Best Running Shoes 2026 (Not What You Think)

[00:00:00] Most runners, they buy their shoes in the wrong order. They walk into that running store, they see the flashy $300 carbon plate shoes on the wall, and then they buy it for their daily 5K three mile easy park loop. Then they wonder why their knees hurt and why their wallet is empty. But there’s an exact order that you should buy your running shoes in.

[00:00:18] If you get it right, you run better and you spend less. Get it wrong. You waste money on shoes you never actually wear. I’m about to show you that order, and by the end of this video, you’ll know exactly which shoe to buy first, which shoe to add, second, and which to save for last, no matter which brands you like.

[00:00:33] And I’ll show you how this applies to all of those brands. Soy, Nike, Asics, Adidas. Hoka Brooks New Balance and more. I’m Daren D Lake certified run coach. I’m not a shoe head, but I’ve bought a lot of shoes over my last 30 years of running and I made probably every shoe mistake in the book. I bought the wrong models, wasted money on hype, ended up with a closet full of shoes I wore twice, and literally gave them away this order.

[00:00:57] It changed everything for me. It helped me to go sub three hours in the marathon and 1645 in the 5K, and it could do the same for you. No more overthinking, no more wasted money. Just the right shoes at the right time so you can focus on what actually matters. Running better, faster, longer, easier. Whatever your goal is, let’s get into it.

[00:01:16] The mistake, most runners start with the wrong shoe. They see a sleek carbon plated shoe in the store window again. $300, $450 Australian. If you live in Australia like me, cutting edge technology endorsed by elite athletes, they assume that’s what serious runners need. So you buy it first. Yes, it’s now you.

[00:01:34] Then you wear it for your easy 5K jogs. Again, around the park. It feels harsh. Your legs are sore, you’re not running any faster, and now you’re out 300, 350, 400 plus dollars. That’s like buying a Formula One car to learn how to drive is backwards. Can you guess what the problem is here? It’s not the shoe.

[00:01:51] It’s not the store, it’s not even the price. Even though the price is high, it’s the order you bought it in. There’s a buying order that works. Let’s get into it. So there’s science behind all this. This is obviously something that I’ve learned, but I’m gonna back it up with evidence and research. A 2015 study in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science and Sports Track.

[00:02:09] 264 runners for 22 weeks. These runners who rotated between multiple pairs of shoes had a 39% lower injury risk than runners who wore the same type of shoe for every run. The researchers think it’s because different shoes stress your body in different ways, so you don’t get hammered in that same way every single day.

[00:02:25] The variation, it’s protective, so it’s not about having the right shoe, it’s about having the right shoes plural, and buying them in the right order. Here’s the three tiers of shoes the whole system revealed. First shoe you buy the daily, everyday workhorse, the grocery getter, the one that you don’t mind parking.

[00:02:44] I’m doing car analogies here. This is the one boring, durable, protective shoe. It’s the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla of running shoes. Super, super reliable. Every brand makes one. The shoe handle 70%. Of your kilometers, miles, whatever your runs, your easy runs, your long runs, your recovery days, it handles all of that.

[00:03:04] It’s built to last probably in the three to 500 mile range, which is about 500 to 800 kilometers without falling apart. Some people can get more. And feel like it’s not breaking. So try if you want, this is not the shoe on the front page of the magazine. It’s the shoe in the back corner of the store or the bottom of the rack, but the shoe, it keeps you running.

[00:03:23] Examples. Nike Pegasus, A six Gel. Cumulus Saucony. Rod Brooks Ghost New Balance, eight 80 Hoka Clifton. How do you know it’s the right one? Put it on in the store. Jogging place for a couple minutes. If you can go outside with them and they let you. Cool. If you can go on the treadmill even better, do some side shuffles.

[00:03:41] If nothing pinches rubs or feels wobbly, that’s your shoe. Don’t overthink it. Pick one. Running it. Pro tip, that took me a long time to learn. Once you wear through your first pair and you like them. Don’t throw them out. Keep them as your rain and mud shoes. Dirt soap and washing machines. Break down the foam in your shoe faster.

[00:04:00] I’ve heard this from multiple shoe reps, so just want to have some caution. And you know what? Use your beat up pair for bad weather and keep your fresh ones fresh so you have a rotation technically of six shoes. You’ll have the rainy, dirty. Of easy and then I’ll go into the other ones. Alright? But before I show you the second and third shoe to buy, if you wanna actually use these shoes the right way and build a training plan that allows you to get 1% better each week, I got something for you.

[00:04:26] I made a free training plan and cheat sheet that breaks down exactly how to structure your runs, avoid injury, and how to use the right shoe for the right run. It’s free. It’s at the QR code. Right here, a link below in the episode, show notes or description. And while you’re here, if you want to help out another runner, you can do one or all of these things.

[00:04:42] Watch this till the end. The algorithm tells all these runners that they need certain shoes. You can like and subscribe if you haven’t already, you could share this out. Shoot a link to another runner, throw it in their dms. Anywhere, WhatsApp, text, Strava, Instagram, et cetera. Email or comment. What’s your favorite?

