How much faster will I be?

In a lab study of fast runners, a prototype super shoe lowered the energy cost of running by about 4 % against older racing shoes; other studies found results ranging from a clear benefit to none, or even a small loss, for individual runners. The only way to know is to try them at your race pace.

Should I train in super shoes?

Some sessions, so race day is not the first time. A common approach is to keep easy and long runs in regular trainers, which also saves the expensive foam.

Introducing super shoes (carbon-plated, high-stack shoes) safely

Written by David Kleman, who runs ShoeGeometry (not a clinician). Not reviewed by a medical professional. Research sources checked 2026-10-04; see what the research shows.

Super shoes combine a tall, springy foam with a stiff plate and a rocker. In the first lab study, a prototype cut the energy cost of running by about 4 % compared with established racing shoes, but later studies found the effect varies a lot between runners, from a clear benefit to none, or even a small loss. They also change how the foot and calf work, and sports doctors have described navicular (midfoot) bone stress injuries in runners using carbon-plated shoes (five cases in highly competitive runners; a case series cannot show the shoes caused them). The usual advice is to introduce them like any big shoe change: short, easy runs first, then faster sessions, over six weeks or more, with most training still in your usual shoes. A plated trainer with a higher drop and a wider base is a gentler first step than a racer.

See someone before changing shoes if…

Pain on the top or inner side of the midfoot, especially one tender spot: stop and get it checked; a navicular stress injury heals slowly and must not be run through.
Pain in one spot on any foot bone, or pain that builds during runs.
You have had a bone stress injury before, have missed periods, or may not be eating enough for your training: discuss it before adding super shoes.
Achilles or calf pain that is worse the morning after runs in them.

These are common warning signs, not a diagnosis. If one applies, have a physiotherapist, podiatrist or doctor look at it before changing shoes.

Achilles tendon · Plated racers and a sore Achilles: why drop and rocker both matter.
Stiff big toe · Why stiff, rockered racers can suit a stiff big toe, as race-day shoes.

Before you change shoes

A shoe is one of several things that load this area, and usually not the biggest. Before or alongside a shoe change, look at how much you run, how fast, how hilly, and whether anything changed recently. If your current shoes are comfortable and not worn out, you may not need new ones.

What helps more than the shoe: Training matters more than the shoe, and the shoe's gain is not guaranteed: in a lab study, the energy saving of advanced shoes ranged from about 10 % better to slightly worse in amateur runners. Sports doctors who described navicular stress injuries in runners using carbon-plated shoes advise a slow, gradual switch. (Knopp 2023; Tenforde 2023)

Free exercise guide by physiotherapists at E3 Rehab: Foot and ankle strength. We are not affiliated with E3 Rehab, and they have not reviewed this page.

What loads it

Super shoes have three parts: a tall midsole (often around 40 mm at the heel) of light, springy foam, a stiff plate (usually carbon) and a pronounced rocker. Together they return energy and roll you over the forefoot, so the toe joints bend less and the calf works differently.

The heel is often narrow for its height and the drop is often lower than in trainers, so the ankle has to control a taller, less stable platform, and the calf and Achilles can work harder, especially if you run on the forefoot at speed.

Most running in them is fast, which already loads the foot, calf and Achilles more than easy running.

What to look for in a shoe

A drop close to what you are used to: Many racers have a 4–5 mm drop, while many trainers have 8–10 mm. A drop of 6 mm or more is a smaller change for the calf and Achilles if you come from a higher-drop shoe.
A base that is wide for its height: Tall shoes tip more easily; a wider heel for the same height is steadier, especially on corners and on tired legs.
A plated trainer first: Plated trainers and tempo shoes have the same idea in a more durable form, usually with a higher drop and a wider base, which coaches treat as a gentler first step than a racer (experience, not tested). Their plates can be as stiff as a racer's, so don't move all your easy runs into one at once.
A shoe you have run fast in: Fit and comfort at race pace matter more than an energy saving you may not get.

Where the load goes

The plate and rocker take bending away from the toe joints and change how the calf works at push-off, while the tall foam and often narrow heel ask more of ankle stability, and a lower drop or a soft, compressing heel adds calf and Achilles load. Sports doctors suspect the changed mechanics can load the midfoot bones more.

