Ranking Running Shoe Brands for their 2025 Shoe Line-up: Saucony, Puma, Nike, Brooks, and Mizuno - Part 2

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+.

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

Race Day

Saucony Endorphin Elite 2

Marathon racing shoe with soft and bouncy ride

Price

$275

Plated?

Yes

Foam

Supercritical TPEE

Weight (oz)

7.0

Drop (mm)

6

Support

Neutral

see details

Endorphin Trainer - Dual-Foam Cruiser

Max Cushion

Saucony Endorphin Trainer

Cushioned and stable marathon training shoe great for long runs

Price

$200

Plated?

Yes

Foam

Supercritical TPEE, EVA

Weight (oz)

9.9

Drop (mm)

8

Support

Neutral

see details

Endorphin Speed 5 - Speed Training Shoe

Speed Training

Saucony Endorphin Speed 5

Nylon plated training shoe designed for speed workouts and everyday miles

Price

$175

Plated?

Yes

Foam

PEBA

Weight (oz)

8.3

Drop (mm)

8

Support

Neutral

see details

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

Race Day

Nike Streakfly 2

Aggressive short-distance racing shoe with a direct and nimble ride

Price

$180

Plated?

Yes

Foam

PEBA

Weight (oz)

4.5

Drop (mm)

4

Support

Neutral

see details

Vomero 18 - Standard Daily Trainer

Daily Trainer

Nike Vomero 18

Cushioned everyday running shoe with cushioned and smooth ride

Price

$155

Plated?

No

Foam

PEBA, TPE

Weight (oz)

10.5

Drop (mm)

10

Support

Mild Stability

see details

Vomero Plus - Fun Long Run Shoe

Max Cushion

Nike Vomero Plus

Max cushioned running shoe designed for high mileage and versatility

Price

$180

Plated?

No

Foam

Not disclosed

Weight (oz)

9.9

Drop (mm)

10

Support

Neutral

see details

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

Race Day

Brooks Hyperion Elite 5

Race shoe designed for speed and comfort

Price

$275

Plated?

Yes

Foam

PEBA

Weight (oz)

7.0

Drop (mm)

8

Support

Neutral

see details

Hyperion Max 3 - Versatile Max Stack Shoe

Max Cushion

Brooks Hyperion Max 3

Max stack training shoe designed for speed and mileage

Price

$200

Plated?

Yes

Foam

Supercritical EVA & TPEE, PEBA

Weight (oz)

10.2

Drop (mm)

6

Support

Mild Stability

see details

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

Race Day

Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3 Beta

Marathon race shoe with tallest stack of foam on the market

Price

$250

Plated?

Yes

Foam

Supercritical PEBA

Weight (oz)

7.7

Drop (mm)

4

Support

Neutral

see details

Neo Vista 2 - Max Cushion Cruiser

Max Cushion

Mizuno Neo Vista 2

Max cushioned training shoe designed for comfort, a smooth ride, and protection on long runs

Price

$200

Plated?

Yes

Foam

Supercritical TPU, Supercritical EVA

Weight (oz)

8.0

Drop (mm)

8

Support

Neutral

see details

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

Race Day

Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3

Marathon race shoe designed for speed and lab tested to be more efficient than anything else on the market

Price

$300

Plated?

Yes

Foam

ATPU

Weight (oz)

6.0

Drop (mm)

8

Support

Neutral

see details

Magnify Nitro 3 - Comfortable Daily Trainer

Daily Trainer

Puma Magnify Nitro 3

Cushioned everyday running shoe designed for comfort and versatility

Price

$160

Plated?

No

Foam

PEBA

Weight (oz)

9.2

Drop (mm)

10

Support

Neutral

see details

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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