New Balance Hanzo S

$160; Men’s 186 g (6.5 oz.), Women’s 154 g (5.4 oz.); Drop ratio: 4 mm Named after a 16th-century ninja, the Hanzo S was conceived by New Balance’s Japanese product development team. It’s clearly designed for one thing only: running really fast. Fans of the 1600 racing flat will be disappointed to discover that it’s being dropped, and although not meant to be a one-to-one replacement, the Hanzo is its spiritual successor. Like the 1600, this shoe has the weight and feel of a classic 5K–10K road flat. It’s bare bones, and thus not super comfortable, but does the trick on race day. Underfoot, the hard and ultra tacky Dynaride outsole is strategically placed to help you dig in and flow through fast leg turnover.

The Hanzo S is certainly a very specialized shoe, and really only should be used for very specific speed sessions and shorter road races. But it’s fun to own a designed racing flat, and our testers absolutely loved how they felt whipping around a track for a few mile repeats. If you’ve got a goal 10K this spring, this is your race day partner.