Best Running Shoes for 2024: Our Road and Trail Rotation

Introduction

A good running shoe rotation covers the whole week: steady road miles, quicker sessions, long trail efforts, and everything in between. After extensive testing in 2024, these five pairs are the ones we keep reaching for when heading out the door, three on the road and two on the trail.

Saucony Kinvara Pro

The Kinvara Pro was a genuine surprise. Its lightweight, highly breathable upper fits the foot shape well, hugging the midfoot and locking down securely in the heel, to the point where the shoe almost disappears on foot. Over 150 miles of steady road mileage, the upper has given no issues at all.

The midsole uses a dual compound construction: a top layer of responsive PWRRUN PB foam paired with standard PWRRUN beneath it. The result combines bouncy, high energy return with a firmer, more stable platform underfoot. At 302g in a UK 9.5 it is heavier than expected for a performance training shoe, but it runs lighter than the scale suggests, and with Speedroll technology it felt lively during tempo sessions and intervals.

The main drawback is the price. At £200 in the UK, it is an expensive training shoe, and a recommended price closer to £150 would likely have made it far more popular.

New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4

The FuelCell Rebel v4 is one of the most versatile neutral daily trainers available right now. Straight out of the box it delivered over 13 comfortable miles on the first run, and around 60 miles since have confirmed it handles everything from tempos and intervals to long, slow recovery runs.

The standout is the weight: just 224g in a UK 10, despite a deep stack of cushioning and PEBA-based FuelCell foam in the midsole, the same foam family used in carbon-plated race day shoes. It is versatile enough that you could even race in it.

One fit note: New Balance added a bit of width and midfoot depth compared with earlier versions. Many runners will welcome that, but if you preferred the snugger lockdown of the v2 or v3 upper, the v4 may feel slightly roomier around the midfoot.

Merrell Agility Peak 5

The Agility Peak 5 is the trusty long-run trail shoe that keeps earning its place. The upper fit works exceptionally well, and the FloatPro Foam midsole strikes a nice balance between comfort and ground connection, with a rock plate providing solid underfoot protection.

Flip it over and the aggressive 5mm lugged outsole delivers excellent traction on loose gravelly trail and in mud, coated in sticky Vibram MegaGrip rubber that is outstanding on rocky and wet rocky terrain. The original pair logged over 400 tough miles, including hard winter training, and is still going strong, with a new pair now around 80 miles in without a single fault found.

inov-8 Trailfly

The Trailfly shows how far inov-8’s recent design and construction work has come. It suits longer efforts particularly well, with secure lockdown around the midfoot and heel, plus noticeably more volume and wiggle room in the toe box than the Agility Peak 5, a roomier feel that works really well.

Underfoot, the blend of Powerflow Pro foam in the midsole and bouncy Boomerang footbeds delivers a comfortable yet connected ride. The shoe is also impressively flexible through the midfoot and toe, and it has felt like a comfortable pair of slippers since the very first outing.

New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v8

The Hierro v8 shines on drier, firmer ground. In genuinely muddy conditions the traction struggled, but on compacted trails and longer sections of tarmac it performs very well, and it became the automatic pick for that type of run.

The Fresh Foam X midsole delivers a ride as comfortable as any road shoe tested, and the outsole pairs a modest 4mm lug with Vibram rubber for good grip when the trail appears. The upper is extremely comfortable with good toe box width and a nicely padded tongue, though a gusseted tongue would have fit even better than the standard design. Lockdown is still solid throughout.

Buying Advice

For road runners, the Rebel v4 is the easiest all-rounder to recommend, while the Kinvara Pro rewards runners who want a bouncier performance trainer and can accept the premium price. On the trail, the Agility Peak 5 remains the dependable choice for muddy and rocky terrain, the Trailfly suits runners who prefer extra toe box room and flexibility, and the Hierro v8 is best kept for drier, firmer routes with tarmac mixed in.

Conclusion

Each of these five shoes earns its spot by doing one job very well: versatile daily road miles, lively steady-state runs, long-distance trail durability, roomy flexible trail comfort, or cushioned hybrid-road performance. Match the shoe to the terrain you actually run, and any of them can become a rotation favourite.