[00:04:59] All around? Do it all shoe. So I could build a library and track it over time as new shoes come out. I might even give that out for free if people want that. So just tell me what’s your favorite. All do it. All basic AF shoe. Let me know. Now, back to the second shoe that you need. This is a fun one. I love this one actually more than third one.

[00:05:17] Once you’re running four to five times per week for at least three months straight, you can earn this. You can add this. This shoe is lighter bouncier. It has a bit of pop. It makes your tempo runs and long runs feel easier. This is the shoe that makes you think, oh, this is what fast feels like. But it’s not a race shoe yet.

[00:05:34] And it’s also not boring either. This shoe costs more usually in the, I’d say a hundred to 200 USD range, but it’s worth it once you’ve built the consistency examples. Nike Tempo Next Percent or Pegasus Plus, Asics Magic Speed. The Saucony Endorphin series, which I love, I love personally, they did not pay me to endorse them.

[00:05:54] Uh, please Soy, gimme some more shoes. You did it in the beginning. Gimme more Brooks Hyperion Tempo. Ho a mock or rocket new balance Fuel cell rebel, which I actually like and Asics Nova blasts are some models in this mid-range. I also love the Asics Nova Blatt. I’ve had them personally. The first model I heard they gotten even better.

[00:06:11] Use this shoe for your temp runs, long runs, even some VO two max stuff, longer VO two max workouts, like uh, four by five minutes or something, and any workout where you’re running faster than talking pace. Even throw ’em on for strides or hill repeats, but you only buy this after you’ve logged serious miles in shoe number one, which leads to the third and last shoe.

[00:06:32] You buy the weapon. This is your race day shoe, carbon plate rocker, premium technology, maximum energy return, all the bubbles on the side and the squish melon. Stuff like Nike and stack like New Balance and just looks like a big marshmallow that you’re eating. This shoe is for when you’re chasing a specific time goal for your 5K, 10 K half, or full marathon.

[00:06:52] When you’ve done the training and you need every edge on race day. So some examples, Nike Vapor Fly or Alpha Fly. I’ve had the first version of Vapor Flies and didn’t love them, but I heard they got better. And then people compete and constantly complain about how Alpha Fly are better for Marathon, but not, I don’t get it.

[00:07:07] Someone tell me in the comments, which one’s better Vapor Fly or Alpha Fly if you want. Asics meta speed Sky Sacony endorphin Pros. I think there’s a SoCon Endorphin elites also. I haven’t tried those. I have the pros. I love the pros. Brooks Hyperion Elite. Hoka, Clio X. I’m sure there’s a bunch of other Hokas out there that I heard about.

[00:07:25] New Balance Fuel Cell, SC Elite. The list goes on and on and on. Save this shoe for the two to three hard workouts in the last few weeks of your training block, or fast long runs that are race dress rehearsals and for race day. That’s it. This shoe has a short lifespan. Some people say only, I don’t know, 200 to 250 miles, which is like.

[00:07:45] 350 to 500 kilometers. Other people say you can go longer. Some people say they die at like 80 miles, 150 kilometers. I don’t know. Mine have been lasting around 400 to 500 Ks and then I get rid of them. So the reason to save this is because you really want it for race day. You don’t wanna wear the mountain training and then they’re not as peppy because I also hear that the carbon wears out over time and it’s not as effective the longer you wear them.

[00:08:11] You know the order, but which brand should you actually pick? Here’s the good part. The buying order works for every brand. You don’t need to memorize this ’cause the idea is dead simple. Every brand makes these types of three shoes. Start with your daily cushy workhorse, then add the light, quick fun one.

[00:08:27] When you’re consistent, then add that race day weapon. Alright, so, uh, I’ve already kind of gone over everything, so I’m just gonna put it. On here. If you’re watching, boom. Here’s the, the list that I found online. Boom. I got some text list version of it. I put together a little infographic. Uh, so it all makes sense because I’ve gone through all this for the whole episode.

[00:08:45] It’s just here in the text form. So just pause the screen, take a screenshot. I’ll have actually a link to the training plan so you can get this screenshot of the list of everything. So I just make it really easy. It’s in that free training plan and you’ll sign up for the newsletter, et cetera. Again, if you haven’t already, go grab that free training plan if you want to actually get faster, or you just want the cheat sheet that breaks down the structure of your runs, which run to use with which shoe, a pairing little list, and it might help you avoid possibly injury.

[00:09:16] It’s at the QR code right here. On the screen or link below if you’re listening in the show notes or if you’re on YouTube, just click on that link in the episode description. That third Fast Race Day shoe is the last one in the lineup that you should get after you’ve mastered the first two. Find out why I tell most runners to take their time with super shoes and how running in them all the time might destroy your body.

[00:09:36] Check out that episode below in the show notes here, or the episode description or right there. You tap that video right there on YouTube. Happy Shoe Runnings Peace.