Rating the Most Popular Long Run Shoes on Comfort, Speed, Durability, Traction, Bounce, Weight, Fun Factor and Value
Here we will break down the comfort, speed, stability, durability, traction, bounce, weight, fun factor, and overall value of the most popular long run shoes currently on the market—the ASICS Superblast 2, Adidas Prime X 3 Strung, New Balance SC Trainer v3, and the Brooks Hyperion Max 3.
Welcome back to Choose Your Player. In this series, we’re giving running shoes an overall score based on 10 key categories—ranging from pure speed to all-day comfort—each rated from 1 to 100. This time, we’re taking a closer look at the stats on the top long run shoes hitting the roads, including the ASICS Superblast 2, Adidas Prime X 3 Strung, New Balance SC Trainer v3, and the Brooks Hyperion Max 3.
Brooks Hyperion Max 3 - Overall Score of 87
The Hyperion Max 3 is the best version of this shoe yet! We took it out for a 14-mile double day right out of the box, and it delivered. With a max stack of 46mm in the heel and a new dual-foam combo—Brooks’ PEBA-based DNA Gold race foam paired with the DNA Flash v2 (an EVA/TPEE blend carried over from the previous version)—the result is an incredibly bouncy and responsive ride. The rocker and geometry are beautifully executed, offering a fun, smooth, protective, and stable experience. It’s also surprisingly fast—marathon pace came easily, and easy/recovery miles ticked by effortlessly. We’re also confident in its durability—Supwell’s social media manager, Grant, already has 500 miles on his pair with no issues. While it’s not the lightest shoe out there, and there are clear elements of built-in stability, we’re confident this will become one of our go-to picks for long runs, especially those with uptempo miles on the schedule.
Brooks Hyperion Max 3
Adidas Prime X 3 Strung - Overall Score of 85
The Prime X 3 Strung comes in a close second for us based on its standout attributes. The bounce and fun factor are absolutely off the charts, which is why we’re calling it a “Funky Chunky Monkey.” With three layers of Adidas’ Lightstrike Pro race foam, a full-length carbon fiber plate, and carbon fiber energy rods, you’re getting 50mm of pure tech and fun. The hobby joggers have already dubbed this a Supwell-certified big boy banger for its ability to let you cruise through miles with ultimate protection, insane bounce, and extra speed. One downside is that you really need to land toward the front of the platform to get the most out of it—heel striking or cruising at casual paces feels awkward. And at $300, this is probably a shoe you buy if you’re looking for a truly unique experience and consider yourself a certified shoe-sicko!
Adidas Prime X 3 Strung
ASICS Superblast 2 - Overall Score of 79
The ASICS Superblast 2 comes in next. If you’ve been watching Yowana’s videos, you know he’s not the biggest fan of the Superblast 2—but it remains a very popular shoe among hobby joggers, especially bigger runners or those who put a lot of power into their stride. It’s a relatively simple setup: a layer of FF Turbo+ foam on top, with a firmer foam layer underneath to stabilize the platform, since the heel stack reaches 45mm. One of the standout features of this shoe is how lightweight it is—just 250 grams in a Men’s size 9—which gives it an incredible weight-to-stack ratio. The Superblast 2 really shines on long runs: it doesn’t bottom out, feels great when you want to pick up the pace, and offers a lightweight yet protective ride.
Asics Superblast 2
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New Balance SC Trainer v3 - Overall Score 73
The New Balance SC Trainer v3 comes in last here. It used to be at the top of long run lists, but its outdated midsole compound—an 80% EVA / 20% PEBA blend—just doesn’t compare to the newer, more advanced foams on the market. It lacks the bounce, fun factor, and speed capabilities of some of the other options. While it's fairly stable and offers decent comfort, it’s no longer one of the top picks for long runs.
New Balance SC Trainer v3
Check out our Choose Your Player Marathon Racing Shoes, Choose Your Player Max Cushion Shoes, or Choose Your Player Speed Training Shoes editions if you've enjoyed this format.
Supwell Shoe Matcher
Whether you're looking for a reliable easy run shoe, pampering comfort on recovery days, a long-run cruiser, or a race day weapon, check out our Shoe Matcher tool to get matched. We've done the extensive testing, so you don't have to.
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