Best Running Gear Awards 2025: Top Shoes, Watches and Headphones

Introduction

Every year, a huge amount of running gear passes through testing: watches, headphones, road shoes, race shoes and trail shoes. The annual awards distill that pile into the products that earned a permanent place on wrists, in ears and in the rotation over the past eleven months. This edition covers thirteen winners and runners-up across eight categories, plus a brand of the year. The common thread is simple: gear that does its job so well you keep reaching for it even when nothing is being tested.

Best Running Watches

The watch category favors accuracy, useful new features, durability and, above all, value. Lighter designs get a nudge too, since running rarely needs the biggest watch on your wrist.

Garmin Forerunner 970

The Garmin Forerunner 970 takes the top spot because it delivers almost everything Garmin offers in one watch. It has a hardier design than its predecessor with a sapphire screen, a built-in flashlight and interesting new running metrics such as running tolerance. On top of that sits Garmin’s best-in-class tracking, training analysis and navigation. It is lighter than the Fenix 8 Pro and skips LTE and satellite connectivity, but for most runners those are easy compromises in a package that comes in cheaper than Garmin’s most expensive watches. Battery life is shorter than the rugged options, yet it does not need charging constantly.

Coros Pace 4

The Coros Pace 4 is the runner-up and arguably the value pick of the year. The headline upgrade over the Pace 3 is an AMOLED screen, delivered in an exceptionally lightweight and compact design. Battery life remains strong, comfortably lasting several days with the always-on display, and GPS accuracy has held up against watches costing many times more. Add decent training analysis and an easy interface, and this becomes the default recommendation for most runners. Only its own pricier sibling with maps rivals it.

Best Running Headphones

Fit comes first for running headphones: if buds do not stay put while racing and training, nothing else matters. Sound quality across different environments, battery life and any extras that improve the running experience round out the criteria.

Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 wins on the strength of its ear-hook design, which remains the most secure and reliable fit for running. Sound performance improved, active noise cancellation and transparency modes work well, battery life got better than the already-strong original, and a heart rate sensor was added. That heart rate feature proved fussy and not especially accurate, but it is easy to overlook when the rest of the package is this dependable, particularly for races and hard sessions.

Apple AirPods Pro 3

The Apple AirPods Pro 3 take the runner-up spot as the best all-round earbuds that also run. They lack the ear hook, so fit can be more hit and miss, but if the fit works they cover everyday listening and running in one purchase. They are more durable than the previous AirPods Pro, offer improved active noise cancellation and better battery life, and their heart rate sensor proved to be the most accurate attempt at ear-based heart rate tracking so far.

Best Daily Trainer and All-Rounder

This category looks for high performance across every kind of run: a shoe that is comfortable, versatile and approachable enough to pull on every day without a plan.

Adidas Adizero Evo SL

The Adidas Adizero Evo SL won this category and the audience vote, and it is easy to see why. Its Lightstrike Pro midsole is genuinely light and bouncy yet resilient, producing a fluid, skipping ride at any pace. It works for easy and recovery runs, doubles as a credible racing option and handles marathon training blocks without complaint. At around £130 to £150, and often discounted further, it brings premium foam to a lower price point and has set a standard other brands now have to justify spending more than.

Asics Megablast

The Asics Megablast is arguably the most versatile shoe on the market, offering more cushioning and stability than the Evo SL for easy runs while remaining genuinely quick. It handled everything from a fast parkrun to recovery runs on rough ground as a travel shoe, with a responsive, fun ride and fast transitions. Durability looks excellent too. The catch is the price: it is a classic example of running shoe inflation, which makes it hard to recommend to everyone, but as a product it is superb.

Best Cushioned Running Shoes

Cushioned shoes prioritize comfort, stability and protection, balancing a generous stack of foam with enough control for long runs and high-mileage training blocks.

Nike Vomero 18

The Nike Vomero 18 wins this year after a complete transformation from the previous generation. Its mix of ZoomX and React X foam delivers ZoomX bounce in a controlled, stable package, with a great outsole and a strong price position compared to the Vomero Premium and Plus. It has become the shoe testers reach for on easy days even when nothing is being tested, and it works as a single travel shoe and even as a casual everyday shoe. It may have lost a little uptempo edge, but what it gained is more useful.

