On a near-weekly basis, someone will ask me for a running shoe recommendation. While I love getting that question—and my fellow gear editors and I have amassed Nike Pegasus 41—there’s another one that’s much more fun for me to answer:
“What’s a good running shoe that I’ve never heard of before?”
Whether it’s discovering an underground music artist or a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop, there’s a special joy in finding (and sharing) a hidden gem in your universe. The same goes with running shoes. (True shoe dogs don’t gatekeep!)
So that’s what you’ll find here—a list of the shoes that are lesser-known compared to the Brooks and Nikes of the world, but have truly impressed our wear-test team. Some are new models from small brands, while others are simply shoes that don’t get enough love and we think are worth talking about.
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What shoes did we miss? What model are you loving right now that’s largely unknown or underrated? Let us know in the comments!
ROAD SHOES
True Motion Nevos 3
Key Specs
| Type | Neutral Training |
|---|---|
| Weight | 10.4 oz (M), 8.6 oz (W) |
| Drop (Reported) | 10 mm |
| Heel Stack | 28 mm |
| Forefoot Stack | 18 mm |
Every new shoe company has to have a unique selling proposition—a reason that it is different or better than the hundreds of running shoes made by brands who have been in the business for decades or generations. For True Motion, that feature is a horseshoe-shaped foam and rubber heel that’s designed to help stabilize your foot but also create a trampoline effect as you sink on landing. The foam returns to its normal thickness when you go through your stride.
In testing, we found the rearfoot cushioning to be plenty soft and bouncy but all of us wanted more comfort under the forefoot. It just felt too thin and hard. That’s in part because there’s a considerable heel-to-toe drop in this construction. Officially, True Motion says the drop is 10mm “static”—without any body weight—but your foot sinks so it’s basically zero drop when loaded. Our lab testing showed the unweighted drop to be 14mm, which is a ski slope in terms of modern running shoes. The chunky heel, thin forefoot, and plastic bridge under the midfoot can all add up to a little bit of a slappy sensation in the forefoot with every stride.
“I liked the cushioning best,” said one six-foot tall tester who has a heavy footstrike and averages 10-minute miles on his training runs. “When it was working, it worked really well. It was just enough to let you feel the road under your feet and still provide adequate shock absorption when your foot hit the ground.”
Overall, it’s a good early effort from a new brand. True Motion could focus on making the shoe lighter, improving that heel-to-toe transition, and bringing the materials and design better in line with today’s stylish running shoes—especially important if they want to find any room on a shoe store’s wall.—Jeff Dengate
Hylo Impact
Key Specs
| Type | Neutral Training |
|---|---|
| Weight | 9.9 oz (M), 8.4 oz (W) |
| Drop | 8 mm |
| Heel Stack | 33 mm |
| Forefoot Stack | 25 mm |
If a Nike, Hoka, or Asics shoe is an Oreo, a Hylo shoe is a Hydrox. It may not be “America’s Favorite Cookie,” but with your eyes closed, you might not know the difference. A tester who previously ran in the Nike Infinity said the Hylo Impact felt comparable to these shoes in terms of fit and comfort—the shoe runs a bit short and narrow. Another tester said the shoe’s ride was similar to the Asics Novablast 4 and had a cushy midsole that reminded him of his Hokas.
“These shoes were built for one thing in mind: cushion, cushion, cushion. They felt very similar to the Asics Novablast but with the softness dialed way up. If someone is really into Hokas or super-squishy shoes, they should give this brand a try,” he said. “I trained at a variety of paces in the Hylo Impact. I did my long runs at 7:30 pace, several daily runs around 5:45 pace, and then some faster workouts on the track. These shoes were completely fine for the first two, but they felt slow and blocky for the speedwork.”
While the most popular critique was that the shoe “wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t exciting”—most testers said they wouldn’t wear this shoe for any kind of racing—it’s a dependable cushioned trainer for eating mileage.
At $165, the price is similar to other max-cushioned daily trainers like the Brooks Glycerin or Saucony Triumph. But, at the very forefront of Hylo’s mission is sustainability. The brand says the Impact is made from renewable, natural materials and is recyclable. Inside the right shoe is a “Hyloop” NFC tag. When your pair has reached the end of its life, scan the tongue with your smartphone for recycling instructions —Amanda Furrer
361 Degrees 361-Eleos
Key Specs
| Type | Neutral Training |
|---|---|
| Weight | 9.9 oz (M), 7.9 oz (W) |
| Drop | 6 mm |
| Heel Stack | 36 mm |
| Forefoot Stack | 30 mm |
A shoe with a PEBA-based midsole for just $145? Yep, it’s true. The Eleos combines PEBA (trademarked version “Pebax” is used in many race day “super shoes”) and EVA for a cushy-but-not-mushy platform underfoot. But that platform is exceptionally wide, boosting the stability and security you feel with each stride. You can feel yourself sink slightly into the foam, but it feels poppy as you progress forward. I found the shoe to be remarkably comfortable at an easy jog and effortlessly smooth as the pace quickened to sub-7-minute miles.