Every shoe feature moves load rather than removing it

Feature	Tends to ease	Tends to add load on
Higher drop	Achilles and calf; the ankle range needed	Front of the shin (a longer heel lever at landing); the knee a little
Lower or zero drop	Front of the shin; the knee a little	Achilles, calf and plantar fascia; the forefoot bones, especially in a sudden move to minimal shoes (Ridge 2013)
Stiff, rockered forefoot	Big-toe joint; pressure under the forefoot; calf work at push-off	Pressure under the heel; the midfoot while you adapt (Sobhani 2014)
Stiff, flat forefoot	Big-toe joint	Calf and Achilles (a longer lever to push against)
Tall, soft cushioning	Impact at landing	Ankle stability (outer and inner ankle); the Achilles if the heel sinks (O'Leary 2008)
Low, firm shoe	Ankle stability demand	Impact and shock (more injuries in harder shoes in one trial, in lighter runners) (Malisoux 2020)
Medial support (stability shoe)	Inner ankle and arch	May push the foot towards its outer edge

Mostly mechanical reasoning; a source is given where it has been measured. It also explains why two guides can recommend opposite drops.

What to be careful with

Racing in a super shoe you have not run in several times, including at race pace.
Using a racer for every run, especially easy and long runs on tired legs.
Switching in the same weeks as more mileage or speed, or soon after a bone stress injury.

Terrain

Best: Flat, dry road and track straights.
Be careful with: Tight corners, cambered roads, wet cobbles and long downhills, where tall shoes are least stable.
Trail: Plated trail shoes exist; on technical ground a stiff plate and a tall stack let the foot adapt less to the surface, so start on smooth, runnable trails.

Combine the shoe with

Your usual trainer: Keep most easy running in the shoe you are used to; use super shoes for some sessions and races.
Calf and foot strength: Common advice is calf raises and foot exercises alongside the switch, since the shoe changes how both work.
The race course: Tall shoes are least stable on cambered roads, tight corners and wet cobbles; try them on similar ground in training first.

Check in the shop

Bend the shoe: it should bend at the ball of the foot (or barely at all, for a stiff big toe or forefoot pain), never in the middle.
Twist it: it should resist.
Press the heel counter with your thumb: it should not collapse.
Length and width: about a thumb's width beyond the longest toe, and the widest part of your foot over the widest part of the sole.
Try shoes later in the day, in your running socks and with any insert you use.
Judge comfort over a few real runs, including some at your usual pace, not only in the shop.

What the research shows

Each point says whose evidence it is: runners, walking, a clinical group not studied while running, or mechanical reasoning that has not been tested.

Energy savingRunning evidence
In 18 fast runners, a prototype carbon-plated shoe lowered the energy cost of running by about 4 % compared with two established racing shoes, in every runner tested; the study involved the shoe's maker. In a later lab study, the effect of advanced shoes ranged from 11 % worse to 11 % better in world-class runners and from about 10 % better to 1 % worse in amateurs, with a medium average benefit over racing flats in its meta-analysis; two of its authors worked for another maker. (Hoogkamer 2018; Knopp 2023)
InjuriesRunning evidence
Sports doctors described five navicular bone stress injuries in highly competitive runners using carbon-plated shoes and recommended a slow, gradual switch. A case series cannot show how common this is or that the shoes caused it. (Tenforde 2023)
Stability of tall shoesRunning evidence
In 17 healthy runners, a 50 mm shoe gave longer foot eversion than a 35 mm shoe and lower hip stability than a 27 mm shoe; injuries were not studied. (Kettner 2025)

Not known

How the injury risk of super shoes compares with regular shoes.
How long a switch-over is long enough.