Puma Magnify Nitro 3

The Puma Magnify Nitro 3 takes runner-up by doing what the Evo SL did for performance shoes: bringing premium nitrogen-infused PEA foam to a cushioned shoe at a genuinely good price, especially in the UK. Comfort and responsiveness are both excellent, the grip is typically strong for Puma, and it offers a bit more cushion than the Velocity Nitro 4 for those who want a softer ride. A very good all-round cushioned shoe.

Best Race Shoes

Race shoe picks prioritize performance over price: efficiency, punch and propulsion across distances from the mile to the marathon, proven in real races rather than just on paper.

Puma Fast-R 3

The Puma Fast-R 3 wins after delivering both lab-backed efficiency and real-world results. It is remarkably lightweight, with strong punch and propulsion that you can feel deep into a marathon, when leg-sparing energy matters most. One tester ran a half marathon PB in the first half at London and held on to the finish, then ran a full marathon PB in Dublin wearing the shoe. A blind steady-effort run came out far faster than expected, which is rare at this level of testing. It delivers snap, response, propulsion and control all at once.

Asics Meta Speed Sky Tokyo

The Asics Meta Speed Sky Tokyo is the runner-up and an even lighter, bouncier alternative. It offers a little more cushion than the Fast-R 3, which made it the preferred choice on hilly marathon courses, while staying supremely lightweight. Those who have run PBs in both the Sky and the Edge Tokyo suggest trying both if you can, since the preference between them is genuinely personal. Either way, it is one of the lightest, most springy race shoes available.

Favorite Trail Shoes

This is a favorite rather than a best, aimed at occasional trail runners rather than alpine specialists. The focus is on utility shoes that cross over from road to runnable trail: compacted paths, grassy fields, forest trails and light coastal routes.

Asics Fuji Lite 6

The Asics Fuji Lite 6 stands out by ticking every box for this kind of trail use. It is light, balances cushion and protection while keeping good ground connection, and transitions easily from firm terrain onto softer ground. It is not a shoe for slick, boggy mud, but it feels natural and nippy on runnable trails, covering real distance comfortably. For most runners who occasionally head off-road, this is a very accessible all-round choice.

Merrell MTL Adapt Matrix

The Merrell MTL Adapt Matrix is the left-field runner-up, a wild-looking shoe with a big stack of nitrogen-infused foam. It is excellent moving from road to trail, delivering lively, road-shoe energy with plenty of cushion while keeping a reasonable amount of control. Grip proved strong, and after sizing up half a size, the spacious fit works for ultra distances on runnable trails. It is too wide for precise foot placement on cluttered terrain, but on anything you can attack, it is a genuinely fun option.

Brand of the Year: Asics

Asics takes brand of the year on sheer consistency. There is barely a weak shoe across the lineup: nearly every category has an Asics shoe that is best-in-class or close to it. The Meta Speed Sky Tokyo improved on an already excellent platform, the Megablast proved an expensive but fascinating new entry, and new additions such as the Sonic Blast and the Meta Speed Ray, the lightest race shoe tested, landed well. The brand also invested significantly in its trail range. If you could only run in one brand’s shoes, this is the lineup to choose.

Runner-up honors go to Puma for a different kind of achievement. The Fast-R 3 established itself among the very best race shoes by shedding weight dramatically from its predecessor. More importantly, the Velocity Nitro 4 and Magnify Nitro 3 put the brand’s best nitrogen-infused foams into affordable daily trainers, a move that pressures the rest of the industry to stop reserving top materials for premium price tiers. The lineup is not quite as complete as Asics, but Puma made the biggest jump of any brand this year.

Audience Shoe of the Year

Voted by the audience across social channels, this award went to the Adidas Adizero Evo SL, winning the bulk of the votes in an overwhelming result. Its accessible price is surely part of the appeal, since more runners have actually tried it than most premium shoes. The Asics Megablast took the runner-up spot, no surprise given an audience that owns plenty of expensive shoes. Worth noting at third place is the Puma Velocity Nitro 4, which shows the Velocity Nitro range still pushing its value case strongly.

Conclusion

The story of this year’s awards is value done right. The Garmin Forerunner 970 justifies its premium with a near-complete feature set, while the Coros Pace 4 and shoes like the Adizero Evo SL, Magnify Nitro 3 and Velocity Nitro 4 prove that outstanding performance no longer requires a top-tier price. Pair any of them with a reliable set of earbuds, and you have everything most runners need. Disagree with any pick? A different wrist, foot or ear will always have its own favorites, and that is what makes choosing gear fun.