Initial concerns about that extra broad sole quickly disappeared. In the past, I’ve ended up kicking my own ankles in shoes where the medial forefoot flares out too far. But I never once experienced that in the Eleos.
361 Degrees is no stranger to comfortable trainers. The company has been around for more than 20 years and we’ve tested 40 models of their running shoes since 2015. But, it’s still a brand that many runners have never heard of. The Eleos can change that, given its versatility for daily training and pleasurable running. It’s relatively lightweight—it weighs less than a Nike Pegasus 41 and is on par with the New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainer v2. But it feels softer and springier than both of those shoes.
The upper is kind of ho-hum, though it fits well—snug through the waist and accommodatingly wide in the forefoot. The laces, too, look a bit uninspiring, but I found the fat poly laces really bit into the eyelets and stayed put right where I wanted them. If you don’t find quite enough excitement in an Asics Superblast or the brands ultrarunning campaign. Ten women athletes competed in the event, including, give the Eleos a look.—J.D.
Mount to Coast R1
Key Specs
| Type | Neutral Training |
|---|---|
| Weight | 8.5 oz (M), 6.9 oz (W) |
| Drop | 8 mm |
| Heel Stack | 35 mm |
| Forefoot Stack | 27 mm |
New running shoe brand Mount to Coast has an unconventional mission: to develop better ultrarunning road shoes. As a marathoner wary of entering an ultra because the terrain is usually not paved roads, I was intrigued by Mount to Coast’s concept. The brand actually plans on releasing a trail shoe in the spring, but its first three models are all for the pavement. Of those three, the R1 was worn by British ultrarunner Justin Montague when he competed in the MTC Jogle, a 17-day ultramarathon during which Montague broke the previous course record by 40 hours. He ran a total of 854 miles. And he wore only one pair of R1s.
The shoes have no carbon-fiber plate. The foam, LightCell, is PEBA-based and nitrogen-infused. To combat the foot-swelling that ultrarunners experience when accruing hundreds of miles in the span of a couple of days, the shoe has a dual lacing system that includes TunedFit. This cinch cord is similar to “Quick Lace” designs that can be easily adjusted to provide more space in the upper as the foot swells. Mount to Coast’s shoe development team saw runners’ toes poking through torn uppers; TunedFit is supposed to prevent this from happening.
When I put on the shoes, there really wasn’t anything special to them that indicated they’d last for over 850 miles—the R1 is ultralight (a men’s size 9 weighs only 8.5 ounces). Our testers, however, gave the shoe top marks. And as I ran in the R1 through multiple heatwaves, I could see the allure. It’s a neutral, moderately-cushioned trainer that had me adding in some speedwork on days with 90-plus-degree heat because of the midsole’s bounce.
In the words of our wear-testers, the R1 is a “solid, versatile trainer for all kinds of efforts.” One runner said the brand especially nailed the amount of space at the front of the shoe. “I love the toebox! It’s roomy! My bunion feels at peace,” she said, adding that the R1 has become her new go-to daily trainer. “The shoe is light. It’s firm. It’s breathable. I just fell in love.”—A.F.
TRAIL SHOES
VJ Lightspeed
Key Specs
| Type | Trail Racing |
|---|---|
| Weight | 8.0 oz (M, w/o insole), 8.3 oz (M, w/ insole) |
| Drop | 6 mm |
| Heel Stack | 29 mm |
| Forefoot Stack | 23 mm |
| Lug Height | 3.5 mm |
If you’re scrambling on wet rocks, this is the shoe you want on your feet. Since 2018, VJ has been impressing us with its savagely grippy outsoles on slippery climbs up in the Adirondack mountains. We’ve found the butyl rubber tread to outperform even the most reliable Salomons and Hokas.
In the new Lightspeed, that outsole hasn’t changed. (It’s just as grippy as the race-ready Spark model that came before it.) What has changed is the midsole construction. As the company’s pinnacle racing option, the Lightspeed uses a supercritical EVA foam and a propulsion plate. The plate is not carbon fiber, but it still gives this shoe a speedier edge than all of VJ’s other models. And to save on weight, the shoe is designed to be worn without an insole. However, VJ does include one if you want a bit more cushioning.
“As with every VJ shoe I’ve run in, the grip is insane. I have a short jaunt on pavement to get to the trail and the rubber is so sticky it reminded me of walking on the sticky floor of an old dive bar on a humid summer day. It almost had a suction cup quality to it,” tester Chris P. said. “But with the softer rubber, you have to give up some durability. I have just around 100 miles on my pair and have noticed some wear on the lugs. The grip is still great, but I don’t foresee myself getting past 250 to 300 miles out of these lugs. But it seems like I could get 750 miles out of the uppers on these. They show no wear at all.”
