the show.

Saucony: Triumph 22 and the Endorphin Speed 4 and Pro 4

The Triumph 22 answers the question of where Saucony’s premium cushioned trainer is headed: it moves to a PWTRUN PB midsole, keeps a stack around 40 mm, and adds a bit more rocker than the Triumph 21 while keeping the shoe’s comfortable, long-effort character. The XT-900 rubber outsole carries comprehensive coverage with a directional tire-tread pattern, and a lateral slit down the midsole saves some weight. The heel has been stiffened compared with the 20 and 21, improving rearfoot lockdown. A Gore-Tex version was on display, a promising option for winter running.

The Endorphin Speed 4 keeps the winged nylon plate but adds a small window through the midsole, a change from the previous generation, along with a lightweight upper and the same PWTRUN PB beaded PEBA compound. It remains a training-racer competing with shoes like the Boston 12 and Hoka Mach X.

Saucony Endorphin Speed 4

A versatile plated trainer with a nylon plate and beaded PEBA foam, built for tempo days and long efforts.

Saucony Endorphin Pro 4

The race day counterpart, with a full-length carbon fiber plate and the same PWTRUN PB midsole, competing with the likes of the Vaporfly.

Topo Specter 2: The Non-Plated PEBA Racer

The Specter 2 may be one of the most talked-about launches of the year. It is a non-plated PEBA racing shoe, one of the only 100% PEBA non-plated shoes on the market, with a 37/32 mm midsole platform that is remarkably light at 7.6 oz in a men’s size 9. Despite the high stack, it feels closer to racing-shoe weight than trainer weight.

Without a plate dictating pace, it is the kind of shoe where you can do your warm-up, your workout, and your cool-down in the same product in the same day. It never feels clunky or cumbersome, making it ideal for faster long runs, tempo runs, and extended fartlek sessions. It launches in late July or early August at $165 and will likely draw runners away from plated trainers who simply prefer a plate-free ride.

Tracksmith Elliot Runner: A Brand Expanding Its Reach

Tracksmith had a strong presence with the Elliot Runner and confirmed it is working to get into more specialty running stores in 2024, moving beyond its direct-to-consumer roots and online retail partners. The brand also hinted at new footwear innovation, with a presence planned at the Olympic trials in early February 2024, where more information about what comes next is expected. Keep an eye on Tracksmith if you value understated design and a growing retail footprint.

TYR: Two New Plated Shoes from a Rising Brand

TYR is the least established name in this roundup, but it arrived with two genuinely competitive shoes. The Valkyrie Carbon Elite is a $250 racing shoe with two layers of PEBA foam and a carbon fiber plate sandwiched between them. The geometry is slightly wider for stability, the forefoot has a late-stage rocker, and the anatomical toe box makes it comfortable to wear. It weighs around 7.8 oz in a men’s size 9.

The Speedlight shares the same midsole and stack but swaps in a nylon plate for a bit more flexibility, positioning it as a tempo and long-run trainer at $180. Both shoes were designed with former athletes converted into runners in mind, including many CrossFit athletes who tend to run on the balls of their feet. That makes them especially interesting for heavier, stronger runners who put a lot of power through the forefoot. TYR made a serious investment at this show, and both shoes are worth watching as they take on the established players.

TYR Speedlight

A plated training shoe with a thick stack, structured padded upper, and a unique rocker feel for tempo days and long runs.

Overall Buying Advice

The clear theme across this lineup is choice. If you want maximum cushioning for recovery and easy days, the New Balance More v5 and Balos cover both ends of the cushion-to-weight spectrum. Short-distance racers should look at the SC Pacer 2, while marathoners with a softer preference have the SC Elite v4.

Puma’s Fast-R Nitro Elite 2 suits powerful, lower-cadence runners, while the Salomon S-Lab Specter is a rare super shoe genuinely designed for mid-pack marathoners who need stability over 4-plus hours. Saucony’s Endorphin Speed 4 remains the versatile trainer-racer pick, with the Pro 4 for race day. If you dislike plates entirely, the Topo Specter 2 is the most exciting new option, and TYR’s two shoes are worth a look for powerful forefoot strikers. On trail, the Pegasus Trail 5’s new ATC compound makes it one to watch.

Conclusion

From max-cushion recovery trainers to purpose-built 4-hour marathon racers, this generation of running shoes shows brands designing for a wider range of runners than ever before. Match the shoe to your stride, your race distance, and how much structure you want underfoot, and there is a compelling option here for nearly every type of runner.