Treat your feet to an extra pillowy ride.
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Why do we wear running shoes? Because pavement is hard, and foam is soft. It sounds simplistic, but it’s true.
One of the most important characteristics of a running shoe is midsole padding, which cushions your body from the harsh impact each time you press your feet into the ground, then step through and launch yourself forward into your stride. Simply put, Wearing a heavily cushioned shoe reduces the impact of running on your body.
And lately, runners seem to be increasingly interested in optimizing for comfort: Shoe designs are indeed getting thicker, bouncier and more comfortable as manufacturers create innovative new cushioning materials that open the door to lighter shoes with thicker padding.
Thick, cushy shoes used to be relegated to slow and sluggish trainers, but now even top-of-the-line racing shoes have plenty of squish. We’re living in the golden era of cushioning, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t recommend our favorite ultra-plush, cushioned running shoes.
Stack height refers to the height of your shoe’s footbed, or the material between your foot and the ground. Taller, thicker shoes with more padding typically feel softer, and modern shoes are definitely thicker than they used to be. Almost all of the shoes in this guide put an inch of cushioning beneath your forefoot and close to 1.5 inches beneath your heel.
While padding makes a shoe more comfortable, there are downsides to a tall stack height. Traditionally, more padding means more material and, by extension, a heavier shoe. And as you add more squishy padding between your foot and the ground, the midsole may begin to wiggle beneath your foot, almost like you’re running on Jello. More than an unsettling feeling, an unstable shoe could increase your risk of foot or ankle injury.
High-end shoes like the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 minimize the downsides of heaping on padding by using new, lighter cushioning foams that offset the extra weight. To maintain stability, they employ stability features and hard midsole plates that can stabilize the midsole and increase a shoe’s springiness.
Right now, these innovations make running shoes more expensive–thick, highly cushioned shoes that cost $150 or less are still typically pretty hefty. That said, like all new shoe features, they will trickle down to more affordable shoes over time.
The type of padding used in your shoe’s midsole can be just as important as the amount of padding. Modern running shoe midsoles employ a variety of foam materials, and shoe companies continue to find ways to modify, blend or replace tried-and-true cushioning materials like ethylene-vinyl acetate foam (EVA) with new lightweight alternatives.
Let’s start with the basics: EVA foam has been the cushion of choice for many years, and is still the most popular material in the wider world of athletic shoes. It’s lightweight, soft and reasonably durable, but doesn’t return as much energy as other materials. Many shoe brands like Hoka and Asics have created their own EVA-based cushioning materials that are lighter and bouncier than standard EVA.
Shoe brands also use thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), a durable material that returns more energy than EVA foam but also weighs more. Likewise, thermoplastic elastomer foam (TPE) combines the softness of a plastic-based foam with rubber for additional durability. Some high-end midsoles feature a blend of TPU or TPE and EVA to create a balance between softness and durability.
Finally there’s polyether block amide (PEBA), an ultralightweight TPE variation that delivers exceptionally high energy return. PEBA is expensive and degrades relatively fast, losing its springiness after 200 to 300 miles. Given that, it’s usually reserved for high-end racing racing shoes like Nike Vaporfly 3.
Outside the realm of high-end racing shoes, well-padded running shoes almost always weigh a little more than a “responsive” racing shoe with a low stack height. If you’re training for speed or planning to compete in your new shoes, we’d encourage you to note how much they weigh.
If you’re looking for shoes to help you go fast, we’d recommend shoes that are less than 10 ounces in a men’s size 9, or less than 8 oz in a women’s size 7. That said, there’s nothing wrong with wearing heavier shoes when you’re not after a PR.
The absolute best of the best cushioned running shoes can have it all–thick padding and low weight. The materials shoemakers use to achieve that, like PEBA, are expensive. If your budget is less than $250–and, let’s be clear, that’s a lot–chances are you will have to find a balance between padding and “speed” that feels right.
