Brands we track
10 brands, 34 model lines. Every brand updates its lineup on its own schedule, and each one handles a redesign differently. Open a brand to see the lines we document and how each has changed version to version.
Adidas
Adidas was founded in 1949 by Adi Dassler in Herzogenaurach, Germany, where it is still based, after the split with his brother Rudolf that produced Puma across town. It is the world's second-largest sportswear company, and its running range is anchored by the Adizero performance family (Boston, Adios, Adios Pro) alongside the Ultraboost and Supernova trainers. Its signatures are marathon record chasing, Continental rubber outsoles, and the Boost-to-Lightstrike Pro foam lineage.
Adidas Adizero Boston, Adidas Adizero Adios
2 lines tracked
Altra
Altra started in 2009 in Logan, Utah, where Golden Harper reshaped store-bought running shoes in a toaster oven to bring the heel down level with the forefoot. Every Altra since runs on that premise: zero drop, and a toebox shaped like a foot instead of a wedge. VF Corporation has owned the brand since 2018.
Altra Lone Peak, Altra Timp, Altra Torin
3 lines tracked
Asics
Asics owns two of the most loyal followings in running, the Gel-Kayano and Gel-Nimbus, and rebuilt both from scratch in 2023. That redesign made a generation of loyalists into old-stock hunters.
Asics Gel-Kayano, Asics Gel-Nimbus, Asics Novablast, Asics GT-2000, Asics Gel-Cumulus
5 lines tracked
Brooks
Brooks builds conservative, fit-focused trainers and changes them slowly. That makes its shoes a common landing spot for runners burned by a bigger brand's redesign.
Brooks Ghost, Brooks Adrenaline GTS, Brooks Glycerin, Brooks Cascadia
4 lines tracked
Hoka
Hoka built its name on max-cushion midsoles and low drops. Its shoes ride differently enough from traditional trainers that switching in takes an adjustment period.
Hoka Clifton, Hoka Bondi, Hoka Mach, Hoka Speedgoat, Hoka Challenger
5 lines tracked
Mizuno
Mizuno started in Osaka in 1906, when brothers Rihachi and Rizo Mizuno opened a shop selling baseball goods, and it still runs from Osaka today. Its running identity dates to 1997: the Mizuno Wave, a corrugated thermoplastic plate that cushions and stabilizes mechanically instead of leaning on foam alone. In the US it is the enthusiast's brand, loved loudly by a base far smaller than its rivals have.
Mizuno Wave Rider
1 line tracked
New Balance
New Balance has made running shoes since 1906 and still sells serious trainers in real width options, narrow through 4E extra-wide, which no other big brand does consistently. Its plush 1080 flagship anchors the road lineup.
New Balance 1080, New Balance 880
2 lines tracked
Nike
Nike updates its running lines on a strict yearly cycle, which means beloved versions disappear fast. The Pegasus is the longest-running example, on sale in some form every year since 1983.
Nike Pegasus, Nike Structure, Nike Vomero, Nike Invincible
4 lines tracked
On
On started in Zurich in 2010, after Olivier Bernhard glued sections of a garden hose to a shoe sole chasing a soft landing with a firm push-off. Nike had already passed on the idea. Every On since runs some version of it: hollow CloudTec pods that collapse on impact, usually over a plastic plate called a Speedboard.
On Cloudmonster, On Cloudsurfer
2 lines tracked
Saucony
Saucony runs a broad stable of daily trainers and speed shoes. Its updates tend to be incremental, with the occasional foam swap that splits the fanbase.
Saucony Ride, Saucony Kinvara, Saucony Endorphin Speed, Saucony Triumph, Saucony Peregrine, Saucony Hurricane
6 lines tracked