Fall Shoe Guide
17 New Shoes to Kick Your Training Up a Notch
Hoka Rincon 2 Category: neutral cushioning Men’s: 218 g (7.7 oz.) Women’s: 185 g (6.5 oz.) Drop: 5 mm $145
The Rincon is Hoka’s lightweight, non-plated road-racing f lat that also works well for tempo runs and races. The fact that it doesn’t have a carbon plate is partly why it’s so affordable – but given that the only real complaint about the 1 (which many people loved) was how quickly the midsole compressed and lost its oomph, and the 2 has the same foam. That, combined with the fact that the outsole is not super-durable, means you might need to budget for replacing them relatively frequently.
The 2 is virtually unchanged from the original, which fans loved for its lightness, responsiveness, comfort and versatility. The big heel pull loop is still there, and the eva stack and Meta-Rocker design are the same as before. It is very slightly heavier than the first version, but it’s still a very light shoe, and you won’t notice the few extra grams. The 2’s mesh upper is considerably denser and less breathable than the original (we’re speculating that was to address wear issues with the original upper). Heads up: we found the Rincon fit long and narrow.
Brooks Hyperion Elite 2 Category: neutral cushioning Men’s: 215 g (7.6 oz.) Drop: 8 mm $300
Nothing succeeds like success: this the model Des Linden was wearing in prototype when she won the Boston Marathon in 2018. The shoe has a carbon-fibre midsole propulsion plate of the type made popular by the Nike Vaporf ly 4%. Wedged between two layers of the new super-light, nitrogen-infused dna flash midsole foam, which provides superior energy return, the combination of plate and foam allows runners to go faster for longer. (This new update over the first iteration features an additional 2 mm of foam in the midsole.)
Another update contributing to the shoe’s speed is the outsole rocker (dubbed Rapid Roll Technology). Together, these two elements keep your feet turning over fast and protect your legs from the endless pounding of the marathon. This is also a super stable shoe, being significantly wider across both the heel and the midfoot than the Vaporf ly or Next%. And Brooks has made the outsole just grippy enough to avoid the criticisms levelled at the competition without adding unnecessary weight. (Like some racing f lats and track spikes, the Elite is only available in men’s sizes. Ladies should go down one full size to find the right fit.)
Saucony Endorphin Speed Editor’s Pick: Best New Model Category: neutral cushioning Men’s: 227 g (8.0 oz.) Women’s: 192 g (6.8 oz.) Drop: 8 mm $200
The Speed, part of Saucony’s new Endorphin suite of performance trainers, has everything the Endorphin Pro has except the carbon-fibre plate – instead, it has a full-length, S-shaped nylon plate for stiffness and stability. It’s ideal for the highly motivated racer – at any distance – who wants to save the Pro for race day and use this shoe for training (though it’ll also do nicely on race day if you don’t have that luxury). Our tester particularly enjoyed it for tempo runs, but it’s versatile enough to work well for the marathon, too. (The shoe’s 35.5 mm midsole stack is a little too high for fast, tight turns around the track.)
Like the Pro’s, the Speed’s midsole is made of pwrrun PB, which is a super light, peba- based foam that boasts 88 per cent energy return. And the Endorphin line’s SpeedRoll Technology gives it a noticeable rock forward, so heel-to-toe transitions are fast and smooth.