The Best Super Shoes of 2026: Carbon-Plated Power Rankings (Nike vs Adidas vs ASICS vs Puma)

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).This episode is brought to you by the Wahoo’s KICKR RUN – go to https://⁠wahoofitness.com⁠ and use promo code MHRUN to get a free $319 KICKR Headwind Fan with your treadmill order.And by Momentous. Use promo code MARATHON for up to 35% off your first order: ⁠livemomentous.comMarathon 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📩 Questions about training, race previews, or to send us your hot takes? Email us at [email protected].🎤 Leave us a voice memo for our mailbag episodes: marathonhandbook.com/podcast📸 Instagram: @marathon.handbook📘 Facebook: @marathonhandbook📰 Join 265,000+ runners getting our daily newsletter: marathonhandbook.com/newsletter👍 Like, subscribe, and drop your questions in the comments.🎧 Audio version available wherever you get podcasts + watch the video version on Spotify.📺 Subscribe on YouTube for weekly running deep dives.#SuperShoes #RunningShoes #MarathonTraining #CarbonPlated #MarathonRacing #NikeRunning #AdidasRunning #ASICSRUN #PumaRunning #RunningPodcast#NikeAlphafly3 #NikeVaporfly4 #AdidasAdiosProEvo2 #AdidasAdiosProEvo1 #AdidasAdiosPro4 #ASICSMetaspeedSkyTokyo #ASICSMetaspeedEdgeTokyo #ASICSMetaspeedRay #PumaFastRNitroElite3 #SauconyEndorphinElite2 #NewBalanceFuelCellSuperCompEliteV5 #NewBalanceFuelCellSuperCompEliteV4 #OnCloudboomStrike #OnCloudboomStrikeLS #TracksmithElliotRacer #HokaCieloX1 #HokaCieloX1V2 #HokaRocketX3 #BrooksHyperionElite5 #UnderArmourVelocityElite3 #DiadoraGaraCarbon2 #PumaDeviateNitroElite3 #AdidasPrimeXEvo #MizunoWaveRebellionPro #TYRCarbonElite #CEPOmniSpeed #Xtep160X35Pro #AntaCarbonPlate