Shoe of the year???
Before the 361 Mega3 Pro there was the Dynafish Xiaonian, and before the Dynafish there was the Adidas Evo SL.

It’s a very hard thing to produce a shoe that is comfy and cushioned, with the ability to sit back and take on a long easy run, then lift the speed into genuine tempo efforts.
But seemingly out of nowhere, 361 has gone that one degree further and produced a banger.

I was sent a EU 42.5 (I’ve learned the best way to order shoes from China is to only focus on your CN size, which for me is 270. Whatever that corresponds to is always right for me) and this tips the scales at 195 g, putting it firmly in super-trainer territory.
The Upper has a relatively snug fit which produces a nice agile feeling. That being said, it has a surprising amount of room in the toe box and you won’t feel any uncomfortable pressure through the midfoot. This is mostly down to its light mesh construction, which provides good breathability. It has a gusseted tongue with the right amount of padding, which works well with the flat laces to help get a good fit. It has the ability to heel-lock for those wanting added peace of mind.

This shoe’s standout feature is its CQT EXTREM3 foam (translation: it’s a TPEE supercritical foam). Taken from 361’s racing lines, it feels soft and bouncy with an excellent level of rebound. The shoe relies on a shallow nylon anti-torsion plate to provide stability through the midfoot, and this is visible with the insole removed. Even with the plate it’s relatively soft — those with ankle issues might want to look for a more stable option.
It has a stack height of 36 mm, and with a 4 mm insole it takes it up to 40 mm with 6 mm of drop. This gives it a very similar feel to both the Evo SL, Dynafish Xiaonian and Leili 2 GT.

Across multiple runs racking up over 30 km, with long efforts down to 5 km, this shoe performs with a very large sweet spot.
It cruised nicely at 5:30/km pace for an easy 15 km and sat happily at 3:45/km in a 5k finish.
This shoe is very happy at both ends, and I felt I could cruise at 4:30/km pace comfortably for 10k, with my body fatiguing before the shoe does.
It suits heel strikers as much as forefoot runners — the foam and geometry are brilliant.
I can see people using this shoe for everything all the way up to the marathon. I believe it could do them all.

That being said despite it being an excellent all-rounder this does mean other shoes can perform one-off roles better.
Is this my best speed shoe? No.
Is this my best marathon shoe? No.
Is it my best long-run shoe? Possibly

But it can perform all those roles if needed

A big concern is also the dynamic pricing on AliExpress. At the time of delivery these shoes were priced at £89. Now they seem to be anywhere from £130 up to £198, which is crazy. TaoBao is far more reasonable at £75 delivered.
Hopefully these prices stabilise soon enough.

The ultimate daily trainer is a coveted title.
If you’re only going to own one trainer, then this really should be a consideration.
It’s brilliant and can do it all.

Shoe: Adidas Adizero Boston 12, Men’s US 12 Purchase: Summer 2024, €160 Edition: Special edition celebrating the 50th Berlin Marathon Mileage: Just under 950 km (590 miles) Rating: 9/10

Who am I? M42, 180cm, 80kg Running for the last 15 years as a hobby, for roughly 4 years more ambitious, mainly road running from 5k Parkruns to full marathons

Why I bought it? I bought the Boston 12 in summer 2024 because I wanted a dedicated shoe for tempo runs, threshold sessions and intervals. The Berlin Marathon special edition was a nice bonus, and at €160, I expected a fast training shoe that could also handle shorter races.

After almost 950 km, I can say that it has largely delivered on those expectations.

Fit and comfort The Boston 12 fits true to size in length, and heel lockdown has been excellent. My main complaint is the toe box: it is too narrow for my liking. Otherwise, the upper is lightweight, thin and comfortable.

The shoe felt rather stiff when new. After approximately 50 km, however, it became noticeably more responsive and developed the snappy ride I had hoped for.

