September 10, 2025

The Best Race Shoe for Every Distance

Below we are breaking down the best racing shoes for every road racing distance from the 1 mile up to the ultra-marathon distance. Find out which distances we'd pick for the new ASICS Megablast, trusty Nike Alphafly 3, aggressive Puma Fast-R 3, crowd-pleasing Adidas Adios Pro 4, lightning fast Nike Streakfly 2, and ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo.

Yowana Wamala

Today we are giving you our thoughts on Supwell Certified race shoes for every distance.From the raw speed of the mile to the endurance of the ultramarathon, each shoe here is dialed for the demands of its distance. The lineup spans the lightning-fast Nike Streakfly 2, the marathon-ready ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo, and everything in between including the Nike Alphafly 3, Adidas Adios Pro 4, and Puma Fast-R 3. Whether you’re ripping a short PR or chasing all-day miles, there’s a weapon built for the job.

1 Mile: Nike Streakfly 2

The Streakfly 2 is purpose built for short-distance races. It’s a lean, mean speed machine with a geometry fine-tuned for your fastest paces. It is the closest version to a track spike you can get, but built for the roads. Nike states that it could be taken up to the 10k distance, but we feel really comfortable taking it for a 1 mile PR attempt with its lower stack and aggressive feel.

Weight: 4.5 oz / 128 grams

Stack: 26mm heel, 4mm drop

Foam: ZoomX

Fit: Snug

Characteristics: Responsive, Bouncy, Lightning-Fast

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)

Support

Neutral

see details

5k: Nike Alphafly 3

The 5k is the most popular road race distance, and the Alphafly 3 is the most popular race shoe—it’s a match made in hobby jogger heaven. This is also the race distance where most runners will be able to activate the explosive bounce of the forefoot pods. While the Alphafly 3 would be a great choice for any race up to the marathon distance, we are picking it as our favorite 5k shoe because we believe there are others that will shine and possibly outperform it at the other distances.

Weight: 6.8 oz / 193 grams

Stack: 40mm heel, 8mm drop

Foam: ZoomX

Fit: True to Size

Characteristics: Responsive, Bouncy, Mechanical

10k: Adidas Adios Pro 4

The Adios Pro 4 features a soft and lively foam that shines when popping off the front of the platform. While the heel can feel unstable at more relaxed efforts, the relentless pace of a 10k perfectly suits this shoe’s character.

Weight: 7.1 oz / 201 grams

Stack: 39mm heel, 6mm drop

Foam: Lightstrike Pro

Fit: True to Size

Characteristics: Responsive, Bouncy, Soft

Race Day

Adidas Adios Pro 4

Marathon race shoe with soft ride

Price

$250

Plated?

Yes

Foam

Supercritical TPEE

Weight (oz)

7.1

Drop (mm)

Support

Neutral

see details

Half Marathon: Puma Fast-R 3

The Fast-R 3 is made for attacking. While it may be too stiff and aggressive for the full marathon for many people, it’s a great choice for going after a big half marathon PR. The new ATPU foam and carbon fiber plate that extends beyond the forefoot, make this a really unique and fast shoe with unmatched speed assistance. Just be prepared to plunge into the depths of darkness to get there.

Weight: 6.0 oz / 170 grams

Stack: 39mm heel, 8mm drop

Foam: ATPU

Fit: True to Size

Characteristics: Responsive, Firm, Stiff

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)

Support

Neutral

see details

Marathon: ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo

The Sky Tokyo is a marathoner’s dream. Lightweight with soft, bouncy cushion and a razor-sharp toe-off, it has the speed and comfort needed to rip 26.2 with confidence. With the softer FF Leap foam on the bottom and the firmer FF Turbo+ on the top, above the carbon-fiber plate, you get a nice combination of aggressive speed and cushioned comfort that we didn't find in the Metaspeed Edge Tokyo. Additionally, for us, the even lighter weight Metaspeed Ray, felt a little too soft and delicate for going the full distance of the marathon and lacked the aggressive bite you get from the full-length carbon fiber plate in the Sky and the Edge.

Weight: 5.9 oz / 167 grams

Stack: 39.5mm heel, 5mm drop

Foam: ATPU, PEBA

Fit: Snug

Characteristics: Responsive, Cushioned, Smooth

Race Day

ASICS Metaspeed Sky Tokyo

Marathon race shoe designed for speed and comfort

Price

$270

Plated?

Yes

Foam

PEBA, ATPU

Weight (oz)

5.9

Drop (mm)

Support

Neutral

see details

Ultramarathon: ASICS Megablast

The Megablast offers a highly-cushioned platform featuring a new foam that’s proficient at both mileage and speed. It has tons of stack for its light weight, and the foam doesn’t get mushy over long miles, making it the perfect shoe for 3+ hour road runs. This is the one we'd be lacing up if we had to do an ultramarathon. It has the protection and comfort of a daily trainer with the speed assistance similar to many of the carbon-fiber racing shoes on the market.