References (all sources cited on this page)

Knopp M, et al. (2023). Variability in running economy of Kenyan world-class and European amateur male runners with advanced footwear running technology: experimental and meta-analysis results. Sports Med. PMID 36862339
Tenforde A, et al. (2023). Bone stress injuries in runners using carbon fiber plate footwear. Sports Med. PMID 36780101
Hoogkamer W, et al. (2018). A comparison of the energetic cost of running in marathon racing shoes. Sports Med. PMID 29143929
Kettner C, et al. (2025). The effects of running shoe stack height on running style and stability during level running at different running speeds. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. PMID 40059889
Ridge ST, et al. (2013). Foot bone marrow edema after a 10-wk transition to minimalist running shoes. Med Sci Sports Exerc. PMID 23439417
Sobhani S, et al. (2014). Effect of rocker shoes on plantar pressure pattern in healthy female runners. Gait Posture. PMID 24370440
O'Leary K, et al. (2008). Effect of cushioned insoles on impact forces during running. J Am Podiatr Med Assoc. PMID 18202332
Malisoux L, et al. (2020). Shoe cushioning influences the running injury risk according to body mass: a randomized controlled trial involving 848 recreational runners. Am J Sports Med. PMID 31877062
Malisoux L, et al. (2015). Can parallel use of different running shoes decrease running-related injury risk?. Scand J Med Sci Sports. PMID 24286345
Nigg BM, et al. (2015). Running shoes and running injuries: mythbusting and a proposal for two new paradigms: 'preferred movement path' and 'comfort filter'. Br J Sports Med. PMID 26221015

Switching to these shoes: weeks 1–6

A common way to introduce a new shoe, as a rule of thumb rather than a tested plan:

Weeks 1–2: One or two short, easy runs a week in the new shoe; the rest in your current pair.
Weeks 3–4: If the mornings after are no worse, about half of your easy runs.
Weeks 5–6: Long runs, then faster sessions.

Bigger changes take longer: a drop 4 mm or more lower, 10 mm or more of stack difference, a first plated shoe, much more toe spring (a strongly rockered shoe), or zero drop, which can take months. In one study, more than half the runners who moved to minimalist (barefoot-style) shoes, gradually over 10 weeks, showed early bone stress in the foot on scans. (Ridge 2013)

Do not change shoes in the same weeks as you increase mileage or speed.
Do not race in a shoe you have not run in several times, including at race pace.

Normal

Muscle soreness that fades within a day or two.
Feeling different muscles working.

Not normal

Pain in one spot on a bone: stop and get it checked.
Tendon pain that is worse the next morning: ease off the last change, and get it checked if it does not settle.
Numbness or tingling: get it checked.
Pain that changes how you run: stop running in the new shoe.

For this area: Start with strides and short easy runs, then a session at race pace, then a long run, before racing in them. Expect the calves and the top of the foot to notice the change; pain in one spot on a bone is a stop sign.

How big is your change? Compare your current shoe with a new one

Keeping more than one pair in use was linked to fewer injuries in an observational study of recreational runners. (Malisoux 2015) Use the list as a shortlist of a few shoes to try on, then let comfort decide: researchers have proposed that runners choosing the shoe that feels most comfortable tend to pick one that suits how they move. That is a proposal, not a proven rule. (Nigg 2015)

Current shoes with these characteristics

Which sounds like you?

Choosing one re-weights the list below; it is not a diagnosis.

Compared with my current shoe

The size of the change from what your legs are used to matters as much as the numbers. Pick your shoe to see the difference for each listed shoe.

Required: propulsive plate (carbon or carbon-composite plate, or a Pebax, nylon or TPU plate in a racing or tempo shoe (stabilising plates in everyday trainers and trail rock plates do not count)); heel 35 mm or more (heel stack ≥ 35 mm). Ranked by these preferences: drop 6 mm or more, counts double (drop ≥ 6 mm); wide for its height (heel base width at least 1.18 × (heel stack + 40 mm of foot) (median of measured shoes)); built for training (a trainer or tempo shoe, not a racer: more durable and usually more stable); heel under 45 mm (heel under 45 mm: in a lab study, a 50 mm shoe let the foot roll in for longer than 27–35 mm shoes); shoes meeting the same ones are ordered by how clearly they meet them. Left out unless needed to list at least 5 shoes, then marked with a caution: low drop: a big change from 8 mm or more (drop under 4 mm: moves load to the calf and Achilles if you are used to a higher drop); tall and soft: less stable, the heel can sink (heel 45 mm or more with a firmness score under 35). Medians and thirds are over the shoes measured on this site; photo estimates are compared by thirds because only clear differences are reliable. Only the latest version of each model is listed, and shoes without a value for a characteristic are not counted as matching it. This is a shortlist to try on, not a ranking of the best shoe for you: comfort in the first few runs decides.

