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The best running shoes for the marathon will depend on the type of runner you are, and what your goals are for the race. When it comes to setting PBs, it’s hard to look past the best carbon plate running shoes, but there are also great non-plated shoes for racing, and more cushioned options if your main aim is just to complete the course in comfort.
We’ve run over 100 marathons between us, and we’ve been testing the best running shoes for over a decade, so we’re confident we can help you pick out the best marathon running shoes for you. You’ll find out top picks in a number of categories below, plus our round-up video that covers them all.
If you head to our YouTube channel you can find more in-depth reviews of running shoes as well as other gear like the best running watches and headphones, along with race reviews from events like the London Marathon and Boston Marathon.
Who Are The Run Testers?
The Run Testers team are a group of experienced running journalists based in the UK who have been covering the latest and greatest running gear for decades. You can find more info on the core team here, including some picks for our all-time favourite kit and races.
We’ve racked up over 100 marathons between us and have run them all over the world in different conditions and at different stages of fitness, so we’ve tried a range of shoes at a range of paces to help us through the 42.2km/26.2 miles.
The Best Marathon Running Shoes 2025
We’ll dive into more detail on each of our top marathon running shoe picks below, and the categories we’ve divided them up into, but this round-up video is a one-stop shop for all the information you need if you prefer to watch, rather than read, our advice.
Best Carbon Plate Racing Shoes
Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3
Price: £260/$300 | Weight: 187g/6.6oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
It wasn’t going to take a special shoe to knock the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris, off its perch as our top pick for marathon racing, and the Puma Fast-R 3 is certainly a special shoe.
Not only is it one of the lightest racing shoes on the market, it promises to deliver the most efficient ride thanks to its rocker and elongated carbon plate, which extends beyond the front of the shoe.
We put the Fast-R 3 to the test at the London Marathon, where Nick and Kieran were both left highly impressed by its performance. It’s very fast when you’re on song in the first half a marathon, then helps you to keep rolling as you tire in the second half.
However, it’s not the softest shoe, or the most natural to run in. There are certainly other great options including Asics’s impressive Metaspeed line-up, plus the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4 and Nike Alphafly 3, both of which are a bit more comfortable and forgiving than the Puma.
Read our full Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 review
Best Marathon Running Shoes For Beginners
Asics Novablast 5
Price: £135/$140 | Weight: 274g/9.7oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
First-time marathoners come in all shapes and sizes and can have very different goals, but the Asics Novablast 5 is a shoe that will suit most runners very well thanks to its comfortable and versatile ride, and the fact it’s pretty good value as well.
The FF Blast Max midsole provides all the comfort and cushioning required to see you through the months of training and race day itself, with a mild rocker helping to move you through your footstrike smoothly so the miles tick by that little bit more easily. There’s also enough pop underfoot to run a fast time, if that is a goal of yours at your first marathon.
Check out more of the best running shoes for beginners
Other great beginner marathon shoes include the Nike Vomero Plus, New Balance Rebel v5 and Brooks Ghost 17, all of which are comfortable and durable, and you can also look for the Asics Novablast 4 in sales since it’s also an excellent shoe and might be reduced now the new version has come out.
Read our full Asics Novablast 5 review
Most Comfortable Marathon Running Shoes
Nike Vomero Plus
Price: £155/$180 | Weight: 300g/10.6oz (UK 9) | Drop: 10mm
There’s no getting around the fact that the marathon is a long old way, and there’s a lot of miles to cover in training as well, so if you want the most comfortable shoe to carry you through all those miles our pick is the Nike Vomero Plus
It has a generous stack of ZoomX cushioning in its midsole, and this delivers both a high amount of comfort and a lot of bounce. The Vomero Plus will protect your legs well during your marathon training long runs, but also puts enough spring in your step for faster efforts, and would be a great pick for race day if you want to push for a time while still prioritising comfort.
Other great options for those seeking comfort above all are the Nike Vomero Premium, Saucony Hurricane 25, which is also a highly stable shoe, and the Asics Novablast 5.
Best Value Marathon Running Shoes
Value is not always an easy thing to gauge, because it’s a balance of price and performance with running shoes, rather than just opting for the cheapest one. Our winner in this category exemplifies this, offering a high level of performance for a lot less than most running shoes.
Adidas Adizero Evo SL
Price: £130/$150 | Weight: 224g/7.9oz (UK 9) | Drop: 6mm
The Adidas Adizero Evo SL is our value pick for runners who want to run fast in their marathon. It’s a very lightweight shoe with an aggressive rocker inspired by the phenomenally expensive Adidas Pro Evo 1 racing shoe, and the Lightstrike Pro foam in the midsole delivers a bouncy ride along with enough protection to carry your legs through a full marathon.
There’s no plate in the midsole of the Adidas Evo SL, but it’s still performed well for fast runs in our testing and certainly can help carry you to a fast marathon time.
It’s not the most stable or cushioned shoe though, so if you want a value shoe that offers more support, we recommend the Puma Velocity Nitro 4 or New Balance Rebel v5, both of which are also light and versatile.
Read our full Adidas Adizero Evo SL review
Best Non-Plated Marathon Running Shoes
Asics Megablast
Price: £210/$225 | Weight: 241g/8.5oz (UK 9) | Drop: 8mm
Plated racing shoes have been shown to deliver a performance boost, but they’re not to everyone’s tastes, and they can be unstable, lack durability and are very expensive. That’s even true compared to our top non-plated pick, which is the Asics Megablast, a shoe that’s also very pricy but delivers a fantastically versatile ride.
It has a high stack of FF Turbo Squared foam in its midsole, which is responsive and fast, but also comfortable for the long haul. You can do any kind of run in the Megablast and you’ll enjoy it, and it has the pace to run a fast marathon and the protection to enjoy a slow one.
Other great non-plated shoes for the marathon include the Hoka Mach 6, Adidas Evo SL and New Balance Rebel v5, which are all lightweight daily trainers that are much cheaper than the Megablast.
Read our full Asics Megablast review
Best For Training And Racing
Hoka Mach X3
Price: £170/$190 | Weight: 274g/9.7oz (UK 9) | Drop: 5mm
This category has some crossover with the ones above, but we wanted to highlight some shoes for one-shoe runners who still want to run fast on race day. A carbon plate racer isn’t a great option for lots of your training runs, while cushioned shoes aren’t the best pick for setting PRs.
In between those you have the super-trainer category, with plated training shoes that deliver most of the speed of carbon racers in more durable, stable designs that work for daily training runs too. Our top pick here is the Hoka Mach X3, which has a plastic plate and dual-density midsole with a springy PEBA top layer and a more stable bottom layer.
The Mach X3’s main upgrade on the Mach X2 is its improved fit, which makes it a more comfortable shoe. Other great plated options for training and racing include the Nike Zoom Fly 6, the Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 and the Adidas Evo SL or Asics Megablast for non-plated shoes that can do it all.