Since its founding in 1966, Runner’s World has been one of the premiere publications for enthusiast runners, including walkers, joggers, sprinters, trail runners, marathoners and more. Recommending high-performance running gear has long been a core part of our mission, and our more important endorsements come from the RW test team, which wears and tests the performance of the latest and greatest running equipment, from running shoes and clothes to treadmills and fitness trackers. In 2024, the test team includes Runner-in-Chief Jeff Dengate, and Test Editors Amanda Furrer and Morgan Petruny.
In addition to the editors’ personal testing, the test team solicits feedback from the Runner’s World wear test program, which curates impressions from more than 275 runners from all different backgrounds to make sure we get a wide variety of perspectives. (Sounds fun? Runner’s World+ subscribers can sign up to join the team!)
The best cushioned running shoes were selected by the test team’s Amanda Furrer, based on her personal expertise and feedback from the wear test program. The author, former Runner’s World test manager Dan Roe, also weighed in with additional insights and recommendations.
These shoes earned high praise from us for their excellent padding and strong running performance wherever we wore them, be it road or trail, workouts or races, marathons or short tempo runs.
The Runner’s World 2024 Shoe Award-winning Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 tore up the rule book on what a single shoe can accomplish. It weighs just an ounce more than Nike’s record-breaking Vaporfly 3 and Saucony’s leading super shoe, the Endorphin Elite, thanks to a lightweight, bouncy PEBA-based midsole cushioning, but costs about $100 less.
Far from a budget alternative, though, running in the Endorphin Speed feels like a party trick–equally soft and responsive underfoot while racing, running a workout, jogging through a rest-day or pounding out a long run.
To stabilize its notable cushioning, it sports a midsole plate—made from nylon, rather than carbon fiber—which keeps the foam in check. It also features Saucony’s signature “Speedroll” shape, which curves the front end upward starting at the midfoot to push you onto your toes sooner for a faster, more efficient stance.
“I’ve been using the Speed for marathon base building and all kinds of workouts: fartleks, tempos, race-pace intervals,” said Runner’s World test editor Amanda Furrer. “It lets me feel a little super-shoe magic similar to the Pro, without wearing down my carbon fiber–plated pair before race day.”
For the Endorphin Speed 4, Saucony widened its stance to make it feel more stable. The extra width combines with an engineered mesh upper that holds your midfoot steady while allowing your toes room to splay, factors that make the shoe sure-footed despite being taller than most. Our only issue was in the shoe’s tongue, which is lightweight and well-ventilated but tended to migrate to one side or the other during a run.
Nowadays, you could forgive a $100 running shoe for being competent but bland. Reebok’s Floatride Energy 5 asks for no such accommodations. The distinctive design makes it one of our favorite neutral running shoes for daily training, and just happens to be a screaming deal.
The Floatride Energy 5 features a TPU-based cushioning that delivers more bounce and durability than the EVA-based midsole you’d usually find in shoes at this price point. While the padding isn’t as thick as that on our other picks, the dense TPU still creates a comfortable ride.
“They are soft enough to wear on a recovery day, and responsive enough to wear on a tempo run,” one wear tester said. “If I were going on a trip and could only bring one shoe, I think I’d take this one.”
A lightweight mesh upper helps keep the overall weight down, so the Floatride Energy 5 is no slouch on tempo runs. That said, our testers didn’t love the lacing system, noting that the laces that don’t move easily for minor fit adjustments.
“Moving and pulling on the laces is a little challenging, and it doesn’t seem to improve the snugness to make the slight adjustments I am looking for,” the tester said.
Despite an imperfect upper, the Floatride Energy 5 is a durable neutral trainer with deluxe cushioning at a bargain price.
Fresh off a Runner’s World 2024 Shoe Awards win, the redesigned Hoka Mach 6 takes a great shoe design and makes it even better. In previous models, Hoka juiced the midsole with a partial helping of its Supercritical EVA cushioning—a more porous EVA foam that weighs less and delivers more energy return: Taking things to the next level, the Mach 6 midsole is made entirely of the lighter, bouncier stuff.
