Ranking Running Shoe Brands for their 2025 Shoe Line-up: Saucony, Puma, Nike, Brooks, and Mizuno - Part 2
Below we are looking at 5 different running shoe brands and the shoes that they’ve released so far in 2025 to see how they compare. This time we are looking at Saucony with the release of the Endorphin Speed 5 and Endorphin Elite 2, Puma with some top-tier releases like the Puma Fast-R 3 and the Magnify Nitro 3, Nike with some strong releases in the Vomero Plus and Streakfly 2, Brooks with great updates in the Hyperion Elite 5 and Hyperion Max 3, and Mizuno with a new foam and exciting updates with the Neo Vista 2 and Wave Rebellion Pro 3 Low.
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Here we are releasing Part 2 of our series where we are grading every running shoe brand’s year so far in 2025. Nike bounced back strong in 2025 with a rebuilt lineup of racers and daily trainers, locking in an A-. Puma made a statement with the Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 and one of the best daily trainer duos of the year, earning a straight A. Meanwhile, Saucony and Brooks both landed at a B with solid but unspectacular releases, while Mizuno impressed more than expected with a steady B+.
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Saucony 2025 Releases: B
After a subpar 2024, Saucony listened to hobby jogger feedback: they’ve restored the Endorphin Speed line to its former glory, carried out a perfect refresh in the Hurricane 25, and released the most innovative new midsole foam on the market—Incredirun. Saucony is still in a rebuilding phase after falling behind the curve last year, but the future is looking promising. Some of our favorite Saucony releases of 2025 are:
Endorphin Elite 2 - Soft Marathon Racer
Saucony Endorphin Elite 2
Endorphin Trainer - Dual-Foam Cruiser
Saucony Endorphin Trainer
Endorphin Speed 5 - Speed Training Shoe
Saucony Endorphin Speed 5
Nike 2025 Releases: A-
In 2025, Nike has shot down accusations that they’ve been resting on their laurels, rebuilding their performance running shoe product line from the ground up. The Streakfly 2 and Pegasus Premium are two of the most innovative shoes we’ve tried this year, and the Vomero 18, Vomero Plus and Structure 26 have become hobby jogger favorite daily trainers. The only shoe detracting from Nike’s grade is the Vaporfly 4, which doesn’t live up to the line’s status as the “original super shoe.” Check out some of these 2025 releases that we can recommend:
Streakfly 2 - Short Distance Racer
Nike Streakfly 2
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Vomero 18 - Standard Daily Trainer
Nike Vomero 18
Vomero Plus - Fun Long Run Shoe
Nike Vomero Plus
Brooks 2025 Releases: B
Finally showing willingness to embrace modern foam compounds in 2025, Brooks has implemented PEBA to great success in the Hyperion Elite 5 and the Hyperion Max 3. In the daily trainer category, Brooks released two highly-capable options in the Hyperion 3 and Ghost 17, but the Glycerin 22 was so bad it made us think about quitting shoe reviews entirely. Check out the Hyperion Elite 5 and Hyperion Max 3 below:
Hyperion Elite 5 - Marathon Racer
Brooks Hyperion Elite 5
Hyperion Max 3 - Versatile Max Stack Shoe
Brooks Hyperion Max 3
Mizuno 2025 Releases: B+
Mizuno has a fun and exciting shoe lineup, but their lower release volume keeps them from an A grade. Mizuno’s highlights of the year so far have been the Wave Rebellion Pro 3, a wild and bouncy race shoe with an absurd midfoot stack height, and the Neo Vista 2, our top pick in the max cushion category.
Wave Rebellion Pro 3 - Max Stack Racer
Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3 Beta
Neo Vista 2 - Max Cushion Cruiser
Mizuno Neo Vista 2
Puma 2025 Releases: A
Puma’s crowning achievement in 2025 is the Fast-R Nitro Elite 3, the fastest, most efficient marathon race shoe on the market. The brand has also released two of our favorite daily trainers of the year: the comfort-oriented Magnify Nitro 3 and the lower-stack but bouncy and protective Velocity Nitro 4. Puma’s lower release volume compared to ASICS is the only thing keeping them from an A+ grade.
Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 - Pinnacle, Fast and Aggressive Racer
Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3
Magnify Nitro 3 - Comfortable Daily Trainer
Puma Magnify Nitro 3
Check out Part 1 of Ranking and Rating Running Shoe Brands for their 2025 line-up where we looked at the recent releases from Adidas, ASICS, New Balance, On, and Hoka.
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