Best Running Shoes of 2023: Five Shoes That Earned a Permanent Spot in the Rotation

Introduction

Some years it is the flashy releases that dominate the conversation. This year, the shoes that mattered most were the ones that kept getting laced up, run after run, long after the initial excitement wore off. Roughly 5,000 km of running over the year, with about 1,000 km of that dedicated specifically to testing shoes, gives a fair amount of perspective on what actually holds up. What follows are the standouts across four roles: best daily shoe, best race shoe, best trail shoe, and best easy and recovery shoe.

Best Daily Shoe: Asics SuperBlast

The Asics SuperBlast is the shoe that took over the daily rotation in the second half of the year. The first pair picked up around 700 km before being replaced, and roughly 300 km have gone into the current pair, with a third pair already on standby. It is genuinely hard to keep in stock in the UK, so much so that a replacement had to be bought while travelling in the US.

What makes it special is how complete it is. It is fast and remarkably stable through corners, and the grip, while not exceptional, is good enough for most weather conditions. It works at every pace: an easy recovery jog, hard 400 m reps, or an all-out 5K all feel comfortable in it. The forefoot rocker turns the foot over beautifully and makes the transition through footstrike genuinely fun. For a shoe without a carbon plate, it is astonishingly light, to the point of barely noticing it is on your feet. For a Comrades-style ultra beyond 90 km where a carbon plate may not be wanted, this would be a serious contender.

The only real downsides: small stones occasionally get wedged in the outsole when running through gravelly park sections, and at £210 it is a lot to spend on a running shoe. Neither is enough to stop it being the most fun shoe of the year.

Before the SuperBlast arrived, the bulk of the easy mileage for the first half of the year went into the Nike Invincible 2, with around 1,750 km logged. It is super comfortable, easy to run long distances in, and does a great job of looking after joints and limbs on the hard London pavements that make up most daily running. It remains an absolute classic and was the most-run easy-mile shoe of the year.

The honest caveat: when the SuperBlast landed, it proved to be the better all-round shoe, and the Invincible 2 stock was moved on. It is still a brilliant comfort-first trainer, just not the one that won the year.

Best Race and Speed Shoe: Nike Vaporfly 3

The Nike Vaporfly 3 was the race shoe of the year, used at both the Chicago and New York marathons. Around 450 km are in the current pair, and the wear is holding up remarkably well. It is past its peak pop, so it is not the shoe for an all-out goal race anymore, but it is still delivering nearly the same performance in weekly sessions as it did on day one.

The balance of stiffness is what makes it work: the carbon plate has a bit of give rather than being brutally rigid, landing right at the sweet spot between stiffness and speed. Lockdown is solid with no heel slip, the forefoot is generous enough that even narrow feet sit comfortably, and wider-footed runners tend to get on very well with it. The vented forefoot moves air through the shoe effectively, so there are no overheating issues, and the outsole grip has held up well in wet sessions. It is honestly difficult to find a meaningful negative here, which is exactly what you want from a race-day shoe.

Best Trail Shoe: Nike Zegama

On the trail side, the most-run shoe of the year was the Nike Zegama, with about 600 km logged. The current pair is essentially brand new: this was meant to be the shoe for a run from Courmayeur to Chamonix at UTMB, but a mid-race disaster meant the full distance never happened. The shoe itself has done nothing wrong, and the plan is a comeback at UTMB in 2025.

Best Easy and Recovery Shoe: Asics Gel Nimbus 25

The Asics Gel Nimbus 25 is the easy and recovery pick, and it is a shoe that took a second chance to win over. It was picked up again from the cupboard after an injury that could be run through, and it immediately clicked. Since then it has stayed in the rotation as the shoe for second runs on double-run days and for days when the legs are simply fried and extra shock absorption is needed.

It is definitely on the soft side, but not so soft that you lose everything: there is still a bit of bounce back with every stride, and the forefoot rocker keeps the ride rolling along smoothly over the ground. Asics built this as the most comfortable shoe ever made, and after a year of wearing it, that claim holds up. It is not a shoe for picking up the pace, and it is not a standout on its own, but slotted into a rotation for easy and recovery days it is exactly right.

Overall Buying Advice

If you can only add one shoe, the SuperBlast is the one that proved hardest to run without: fast, stable, and enjoyable at every pace, as long as the price and availability do not put you off. Pair it with a max-comfort option like the Invincible 2 or Gel Nimbus 25 for easy days, add the Vaporfly 3 if marathon racing is on the calendar, and the Zegama covers trail duty. That combination covers nearly every run a normal training week can throw at you.

Conclusion

The common thread across all five picks is not headline specs but staying power. These are the shoes that kept earning their place after the testing was done, covering long runs, race days, trail miles and recovery jogs without complaint. Match the shoe to the role it plays in your week, and any of these five is a dependable choice.

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