5 Most Fun Running Shoes of 2025
If you are looking for a fun running shoe, we have you covered. Below we are breaking down what we think are the 5 most fun running shoes so far in 2025. Whether you are looking for a fun daily trainer like the Salomon Aero Glide 3, a max cushion recovery shoe like the Nike Vomero Premium, a long run or workout shoe like the Brooks Hyperion Max 3, ASICS Megablast, or Mizuno Rebellion Flash 3, or for a race day shoe like the Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 or ASICS Metaspeed Ray, you will find your new favorite, fun shoe here.
Whether you are just starting your running journey or if you are training for your 10th marathon, it is always good to have one or two fun shoes in your rotation. If you are looking for an enjoyable ride experience, if you are looking for a daily trainer, recovery shoe, long run shoe or race day shoe that will put a smile on your face and have you looking forward to your next mileage session, you are in the right place. Below are our 5 most fun performance running shoes of 2025 so far, plus two honorable mentions.
#5 Brooks Hyperion Max 3
Brooks Hyperion Max 3
While the Brooks Hyperion Max 3 and the Puma MagMax have completely different constructions and fall into different categories, there are some striking similarities between the two. The MagMax is non-plated and the Hyperion Max 3 uses a dual-foam construction with a very stiff plastic plate, but they both feature a very tall stack of foam and have a nice bounce. Like the MagMax, the Hyperion Max 3 excels at the long run—the more miles you put in it, the longer you spend on feet, the better it gets. The deeper you get into a run, the more you can lean into the bounce and embrace the energetic qualities of the shoe, and the more it comes alive and gives a super fun ride. This is exactly why we have been calling it the mileage cheat code. It definitely requires some mileage or putting some power down into it, and therefore it will work really well for bigger runners. This is the fun shoe to choose if you want something with a very robust feeling that is also very protective and stable.
#4 Mizuno Wave Rebellion Flash 3
Mizuno Wave Rebellion Flash 3
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The Wave Rebellion Flash 3 is a fun, bouncy speed trainer or race day shoe that comes in under $200. It made this list because it delivers a soft, bouncy ride with speed assistance. There is a ton of foam up in the forefoot and it just feels like a unique and different experience from a lot of the other shoes currently on the market. It has a dual foam construction with a plastic plate, but there is a decent amount of flexibility in the forefoot compared to the Hyperion Max 3. The rocker geometry definitely puts you up on your toes, but that is also where all the fun, bouncy foam is and it transitions you through your stride quickly. It doesn't have the most aggressive toe-off feel because of all the foam, but it is great for tempo runs and as a more fun alternative to some of the lower-stack speed trainers out there.
#3 Nike Vomero Premium
Nike Vomero Premium
The Vomero Premium is definitely not a speedy shoe, but it does have a unique and very fun, bouncy ride. It has one of the tallest stacks of foam on the market with 55mm in the back and 45mm in the forefoot. It is an absolute behemoth. It is also not light weight. It comes in at 360 grams in our Men's Size 10.5, so it is super heavy, actually. However, it is very comfortable. Unlike some Nike shoes, it has a very forgiving upper and a nice wide, roomy fit, so it will work well for bigger runners or those with a wider foot. It's very supportive and cushioned and is great for long runs and recovery runs because there is no way it is going to bottom out. It has a ton of bounce, especially if you can put more power down on the forefoot on the front Air Zoom unit. The unique construction of this shoe comes from the fact that Nike didn't use a plastic plate to stabilize all this foam, but instead they used two separate Air Zoom units from one of their track spikes—one in the heel and one in the forefoot—which creates an experience like nothing else on the market. If you are looking for the most comfortable possible shoe that also gives you an extremely protective, fun, bouncy ride, this is it.
#2 Saucony Endorphin Elite 2
Saucony Endorphin Elite 2
The Endorphin Elite 2 is definitely an overlooked shoe. What makes this shoe so much fun is the IncrediRun race foam. You have to look at this shoe more like the OG Prime X Strung rather than trying to compare it to the top tier race shoes on the market like the Adios Pro 4 or the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo. Using this frame of reference, it makes a lot more sense. If you don't think about it as a race shoe, but rather as a fun, long run shoe, it is a banger. It has one of the bounciest foams on the market. The sensation of running in it is so unique—it squishes all the way down, but then it pops you back up and releases super quickly. And it does have some speed and lightness to it, but it's just not one of the fastest or the most stable marathon race shoes out there. It is great for long runs because it is nice and protective on the legs.
#1 ASICS Metaspeed Ray
ASICS Metaspeed Ray
The Metaspeed Ray is an ultra lightweight racer, coming in around 140 grams in our Men's size 10.5. For reference, the Alphafly 3, Adios Pro 4, and the Endorphin Elite 2, all come in between 200 and 230 grams in the same size. So, this is significantly lighter at 140 grams. It introduces a new foam compound, FF Leap, which is one of the elements that makes it so much fun. It is an Aliphatic TPU-based foam—it is super soft, but very fast with no plate feel. It is actually incredibly flexible in the forefoot, which is the opposite of what you get in some of the most aggressive, lightweight racers like the Puma Fast-R 3. In the Ray, the plate doesn't even run the entire length of the shoe, which gives it a really unique, less punishing ride. It is also really fast, and for $300, it has the full package—it has the fun, the softness, the squish, and a highly cushioned forefoot all in a crazy lightweight package. It does not have that aggressive bite that you get with shoes like the Fast-R 3 or Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, but it is lightning fast, especially once you get into a rhythm with it.
Honorable Mention #1: ASICS Megablast
ASICS Megablast
The Megablast is more of a versatile daily trainer that can do everything. It is fun. It is bouncy, but it also does have a more serious, high performance, workhorse feel to it. It combines fun with high performance. Its most transcendent qualities are probably the durability, performance, speed assistance, and versatility over fun, but it is also a very fun, and unique, ride.
Honorable Mention #2: Salomon Aero Glide 3
Salomon Aero Glide 3
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The Aero Glide 3 excels as a daily trainer for relaxed miles. It is fun, bouncy, and great for longer runs, but at the end of the day, it is still a standard daily trainer. While it currently is the most fun you could make a standard daily trainer, it isn't making it into our top 5 most fun shoes of the year.
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