5 Best Race Shoes in July 2025 - Supwell Power Rankings
Here we take a look at the 5 Best Race Shoes on the market in July 2025. Find out where the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, Puma Fast-R3, Nike Alphafly 3, New Balance SC Elite v5, and the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 landed this month. We will tell you why each shoe made our power rankings list this month and how to choose which running shoe is right for you.
Welcome to the latest edition of the Supwell Power Rankings for the best race day shoes on the market in July 2025. We launched this series as a way to keep a running list of the best shoes on the market updated each month. On our last race day list was the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3, Puma Fast-R 3, Nike Alphafly 3, ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris, and the On Cloudboom Strike. See which ones fell out of the top 5 and what new additions made the list this time. Below are the 5 best race shoes right now.
1. Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3: Best Overall
Despite the onslaught of recent releases, the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 is holding onto the top slot for its elite blend of versatility, comfort, durability, speed and value. While there are faster and bouncier shoes out there, few have stood up better to the demands of high-mileage training while performing so well across all hobby jogger pace ranges.
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3
2. ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo: Best for Comfort and Speed
This month, the Sky Tokyo replaces the Sky Paris in our top 5, ushering in a new midsole compound with it - FF Leap. With a top layer of last year’s responsive FF Turbo+ and a bottom layer of soft, bouncy ATPU-based FF Leap, the Sky Tokyo is comfortable and balanced while retaining the aggressive speed capability and propulsion of its predecessor.
ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo
3. Puma Fast-R 3: Best for Speed Efficiency
The Fast-R 3 is down a slot due to durability concerns, but it still reigns victorious when it comes to speed assistance. Between lab tests and our own testing, it delivers top-tier performance across all race distances with noticeably less effort. Its aggressive geometry, feather-weight build, and plate stiffness make it a serious speed weapon.
Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3
4. Nike Alphafly 3: Best for Cushioned Bounce
Dozens of solid race shoes have dropped since the Alphafly 3 hit the market in January 2024, but Nike’s pinnacle race shoe remains one of the bounciest, fastest carbon county racers out there. With demon time aggression for pushing the pace, and enough bounce and protection to help you go the distance, the Alphafly 3 is a legendary shoe.
5. New Balance SC Elite v5: Best for Heel Strikers
Taking the #5 spot from the Cloudboom Strike is the SC Elite v5, a much-improved update over last year’s model. New Balance has kept the v4’s PEBA foam, but increased the drop, stiffened the plate, and narrowed out the platform. The result is a comfortable, yet streamlined, race-ready ride experience that favors a heel strike due to its new higher drop geometry.
New Balance SC Elite v5
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