“They feel very soft, but in a responsive way—not a sink-your-feet-in way,” said one wear tester. “I got in some pretty solid long runs, which progressed nicely in pace, and these shoes felt great at each one of those paces.”
The Mach 6 also adds a thin layer of rubber to the bottom of the outsole, adding grip and preventing you from wearing out the padding too quickly. Up top, there’s a creel jacquard upper that testers lauded for its comfort and secure fit.
The shoe does run slightly narrow in the forefoot, so keep that in mind if your pinky toe is the place where too-small shoes tend to rub first. If you’re after a pleasantly plush shoe that feels good at every pace, don’t overlook the Hoka Mach 6.
The Saucony Guide 17 flips the script on traditional stability shoes, which typically add dense foam for extra structure and support, often at the expense of a smooth heel-toe transition and a bouncy feel underfoot.
Instead, the Guide 17 keeps it light with a modest plastic brace in the arch that gently guides your foot through pronation without stiffening the shoe too much. The midsole features a layer of plush of Saucony’s Pwrrun EVA cushioning, which keeps it as plush and comfortable as its neutral counterpart, the Ride 17.
Saucony also gave the Guide 17 a wide stance and raised the sides of the midsole to cradle your foot for a stable ride. Testers agreed, calling the shoe comfortable and praising it for a snug fit. They also noted that Pwrrun foam didn’t provide as much pep as modern cushioning materials found in other high-end shoes.
While the Guide 17 may not pack the excitement of other modern cushioned trainers, its combination of stability and smoothness underfoot earned it a Runner’s World Shoe Award.
Brooks could hardly sit back as the running shoe industry cranked out taller, softer and plusher trainers without updating the Glycerin, its flagship neutral shoe. Indeed, after introducing Brooks’ new DNA Loft V3 foam—a lighter, softer, and more energy-returning EVA variant—the Glycerin 21 doubles down with an extra 2 mm of padding.
“It’s not a fast-feeling shoe… But the Glycerin worked really nicely for a long run that included two-mile and one-mile intervals at race pace,” one tester said. “I would definitely buy this shoe as a daily running shoe for half and full marathon training.”
The Brooks Glycerin 21 remains one of the thickest and softest neutral cushioning shoes on the market: It’s a bit pricey, but you can feel the extra plush in every step.
Sometimes it’s tough to put one foot in front of the other. Hoka’s cartoonishly oversized Bondi 8 is perfect for those recovery days when you just need to get out the door and shake the leftover lactate out of your legs after a hard workout.
The Bondi 8 is a heavily stacked shoe. The heel is a millimeter taller than the very well-padded Brooks Glycerine 21, and it has an upturned shape that helps to take the edge off each touch-down— helpful when you’re plodding along with heavier legs than usual. At the same time, Hoka switched to a lighter, softer cushion than it used in the Bondi 7, further enhancing the plushness of an already luxurious shoe.
There is a tradeoff here: At nearly 11 ounces in a men’s 9 and almost 9 oz for a women’s 7.5, the Bondi 8 is the heaviest shoe we recommend. The height and heft won’t go unnoticed, but that’s okay on a recovery run.
If you’re a runner with wide feet, or often feel pain and discomfort along the outside of your foot while running, Topo Athletic’s Phantom 3 offers a wide platform and excellent cushioning. Its foot-shaped construction doesn’t taper to a point at the forefoot the way many running shoes do: The wider construction allows your foot to swell and your toes to splay out without running up against the sides of the shoe. The shoe narrows in the midfoot to keep the fit snug, although runners with particularly narrow feet may still find the fit loose and sloppy.
