Ranking the Carbon-Plated Race Shoes Available in 2025
Below we are ranking the road running race shoes currently on the market in 2025. See where the ASICS Metaspeed Sky and Edge Tokyo, Puma Fast-R 3, Brooks Hyperion Elite 5, New Balance SC Elite v5, Nike Alphafly 3, Adidas Adios Pro 4, and others land based on their ability to help you achieve your race goals.
Welcome to Supwell’s race shoe tier list, where we rank modern racers from brick to banger. We went through today’s lineup of Carbon County race shoes and sorted them by what actually delivers on race day. At the very top, we’ve got transcendent rockets like the Fast-R 3, Sky Tokyo, and Streakfly 2—pure speed demons that redefine what’s possible. But not every shoe clears the bar… whether it’s the weight, ride, or price, some pairs land squarely in mid and even brick territory. This is the first drop in our new tier list series.
Transcendent: Fastest shoes out there
Our top tier is defined by a trifecta of transcendent shoes. The Puma Fast-R 3 is the most aggressive marathon race shoe on the market, delivering an efficient, lightning-fast ride for demon time PR attempts. The Sky Tokyo implements dual-foam to perfection with a soft bottom layer of FF Leap ATPU and a top layer of FF Turbo+, and the Streakfly 2 is an innovative track spike for the roads that provides unmatched speed for short distance races.
Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3
ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo
Nike Streakfly 2
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Banger: Fun, fast, and good for a variety of paces
In 2025, nearly every brand has a Banger-level race shoe. Whether you want something reliable and understated (SC Elite v5, Hyperion Elite 5,) explosive & bouncy (Alphafly 3, Deviate Nitro Elite 3) or soft yet propulsive (Adios Pro 4, Cloudboom Strike,) there’s a shoe tuned exactly for your preferences and race goals. We've also included the fun, but less normal feeling Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3 and the really solid, yet pricey Adidas Adios Pro Evo 2 in this Banger category.
New Balance SC Elite v5
Brooks Hyperion Elite 5
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3
On Cloudboom Strike
Adidas Adios Pro 4
Good: Not our first choice, but we'd race in it
These shoes are highly capable, but not our first choices for race day. The Edge Tokyo doesn’t have quite as much explosive bounce as the Sky Tokyo, the Endorphin Elite 2 is wildly innovative and bouncy, but its soft, squirrely foam raises stability concerns over the marathon distance, and the Rocket X3 and Endorphin Pro 4 are solid options that lack the speed capability and fun of shoes in higher tiers.
ASICS Metaspeed Edge Tokyo
Saucony Endorphin Elite 2
Hoka Rocket X 3
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Fine: Don't buy at MSRP, but fine if you can find a deal
We’d recommend waiting for a deal before picking up the the Cielo X1 2.0 and Vaporfly 4. Neither shoe is bad, but they deliver the ride of a solid training shoe at the price of a top-tier racer. The Cielo X1 2.0’s soft midsole and aggressive geometry clashed with one another, and the Vaporfly 4 lacks the joy and unique ride we expect from a Nike flagship racer.
Hoka Cielo X1 2.0
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Nike Vaporfly Next% 4
Mid: Lacks a race shoe-caliber ride
It’s a sign of a booming shoe market that our “Mid” tier is basically empty. Unfortunately, the Adidas Takumi Sen 11 falls into this category due to its dull, muted ride. Heavier than high-stack marathon race shoes like the Fast-R 3 and Sky Tokyo, and lacking the bounce and responsiveness of its top competitor, the Streakfly 2, the Takumi Sen rides more like a daily trainer than a true racer. The Takumi Sen line is iconic, but we can’t recommend this model when there are so many other fantastic options out there.
Adidas Takumi Sen 11
Brick: What are we doing here?
Every once in a while, a shoe comes along that’s so bad, it gets its own nickname. Cloudboom Max? No, more like Cloudbrick Mid. With a weight of almost 300 grams, a lifeless, brick-like midsole, and a hefty price point of $230, there’s no one who should choose this for its intended purpose of a 4 hour + marathon when shoes like the Megablast and Superblast exist.
On Cloudboom Max
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