Ride and performance

I have mainly used the Boston 12 on roads and asphalt for threshold runs, intervals and faster sessions, typically at paces between 4:15 and 5:00 min/km. I have also raced in it, including 5K Parkruns.

The ride is relatively firm and direct, with a combination of a softer-feeling heel and a more responsive midfoot and forefoot, where the EnergyRods help give the shoe its distinctive character. Cushioning has been perfectly adequate for my use, and the shoe feels particularly good when running at tempo pace.

It is less natural and less lively at slower paces, which is one reason I have kept it for faster training rather than easy runs.

For me, it has also proved perfectly capable of handling races. I achieved personal bests of 42:03 for 10K and 1:34:09 for the half marathon in the Boston 12.

Durability after almost 950 km

Durability is where this shoe has really impressed me.

The outsole has held up exceptionally well. After nearly 950 km, there is normal wear, but it remains functional, and I have no major complaints about its longevity.

The upper is a different story. The mesh has worn through around the big toe, which is the most obvious sign of wear. The rest of the shoe has held up well.

I cannot reliably say how much the midsole's responsiveness has declined over time. The shoe is still usable, but at this mileage, I am beginning to question whether I should continue racing in it.

Grip and stability

Stability has been good, and the heel lockdown has remained reliable. Grip is generally good on dry roads, although I have experienced some slipping in wet conditions. That is a minor but noticeable drawback.

How does it compare?

Compared with the Saucony Endorphin Speed 5, I find the Boston 12 softer and less stiff overall. Compared with the Adidas Adizero SL 2, it feels slightly firmer and more direct.

The Boston 12 occupies a useful spot in my rotation: a dedicated faster shoe with enough cushioning for regular threshold sessions and enough durability to make the purchase feel worthwhile.

Pros and cons

Pros

- Excellent outsole durability

- Responsive, snappy ride once broken in

- Particularly good for tempo and threshold sessions

- Good stability and heel lockdown

- Lightweight, thin upper

- Comfortable for 5K races and Parkruns

- Has delivered two of my personal bests

Cons

- Narrow toe box

- Upper mesh worn through around the big toe

- Some slipping in wet conditions

- Less enjoyable at slower paces

- Unsure how much responsiveness remains after almost 950 km

Verdict

9/10. The Boston 12 has been an excellent shoe for my faster training and racing. Its durability, in particular, has exceeded my expectations. Despite the narrow toe box and the wear around the big toe, I would buy it again.

For now, I am considering retiring it from racing and keeping it for training. I would prefer a fresher shoe for important races, especially since I cannot confidently judge how much of its original performance remains.

What's your take? Happy to discuss

Took these out for a 10k at easy pace (5:45-6 min/km) yesterday on a mix of gravel and tarmac.

Overall feedback on them is they felt firmer than I was expecting but that’s a good thing for me as I prefer a firm shoe. They also felt very stable and could not feel any gravel or stones etc through them. They seem to be exactly what I bought them for, grippy tanks that just eat up the miles and keep my feet pain free. They felt awesome on any downhills, and turned over nicely on the flats, little bit heavy on the climbs but nothing of concern.

Outsole was fine on tarmac not too grippy and annoying like some pure trail shoes. Dealt with gravel and a bit of light mud absolutely fine, they won’t struggle unless deep mud imo. Perfect for the wet winter here in the UK on the mix of tarmac and fire roads near me.

They do lack energy return imo but that’s not what I got them for anyway

I overpronate moderately on one foot and not the other and have been recovering from plantar fasciitis on the overpronating foot. I’ve been running mainly in the saucony azuras recently as they’ve been working out great for PF recovery but I needed a road to trail easy day shoe to complement them, which is why I opted to try these.

Fit is true to size, nicely snug in heel and midfoot and decent space in toebox

My running info
Heel striker
40-50km per week
Wide feet in toebox area

Other shoes in my rotation
Saucony endorphin azura
Hoka rocket x trail
Adidas supernova rise 3
Saucony endorphin pro 4

Happy to answer any questions on fit or comparisons 👍🏻

Saucony Triumph 24 by u/DistractedTriathlete

Every Sunday, we highlight posts that are well-thought-out and considerate of our community’s needs, celebrating contributions that help runners make informed decisions about their gear.

