Rating the Most Popular Marathon Race Shoes on Comfort, Speed, Durability, Traction, Bounce, Weight, Fun Factor and Value - Part 2
Here we will break down the comfort, speed, stability, durability, traction, bounce, weight, fun factor, and overall value of the most popular marathon race shoes currently on the market—the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, Brooks Hyperion Elite 5, Hoka Rocket X3, and the Nike Vaporfly 4.
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 some of the newest members of Carbon County, including the Nike Vaporfly 4, ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, Hoka Rocket X3, and the Brooks Hyperion Elite 5.
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ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo - Overall Score of 87
The Metaspeed Sky Tokyo is coming in on top in our ratings of the recently released marathon race shoes. With a firmer foam up top and a softer foam below, this geometry favors heavier foot strikes and lower cadence runners. The softer FF Leap foam is also more supportive and stable than we expected, allowing the shoe to handle a variety of foot strikes while still pushing back with that effortless propulsion. The midsole foam is in that goldilocks zone—not too soft, not too firm—and it feels very comfortable at Zone 3, steady, marathon pace efforts. It has a fantastic bounce that we can only compare to the sensation you get from the air pod in the Alphafly 3. We’d have no concerns about taking it for the full marathon distance. One thing we will be watching out for is durability. After about 30 miles, we can see quite a bit of wear on the exposed foam of the heel. At $270, it sits perfectly in the middle of the race day shoes price-wise. Overall, this is not a brand new sensation in a race shoe, but it is a great update to a titan in Carbon County and we are excited to get more miles in it.
ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo
Hoka Rocket X3 - Overall Score of 80
With the recent releases of the Cielo X1 2.0 and now the Rocket X3, we are starting to wonder if HOKA’s race day lineup has lost its magic. We used to love both the OG Cielo X1 and the Rocket X2, but now neither of HOKA’s racers really stand out. The Rocket X3 feels more like a super trainer—stable, wide, and heavier, almost like a mid-packer’s Vaporfly. There’s nothing wrong with it, but nothing that makes us excited to lace it up either. It doesn’t have the most aggressive forefoot or much bite to it, and there is no crazy tech. For some people it might be a solid option, especially if you need a more stable and durable race day shoe that you can also use for long runs, workouts, and race day.
Hoka Rocket X 3
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Brooks Hyperion Elite 5 - Overall Score of 84
Brooks’ pinnacle racer features an all-new foam geometry with their 100% PEBA DNA Gold midsole. It also features one of the best uppers we have seen in a race day shoe—when you lace it up you just feel like you want to run fast! The midsole foam is soft and bouncy and the well-executed rocker geometry allows for a very smooth ride. While it is not as lightweight and aggressive as shoes like the Puma Fast-R 3 and the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, we do think it is going to be accessible to a wider range of hobby joggers due to its stable platform and forgiving ride. The durability and outsole rubber looks good and we think this might be one of the top marathon race shoes of the year.
Brooks Hyperion Elite 5
Nike Vaporfly 4 - Overall Score of 79
The Vaporfly needs a serious overhaul to escape the depths of the Valley of Mid. Right now, the Vaporfly 4 feels like a watered-down Alphafly—and not in a good way. Nike’s push to make it more accessible and approachable ends up blurring the line with the Zoom Fly 6, leaving the Vaporfly stuck in no man’s land with no clear identity. There’s nothing wrong with it, but nothing exciting about it either. It is comfortable and it has one of the nicest uppers on the market, but the lackluster midsole geometry and ride experience are not worth the added comfort. At $260, there is no reason to buy the Vaporfly, when you can get the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 for $230, the Adidas Adios Pro 4 for $250, the brand new ASICS Metaspeed Sky and Edge Tokyo for $270, or the Nike Streakfly 2 for $180 if you are looking for a 5k or 10k shoe.
Nike Vaporfly Next% 4
Check out our Choose Your Player Marathon Racing Shoes - Part 1, Choose Your Player Max Cushion Shoes, Choose Your Player Long Run Shoes or Choose Your Player Speed Training Shoes editions if you've enjoyed this format.
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