Launch 12

Giant stack heights and soft, “bouncy” foam are ALL the rage right now. Even many long standing models are moving in that direction (like New Balance 1080 and Nike Vomero). Hoka used to be the “OMG so much cushion” brand and now many traditional models have considerably more than Hoka. Brooks Ghost and Adrenaline have much higher stack height than they used to, but overall the feel of the shoe is much more similar to what shoes felt like 5 years ago. Glycerin (the regular models-not the Max or Flex) is also not too far off (but again, much softer and higher stack than what used to be the case). Adidas Supernova Rise is a really nice middle of the road option (also frequently available on sales for less than $75). Supernova Solution is the stability version. Saucony Ride or Guide (for stability) are again…softer and higher stack than shoes used to be, but are pretty close to what they were 5 years ago. Nike Pegasus (the regular Pegasus-not plus, premium, etc) hasn’t been updated since the ‘90’s. So that’s going to also be pretty close to how shoes felt 5 years ago. But generally speaking, everything is becoming max stacked, with “bouncy” foam that is generally quite soft. That is the rage these days and what people seem to buy up in droves. So that’s what shoe companies are creating. Example: nearly everything that ASICS makes. Those shoes can be tons of fun and a lot of them make running feel a bit easier with more energy return than traditional shoes. But they feel like pouffy trampolines. Which is dramatically different than the shoes of 5-10 years ago. If you want something a little lower stack that has more advanced foam, something like Hoka Cielo Road could be a good option. Brooks’ Hyperion 3 or Launch 11/12 could also work. New Balance Rebel is still pretty soft and squishy, but it’s lower stack than much of what’s out there. Hoka Mach 6 is also a nice shoe. Not squishy, lower stack and fairly peppy. And Saucony Kinvara is a nice bland, low stack shoe with foam that hasn’t seen an ounce of innovation in 20 years. So that’s always a low stack, safe bet as well.

Brooks Launch 11/12 has a lower stack height, which is good for gym work but also has good cushioning for walking and light running.

You might want to look at hyrox type shoes. Personally I’ve liked the brooks launch for gym + cardio. They’re pretty firm and stable so unless I’m really lifting heavy I don’t have any issues.

I'm trying to break 3:30 and I don't have super super shoes, but I do have ones with carbon (mostly cause I'm cheap and there is no way I'm spending over $300 on a pair of shoes). So I'm rocking the Puma Deviate Nitros and yes it does help me go faster, but not tons but still makes a difference cause the first marathon I ever ran was in Brooks Launches - a very neutral shoe that wasn't very forgiving, but it was light. Anyways I think it's worth it if you are trying to hit a certain goal and shave off minutes because I do know that it will give you about a 2% bump in production. Note - I noticed someone said the zoom fly 6 in the thread - I tried them and they absolutely wrecked me every time I ran in them, not sure why I wanted to like them, but dang my calves were so sore afterwards.

Brooks Launch, a slow runner but super functional.