Best Running Gear 2022: The Standout Shoes and Clothing of the Year

Introduction

A retrospective of the 2022 running year, judged on innovation, quality, versatility and, most importantly, fun. The shortlist covers some superb shoes, quality clothing and genuinely clever design ideas, and the winners below each earned their place by getting used again and again over the year. Running fast in one direction with a bit of packing foam on your feet has rarely been this interesting.

Best Clothing of 2022

Four pieces made the clothing shortlist, and each had a strong case. The Tracksmith Brighton Base Layer proved it could be worn casually or for any session, with moisture-wicking properties that keep you dry and a conforming fit that stays warm enough for single-digit Celsius running. It is forgiving between washes too, comfortably lasting a few sessions before it truly needs one. The Nike Dri-FIT Advanced Half Tights remain the gold standard in this category, with four pockets plus a larger rear pocket for phones, and crucially they wash well and stay consistent over time where some half tights start to bag out. The Soar Windbreaker is a soft, conforming garment with a half-zip fastening and a rear pocket for stashing items, well suited to cold, gusty weather.

The winner, though, is the Soar All Weather Running Jacket 3.0. It is a true jack of all weathers: super light yet well insulated, with conveniently placed pockets that are easy to reach, which matters if you are carrying fuel or a phone on longer sessions. Thumb holes at the end of the sleeves add overhand protection that keeps hands warm in colder temperatures, and it does a great job of keeping cold rain off you while staying versatile across different temperatures and conditions. Reaching for it again and again is the clearest sign of a well-made piece of kit.

More from the Clothing Shortlist

The Brighton Base Layer earns its place through sheer wearability, the Dri-FIT Advanced Half Tights through consistency, and the Soar Windbreaker through comfort in foul weather. If you only add one piece, make it the jacket; if your budget allows, the half tights make an excellent second choice.

The Most Consistently Fun Shoe of 2022

This category rewards the shoes that got the wearer out the door most often. The Nike ZoomX Invincible Run Flyknit 2 nearly took the award purely on coaxing power: even on days when the legs were not feeling it, the soft, squashy ZoomX cushioning practically goads you into running, and that kind of consistency builder is worth a lot.

The Adidas Adizero Prime X Strung also brought plenty of smiles, as did the Nike Alphafly Next% 2, but both sit at serious prices that eventually wipe the grin off your face. The Adizero Adios 7, on the other hand, is fun, nimble and inexpensive, which makes it the easy winner on smiles-per-buck. A stellar outsole handles all conditions, a glove-like fit through the midfoot locks you into the responsive midsole, and it is versatile enough to take on any type of run and see where the day takes you. Adidas has kept the formula that made the Adios 6 great and simply not tinkered with it, and that is just fine.

View more details for Adidas Adizero Prime X Strung

The Most Innovative Running Product of 2022

Three innovations stood out this year. The Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite brought a split midsole design with a decoupled heel and forefoot, plus a mega-light synthetic upper that stays soft and flexible over the foot. The concept echoes Nike’s Tempo Next% and New Balance’s Energy Arc approach, where the foam works with the plate inside the midsole to produce a more propulsive, bouncy ride at lower weight. That reduction in midsole material is itself one of the year’s big trends.

The award goes to the Adidas Strung upper. First unveiled in late 2020, the concept is finally realized in the Prime X Strung, and the material is out of this world: very light, yet strong and conforming. Fitted to the proven Adios Pro midsole and outsole unit, it makes an already excellent shoe even better, and it feels like a genuinely new idea rather than an iteration of something we have seen before.

View more details for Adidas Adizero Prime X Strung

The Best Running Shoe of 2022

The hardest category of all, with very little separating the contenders. The Adidas Adizero Adios 7 is a great middle ground between a usable everyday shoe and a faster-pace shoe, though it is an iteration from the Adios 6. The Nike Alphafly Next% 2 is very much a remix of the original from 2020. The Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 carried many updates over its first two versions, and the Adidas Takumi Sen 8 is a superb design that channels Adidas tech from elsewhere in the lineup, with the essence of the energy rods and the plated formula plus devilish durability. The Adizero Prime X Strung, for all its brilliance, is largely a midsole and outsole update carried over from 2021.

The winner is the Asics Metaspeed Sky Plus. There is nothing else quite like it on the market: so light that most of the weight sits in the midsole and outsole, combining maximum cushioning with generous grip. The balance of the midsole between heel and toe works brilliantly, the upper is so light and low-cut around the ankle that the foam feels like the only thing that matters, and it coaxed out the best performances of the year, including longer sessions with big half-marathon-pace blocks. It is refreshing to see Asics not resting on its laurels, with significant changes rather than simply repeating the previous midsole design. For pure excitement and endeavor, this is the shoe of 2022.

View more details for Saucony Endorphin Pro 3

Buying Advice

If you want one shoe to cover most of your week, the Adios 7 offers remarkable value and versatility. If your priority is racing and fast sessions, the Metaspeed Sky Plus is the pick of the year, with the Endorphin Pro 3 and Takumi Sen 8 as close alternatives. On clothing, start with a versatile weatherproof jacket and build out with a good base layer and half tights. Match the shoe to the runs you actually do, and you will not go far wrong.

Conclusion

The 2022 shortlist shows how strong the running market has become: a jacket that earns its place in every forecast, a budget-friendly trainer that out-delivers far pricier shoes on fun, a genuinely new knitted upper technology, and a featherweight racer that brought out the best performances of the year. Pick according to your priorities, and enjoy the miles.