If only you were able to find them, it would be New Balance RC Elite v2. Those shoes were fantastic for beginner marathoners. Exceptional comfort and a good bit of propulsion, too. v3 and v4 are similar from comfort perspective and are relatively lightweight, so you will be good with them, too.
Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 — outstanding option. That's my go to racer. V4 has become slightly more aggressive, although still very stable and comfortable. It also has better upper. If you can still find v3, go for it, otherwise v4 is a great option as well.
Hoka Mach X2 / X3. Amazingly comfortable and propulsive trainer with a towering stack of around 45mm in the heel. X3 has better and more safe heel collar, but it's slightly heavier. X2 can be a nightmare for some runners, so I was able to put a small patch to the heel to prevent achilles rubbing. Worked like a charm and added almost no weight at all.
Go for Mach X3 if you can find it to avoid this fuss. The shoe is truly great.
Adidas Evo SL, Asics Superblast 2 — traditional safe bets for an efficient tempo long run.
I'm a New Balance guy. However, I got hurt using SC Elite v4 after my last 10k race. So this 2026 I changed my racing shoes to Reebok FloatZig X1 and they are pretty awesome! Another cool thing is, you wont see anyone wearing them which gives you an exclusivity feels. lol
I have the SC elite v4 and SC trainers v3 in 2E wide, the rebel v4 in D width. If those shoes fit you, you'll be fine with EVO SL :). They accommodate wide feet
Side note: they're my favourite shoes in my rotation :D
Yup. I’m in no way a fast runner (4:57 marathon) but the SC Elite v4 is night and day difference when I’m using any other shoe from my rotation. It def keeps my hr lower on my faster paces compared to my non plated shoes. I also just bought it coz it’s on sale. Bought around $120 in Tokyo lol.
ASICS S4 is specifically designed for runners working on a sub-4 marathon. It is sublime at a 9 min pace. It’s not my favorite for any other pace. But it’s a solid choice for his pace.
Endorphin Pro 4. It’s less harsh than the 3, so it’s a more agreeable ride.
SC Elite v4. Not the fastest, but is likely the most agreeable plated race shoe around.
Adios Pro 3 if you can find them. I wouldn’t use the 4. 3 is much more firm/stable.
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3. Also a very agreeable plated shoe-but also fast. V2 is less smooth and has less oomph.
These are shoes that will work with a variety of foot strikes and are reasonably forgiving for poor form and less speedy paces. None will force a very fast turnover that your friend will likely struggle to keep up with (which will ultimately make him run a slower time).
Good luck. I’m curious what the bet is.
Top Road Running Shoes on Reddit
1
ASICS
SUPERBLAST 2
71% positive of 805 users
Marathon workhorse, but loud and clunky at slow paces.
Mr_Lovermann_Shabba
