5 Best Race Shoes in September 2025 - Supwell Power Rankings
Below are our thoughts on the 5 Best Race Shoes on the market in September 2025. Find out where the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, Puma Fast-R3, Nike Alphafly 3, ASICS Metaspeed Ray, 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.
If you are looking for your next marathon race day shoe, you are in the right place. We’ve just released the newest edition of the Supwell Power Rankings for the best race day shoes on the market in September 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 from July included the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 on top, ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo next, followed by the Puma Fast-R 3, Nike Alphafly 3, and finally the New Balance SC Elite v5. See which one fell out of the top 5 and what new addition made the list this time. Below are the 5 best race shoes right now.
1. Puma Fast-R 3: The Fastest Race Shoe on the Market
The Fast R-3 has been winning hobby joggers and elites new PRs all year, but the recent pumpkin-orange fall drop shot this back up to the top of the list. It sold out across all sites within hours—proving that the Fast R-3 is one of the rare bangers whose top-tier performance outlives the hype cycle. All hail the new race day king.
Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3
2. ASICS Metaspeed Ray: The Most Innovative
The Asics Metaspeed Ray is a revolution—it delivers a lightning fast ride at a raindrop weight (140g in a size 10.5). Compare that to 180g for the Fast-R 3 and 220g for the Alphafly 3. The ride is soft, bouncy and incredibly capable of handling high-end speeds. The platform also debuts a plate set-up that stops before the toe, offering a more forgiving feel.
ASICS Metaspeed Ray
3. ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo: Best All-Around Racer
The Metaspeed Sky Tokyo is a fantastic update to one of the best race shoes of last year, the Metaspeed Sky Paris. This version introduces the soft and bouncy FF Leap foam on the bottom layer, offering more comfort for time on feet at a lighter weight. The plate remains close to the foot for a snappy feel. This is our pick of the two, but runners who prefer a soft forefoot should check out the Metaspeed Edge Tokyo.
ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo
4. Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3: Best Value
Round of applause for Puma: while nearly every other brand has raised prices on their race shoes this year, Puma has held fast to $230 for the Deviate Nitro Elite 3, making this the cheapest racer out. And not only is this the best value: it has a fast, direct and stable ride that’s great for runners of all sizes, levels and paces.
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3
5. Nike Alphafly 3: The Icon
The Alphafly 3 is holding on for dear life to its top 5 slot. It’s older, heavier and more expensive than almost every other race day shoe out there, but it’s the most popular for a reason. It looks great, it fits a variety of foot types and foot strikes, and the ride is fast enough to hang with any of the new cats out there. That being said, PLEASE give us the Alphafly 4 ASAP.
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