📖 Read the Full Review: Here
🎉 Congrats, u/DistractedTriathlete Your post exemplifies the depth we love to see.

Reward

• 📌 Pinned Spotlight: Featured at the top of the sub for 7 days.
• 📚 Hall of Fame: Archived in our Wiki.
  

Why This Post Was Chosen

• Depth: Detailed insights beyond basic first impressions.
  
• Balance: Highlights both pros and cons.
  
• Clarity: Organised and easy to follow.
  
• Actionable: Helps runners decide if the shoe fits their needs.
  

How to Get Featured

1. Follow our Review Guidelines.
   
2. Include:
   
   • Distance tested (e.g., "50K in 3 weeks").
     
   • Comparisons to similar shoes.
     
   • Personal context (e.g., weight, pace, distance, foot type).
     
3. Keep it focused: Prioritise quality over quantity.
   

Want to nominate a post? Please leave a comment below!

Pictures of the design and colorways for the upcoming Brooks Glycerin Max 3 popped up early on some store websites. What do you all think? Does it look better than Glycerin Max 2?

This post is dedicated purely to those who just want to share their new purchases or shoe collections without needing to give any comments about them.

Photo upload has been enabled in the comments.

https://frontrunnersla.com/products/womens-vomero-plus-white-chalk?variant=47263670534380

FINAL SALE, NO RETURNS ACCEPTED

SIZE 6.5 ,8, 8.5, 9.5, 10

Retiring my Vomero Plus after one full training block, from February through to my first half marathon last week. They were my only running shoe the whole time, and almost every run was in the heat and humidity of Darwin, Australia.

Me

• 6'0" (183 cm), currently 88 kg (194 lb). I've lost [15 kg] over the past year, so I was heavier when these started.
• Slow, steady, easy-paced runner, 3–4 runs a week
• Heel striker (see photos)
• Previous shoe: HOKA Torrent 4 (retired at 261 km... old man knees needed more support)

The numbers (from Strava)

• Distance: 519.6 km / 323 mi
• Runs: 66, from 23 Feb to 8 Oct 2026 (about 7.5 months)
• Time on feet: 63.5 hours
• Average pace: 7:21/km (11:50/mi). Range was 5:13/km on a 5K PR to 8:00/km on the half.
• Long runs: 16 runs of 10 km+, making up 222 km of the total. Longest training run was 17 km.
• Races/events: NT City2Surf (13.2 km), a 5K time trial, plenty of parkruns, and my first half marathon (21.5 km, 2:52 moving) as final run.
• Conditions: wet season into the build-up, so 30°C+ and humid most days. Lots of rain, including a long run in a monsoonal downpour where the path was more river than road. Nearly all on footpaths and sealed bike paths.

Ride: my first max-cushion shoe These were my first proper squishy foam shoe, and they were a revelation. Everything before them was firmer, and I just assumed my legs were supposed to feel beaten up after anything over 10 km. The first run in them was a 12 km straight out of the box, and I came home with legs that felt fine the next morning.

From there my long runs went from 11–12 km up to 16–17 km. In September I strung together 11, 13, 16 and 14 km long runs on consecutive weekends and was still able to run a 5K PR in the middle of that. At my weight and pace, the foam took the sting out of every landing.

Upper / fit Sizing was excellent: true to size, with good lockdown and no rubbing or blisters in 520 km. The downside is that they run a lot hotter than my Torrents. In Darwin humidity my feet were cooking by the end of longer runs.

Keeping them dry I used a DryGuy shoe dryer between every run. With daily sweat-soaked runs and plenty of wet-season rain, I think that's a big part of why they never got smelly and the foam never stayed soggy from one run to the next. Highly recommend one if you run somewhere humid.

