2026 trends: foam and democratization

Carbon-plated super shoes now dominate marathon racing — but which ones are actually the best right now? Michael Doyle and Alex Cyr break down the definitive 2026 super shoe power rankings, using elite marathon podium data, real-world shoe usage from the Chicago and New York City Marathons, and hands-on testing of every major racing shoe (00:00). They reveal which brands truly dominate the podium (18:55), count down the top 10 super shoes in the world (27:10), debate the Nike Alphafly 3’s place in history (52:20), and crown the best super shoe available today (01:04:15). The episode wraps with predictions for where super shoe technology is headed in 2026 and beyond (01:19:45).

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Marathon Handbook Super Shoe Power Rankings (Winter 2026): 1. Adidas Adios Pro Evo 2 2. Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 3. ASICS Metaspeed Tokyo (Sky / Edge) 4. Nike Alphafly 3 5. Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 6. Adidas Adios Pro 4 7. ASICS Metaspeed Ray 8. On Cloudboom Strike LS 9. Adidas Adios Pro Evo 1 (V2) 10. New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite 5Alex Cyr’s Top 10 Super Shoes: 1. Adidas Adios Pro Evo 2 2. Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 3. ASICS Metaspeed Tokyo (Sky / Edge) 4. Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 5. Nike Alphafly 3 6. ASICS Metaspeed Ray 7. Adidas Adios Pro 4 8. Adidas Adios Pro Evo 1 (V2) 9. New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite 5 10. On Cloudboom Strike LSMichael Doyle’s Top 10 Super Shoes: 1. Adidas Adios Pro Evo 2 2. ASICS Metaspeed Sky/Edge Tokyo 3. Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 4. Nike Alphafly 3 5. Adidas Adios Pro 4 6. ASICS Metaspeed Ray 7. Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 8. On Cloudboom Strike LS 9. Nike Vaporfly 4 10. Tracksmith Eliot RacerPrevious Power Rankings (Summer 2025) 1. Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 2. Adidas Adios Pro Evo 1 3. Nike Alphafly 3 4. Adidas Adios Pro 4 5. ASICS Metaspeed Sky/Edge 6. Saucony Endorphin Elite 2 7. On Cloudboom Strike LS 8. ASICS Metaspeed Ray 9. Nike Vaporfly 4 10. Tracksmith Eliot Racer 11. On Cloudboom Strike 12. Brooks Hyperion Elite 5

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