Road

Shoe	Why it is listed	Drop	Heel	Forefoot	Width ÷ height	Toe rocker	Stiffness	Weight
Saucony Endorphin Trainer	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Wide for its height Built for training Heel under 45 mm	8 mmStated	41 mmStated	33 mmStated	1.24	—	93Derived	281 gStated
Saucony Endorphin Elite 3	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Wide for its height Heel under 45 mm	8 mmStated	39.5 mmStated	31.5 mmStated	1.18	31 %est.	54Derived	207 gStated
Adidas Adizero Boston 13	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Built for training Heel under 45 mm	7 mmStated	37 mmStated	30 mmStated	1.09	37 %*est.	39Derived	255 gStated
ASICS Magic Speed 5	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Built for training Heel under 45 mm	7 mmStated	36 mmStated	29 mmStated	1.03	36 %*est.	27Derived	196 gStated
New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainer v3	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Built for training Heel under 45 mm	6 mmStated	40 mmStated	34 mmStated	—	35 %est.	—	298 gStated
Nike Zoom Fly 6	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Built for training Heel under 45 mm	8 mmStated	40 mmStated	32 mmStated	1.10	41 %*est.	71Derived	265 gStated
Puma Deviate Nitro 4	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Built for training Heel under 45 mm	8 mmStated	38 mmStated	30 mmStated	1.09	35 %*est.	78Derived	250 gStated
Salomon GRVL Concept	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Built for training Heel under 45 mm	6 mmDerived	43 mmStated	37 mmStated	—	33 %est.	—	261 gStated
Saucony Endorphin Speed 6	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Built for training Heel under 45 mm	8 mmStated	38 mmStated	30 mmStated	—	31 %est.	—	230 gStated
ASICS Sonicblast 2	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Built for training	8 mmStated	46 mmStated	38 mmStated	—	35 %est.	—	241 gStated

Showing the top 10 of 32 matching road shoes.

2 more shoes match but carry a caution; shoes with a caution are shown only when fewer than 5 qualify without one.

Trail

Shoe	Why it is listed	Drop	Heel	Forefoot	Width ÷ height	Toe rocker	Stiffness	Weight
Brooks Cascadia Elite	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Wide for its height Heel under 45 mm	6 mmDerived	40 mmStated	34 mmStated	1.26	38 %est.	39Derived	266 gStated
Nike ACG Ultrafly Trail	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Wide for its height Heel under 45 mm	8.5 mmStated	38 mmStated	29.5 mmStated	1.20	36 %est.	46Derived	267 gStated
New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trail v2	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Heel under 45 mm	8 mmStated	39 mmStated	31 mmStated	—	38 %*est.	—	278 gStated
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite Trail	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Drop 6 mm or more Heel under 45 mm	6 mmStated	36 mmStated	30 mmStated	—	38 %est.	—	272 gStated
ASICS METAFUJI Trail 2	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Heel under 45 mm	5 mmDerived	41.5 mmStated	36.5 mmStated	1.02	39 %est.	70Derived	255 gStated
Hoka Tecton X 4	Propulsive plate Heel 35 mm or more Heel under 45 mm	5 mmDerived	39 mmStated	34 mmStated	—	37 %est.	—	271 gStated

Questions

How much faster will I be?: In a lab study of fast runners, a prototype super shoe lowered the energy cost of running by about 4 % against older racing shoes; other studies found results ranging from a clear benefit to none, or even a small loss, for individual runners. The only way to know is to try them at your race pace.
Should I train in super shoes?: Some sessions, so race day is not the first time. A common approach is to keep easy and long runs in regular trainers, which also saves the expensive foam.
Are super shoes bad for my feet?: They have not been studied enough to say. They are a big change: sports doctors have described navicular stress injuries in runners using carbon-plated shoes and recommend a slow switch. Pain on top of the midfoot is a reason to stop and get checked.

Other guides

Measurements are explained on the Learn pages and in the methodology.