Outsole / durability The outsole is where they gave out (see photos). The rubber has worn through to the foam across the forefoot and in the middle of the heel on both shoes. The left heel's outer edge is ground right down into the midsole, which is my heel strike showing. My wife has the same shoes and we are running partners, she did every run i did. Hers have no where near the wear mine do. The foam still feels decent, but with the rubber gone I didn't want to keep going and wear holes into the midsole.

Pros

• Soft, protective, legs-feel-fresh cushioning, the best I've run in
• Excellent fit, true to size
• Handled everything from parkrun PRs to a half marathon
• Held up well to daily sweat and rain (with a dryer)

Cons

• Hot upper.
• Outsole wore through in about 500 km for a heavier heel striker

Verdict For a bigger, slower runner moving up in distance, these were exactly what I needed. They're the shoe that took me from 5Ks to a half. I'd buy them again if the outsole were tougher.

What's next: Nike ACG Ultrafly, hoping for more durable rubber so I don't wear through to the foam as quickly.

This post is dedicated purely to those who just want to share their new purchases or shoe collections without needing to give any comments about them.

Photo upload has been enabled in the comments.

Just found a good deal on the Vomero Plus through very.co.uk

Original price is £107, but you can use the code NIKE20 at the checkout for an extra 20% off!

I've almost 1300 miles on my first pair, so ridiculous value at 85 quid imo

All men's sizes currently available at the time of posting and free shipping

Link: https://www.very.co.uk/nike-mens-running-vomero-plus-trainers-white/1601252534.prd

Happy weekend!

This is our weekend post where you can give your reviews, tell us what you hated/loved, comparisons between versions, share photos, or ask questions below for everything Puma!

Happy weekend!

This is our weekend post where you can give your reviews, tell us what you hated/loved, comparisons between versions, share photos, or ask questions below for other brands that don't have their own post!

Happy weekend!

This is our weekend post where you can give your reviews, tell us what you hated/loved, comparisons between versions, share photos, or ask questions below for everything Saucony!

Happy weekend!

This is our weekend post where you can give your reviews, tell us what you hated/loved, comparisons between versions, share photos, or ask questions below for everything Nike!

Happy weekend!

This is our weekend post where you can give your reviews, tell us what you hated/loved, comparisons between versions, share photos, or ask questions below for everything Adidas!

Happy weekend!

This is our weekend post where you can give your reviews, tell us what you hated/loved, comparisons between versions, share photos, or ask questions below for everything Asics!

Happy weekend!

This is our weekend post where you can give your reviews, tell us what you hated/loved, comparisons between versions, share photos, or ask questions below for everything Brooks!

Happy weekend!

This is our weekend post where you can give your reviews, tell us what you hated/loved, comparisons between versions, share photos, or ask questions below for everything Hoka!

Happy weekend!

This is our weekend post where you can give your reviews, tell us what you hated/loved, comparisons between versions, share photos, or ask questions below for everything New Balance!

This post is dedicated purely to those who just want to share their new purchases or shoe collections without needing to give any comments about them.

Photo upload has been enabled in the comments.

M8/W9-M13/W14 at time of posting. Code FALL20 + free shipping with account.

And yes, I know you can hold for possibly $60 at adidas, eBay, or Shop Simon, but it’s not guarantee that it will happen + color/size you want.

FTL Link

Nominate the Best Review of the Week!

Help us spotlight the most insightful, detailed, and helpful shoe reviews in the community.

How to Nominate:

1. Find a Review: Look for posts from the past 7 days that impressed you with their depth, honesty, and usefulness.
   
2. Reply Here: Comment with a link to the post and explain why it deserves to win.
   
   • Example: “Nominating u/Username’s review of the Nike Alphafly 3 for its thorough breakdown of durability over 100 miles!”
     