One important note is that the Lightspeed does run a touch long—especially if you choose to wear it without the optional insole. And we also found the shoe to have a rather narrow footprint. However, this last point, combined with the Lightspeed’s featherweight build, was what made this a dream shoe for one narrow-footed tester.
“These are the trail shoes I’ve been waiting for. This is my third pair of VJ’s I’ve tried out and, to be completely honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the other two. These are the first lightweight trail shoes that I have worn that are the complete package,” said our tester, who regularly competes in OCR events. “The fit was perfect. I hate the super wide toebox craze with trail shoes. My toes fit snug in the toebox but weren’t cramped. The closure system was very secure, and my foot didn’t budge inside the shoe when climbing hills or bombing downhills.”—Morgan Petruny
Lululemon Beyondfeel Trail
Key Specs
| Type | Road-to-Trail Training |
|---|---|
| Weight | 11.0 oz (M), 9.1 oz (W) |
| Drop | 10 mm (M), 9 mm (W) |
| Heel Stack | 37 mm (M), 35.5 mm (W) |
| Forefoot Stack | 27 mm (M), 26.5 mm (W) |
| Lug Height | 4 mm |
Lululemon’s first running shoe, the Blissfeel, demonstrated that activewear brands can oz M, 7.9 oz W Brooks’s Ghost or Nike’s Pegasus. What soon followed were several Lululemon shoe releases, including the Chargefeel (a cross-training model) and the Beyondfeel (the brand’s first running shoe available for both women and men).
The Beyondfeel was worn by the women of Further, the brand’s ultrarunning campaign. Ten women athletes competed in the event, including Camille Herron Strips of outsole rubber wrap up and over the toe.
I preferred the Beyondfeel Trail over Lululemon’s first trail shoe, the Blissfeel Trail, mostly due to its comfort. While functional, the Blissfeel Trail rubbed in some areas, causing me to focus more on my feet than on my run. The Beyondfeel Trail, however, has a more streamlined upper that hugs my wide foot without making it feel too compressed. (One wear-tester said the Blissfeel Trail felt more like a “let’s-go-for-a-hike shoe” than a “let’s-go-for-a-run shoe.” The Beyondfeel Trail is definitely the latter kind.)
The Beyondfeel Trail comes in two-tenths of an ounce lighter than the Blissfeel. This new model is less clunky and proves that every ounce—and tenths of an ounce—makes all the difference. I cruised down the trail in my town a few days after racing a fast and sweaty 10K. While I started my run with sore and stiff legs, I felt surprisingly fresh by the end of my four-miler at 7:45 pace.—Amanda Furrer
Teva Aventrail
Key Specs
| Type | Trail Training |
|---|---|
| Weight | 11.6 oz (M), 9.7 oz (W) |
| Drop | 6 mm |
| Heel Stack | 33.5 mm |
| Forefoot Stack | 27.5 mm |
| Lug Height | 5 mm |
Forget what you thought you knew about running sandals. The Aventrail is not a minimalist or barefoot style shoe—there’s a whole lot of tech and cushioning underfoot in this off-road creation from Teva. The midsole uses the brand’s new supercritical EVA foam, and nestled inside that is a stiff nylon plate that runs the full length of the shoe. It’s partially there for stability, but we also felt some propulsion while testing.
Plus, this sandal can handle fast speeds. In his pair, ultrarunner Mike Wardian clocked a 16:39 5K, which averages out to about 5:22 pace per mile. And although there’s a considerably luggy outsole on these sandals, it’s nimble enough that it won’t trip you up on roads—or the mile of boardwalk planks Wardian covered during his race.
During my runs, I’ve found the sandals capable of covering everything from concrete to light gravel without issue. Senior features editor Pavlína Černá also noted that the tiered lugs stuck to the dirt well and the cushioning impressed her on harder road surfaces.
“The soles feel surprisingly great in terms of absorbing the impact. However, my feet sweat a lot, and once that starts, I feel like I am slipping inside the sandal. It wasn’t as noticeable while I was running straight and flat on the trail. But on downhills and taking a few 90-degree turns, I had to slow down and adjust the ankle strap for a secure fit,” she said.—M.P.
Mens 361 Degrees 361-Eleos shown in Microchip/Blaze Runner's World, guiding the brand's shoes and gear coverage. A true shoe dog, he's spent more than a decade testing and reviewing shoes. In 2017, he ran in 285 different pairs of shoes, including a streak of 257 days wearing a different model.
Amanda is a test editor at Runner’s World who has run the Boston Marathon every year since 2013; she's a former professional baker with a master’s in gastronomy and she carb-loads on snickerdoodles.