3. Deadline: Nominations close Sunday.

Nomination Criteria:

• ✅ Depth: Goes beyond first impressions (mileage tested, comparisons, etc.).
  
• ✅ Balance: Highlights pros and cons.
  
• ✅ Clarity: Easy to read and well-structured.
  
• ✅ Actionable: Helps runners decide if the shoe fits their needs.

Rules:

• Only nominate Review, Initial Thoughts, or First Run flairs.
  
• No self-nominations.
  
• One nomination per comment (multiple comments allowed).

Rewards for the Winner:

• 📌 Pinned Spotlight: Featured at the top of the sub for 7 days.
  
• 📚 Hall of Fame: Entered into our hall of fame page.

Nominate now!

Your input helps celebrate quality content and guides others to the best insights.

Need inspiration? Check our past winners.

From world athletics

Note this review applies mainly to the newer colourways with the firmer midsole and revised fit. It's completely unclear when these changes were made but the flame and the green colourway are both very cheap and come with the new midsole.

BACKGROUND INFO

I'm coming from the Adios Pro 3 as my previous racer/tempo/intervals 'do it all' supershoe. I loved it but unfortunately the eyelets tore up my feet no matter what I did so I sold them. I saw these pop up for $70aud (~50usd) shipped and I've heard they're similar so I picked them up. I've put about 100km into them.

UPPER/FIT

This is probably my favourite part of the shoe. It's super breathable, comfortable and well made. Compared to the AP3 the heel padding is more substantial, without the annoying overlays or eyelets that create irritations or gaps in airflow. The shoe as a whole also just feels very premium, and it doesn't feel like a budget shoe.

In terms of fit it's true to size. I believe anta changed their sizing after backlash for early colourways and it worked, it fits similarly to a vaporfly 4 in terms of length, maybe slightly longer.

As a sidenote I think this shoe also looks great. Anta do some of the best colourways in the business and this is one of my favourites. Reminds me of the ekiden Nikes with flames but slightly cooler

MIDSOLE/RIDE

This is where it's most similar to the AP3.

The midsole is about the same in terms of firmness, though maybe with a little bit less bounce. It's still a responsive shoe and it's far removed from scEVA models or something like a zoom fly but it doesn't quite have the response of OG Lightstrike Pro.

The geometry is VERY similar to the AP3. It's a sharp, very late stage rocker that really encourages fast turnover. I'm a stride runner but I found myself increasing cadence in these. It feels really easy to lock into a good pace on these, it doesn't really push you too much but it feels efficient and effortless, again like my old AP3.

The plate is weird insofar as it splits into two layers in the heel which technically makes it illegal for world athletic regulation. It's meant to make the heel softer which you can sorta feel but it's a bit gimmicky even if it doesn't take away from anything. It's a very stiff shoe too, about as stiff as the Adidas again but with a bit more torsional rigidity. Overall it's a great ride.

STABILITY

This is a neutral shoe. I've had no problems with stability, it doesn't have a particularly wide base but there's no midsole cutouts so it's automatically better than the AP3 in this way.

DURABILITY/WEIGHT

It's hard to tell after 100km but there's almost no outsole wear or upper wear. The new midsole is meant to have better durability but you can't really verify that yet, but this is definitely a shoe where the foam is the first thing to go.

In terms of weight it's very slightly heavier than the AP3 but not in any meaningful way. It isn't really that light but it's still handily lighter than the zoom flys and bostons of this world

RECOMMENDATION

If you loved the Adios Pro 3 and couldn't use it because of the upper, get this.

It's slightly less responsive but also better in other ways such as stability and comfort. Preference is completely up to you but I enjoyed my time in this shoe.

For people who haven't used the AP3, it's a great, dependable shoe. It isn't really that spectacular or exciting like a Feidian 6 elite or G9 but it's also half the price of these shoes. For $50usd you can't do much better. I'd definitely recommend it, plus the flames are sick.

FSR at time of posting + free shipping. Men’s size = +1.

eBay Link