The shoe’s 33 mm of cushioning in the heel and 28 mm of forefoot foam provide a soft, forgiving ride. Despite having one of the thinnest midsoles on our list, the Phantom 3’s cushioning still feels notably plush thanks to a dual-density midsole construction that pairs a soft foam for comfort at touch-down with a denser foam to soak up impact forces and return energy at toe-off. Combined with the shoe’s wide stance, the relatively thin midsole helps it feel stable underfoot, making it ideal for runners who don’t feel well-supported by taller and narrower shoes.
If your idea of trail running involves charging up and over obstacles instead of picking them apart, you’ll love the Hoka Speedgoat 5. With a tall chunk of EVA foam in the midsole, Hoka created a shoe that’s thick enough to absorb rock strikes. That allowed the company to avoid inserting a rock plate, which would stiffen the shoe and add weight. Instead, the Speedgoat 5 feels light and agile underfoot, despite its chunky profile.
The upper and outsole are both tougher than Hoka’s road-focused designs, with the upper sporting a double layer of jacquard mesh for protection against debris and a tough Vibram Megagrip outsole armed with 5mm lugs.
There’s always a catch, though: In this case, the Speedgoat’s tall build makes it a bit unstable compared to other, shorter trail shoes. Make sure you’ve dialed in the fit before you take it through a chunky rock garden.
With overbuilt exteriors and hardy midsoles, Altra’s Timp trail shoes never lacked for ruggedness. In fact, they were almost too rugged for trail running—more people used them for hiking than running, Altra co-founder Brian Beckstead told Runner’s World earlier this year.
The Timp 5 endeavors to put a little more pep in your step without sacrificing the toughness and grip that people loved about previous iterations. Altra shaved the weight down with a streamlined upper and used a more responsive midsole foam compound.
According to a handful of wear testers using the shoe, the effort is mostly a success. Though they’re stiff out of the box, our wear testers found the Timp 5 turns into a sturdy, protective trail shoe once you break it in.
“The Vibram outsole was sturdy enough that speedy descents over rocks and roots were not a problem at all,” one tester said. “I could worry less about where my foot was landing during my trail runs.”
The feeling is not for everyone. One wear tester said she never got the Timps broken in enough to accommodate her natural stride. Still, we’re big fans of the Timp 5 makeover, which earned it a 2024 Runner’s World trail shoe award.
Enough to make running enjoyable so you can run longer—that’s the short answer. Every runner’s needs are different. Some people require very little cushioning because their feet and ankles are well-adapted to absorbing shock. Others need a lot of padding to mitigate pain in their steps. The only way to learn what you like is to try different shoes. Eventually, you’ll find that there’s an amount of cushioning that makes it easier to run further.
If you’re here, that means you’re inclined to look for shoes with more padding rather than less, but keep in mind that it is possible to have too much of a good thing.
Yes, if your shoe is overly padded and lacks a stable base or support elements, they may start to feel wobbly under your feet. If your foot doesn’t feel comfortable–if the shoe squirms beneath you or it feels like you’re walking on Jello–then you won’t be able to enjoy your run. You may even risk injuring yourself if you lose your balance.
Again, you won’t know how much is “too much” until you try a pair on and it doesn’t feel right. If you’re concerned about needing extra guidance, stability shoes like the Saucony Guide 17 use subtle stability measures like internal plastic plates that minimize the impact of overpronation, but can provide support in highly cushioned shoes.
It’s easy to turn your shoes and look at whether they’ve worn down the outsole treads, but we find that it’s better to pull out the sockliner (or insole) and check the inside. When your running shoes start to break down, you’ll feel the damage in the foam first: Check for indentations from your foot’s metatarsal heads in the forefoot of the shoe.
Since most shoes have less cushioning up front, that’s where you’ll start to notice foam that has compressed or “packed out,” at which point it no longer offers much cushioning. If there’s a trench running across the forefoot of your running shoe from your metatarsal heads compressing the midsole foam, it’s time to get a new pair.
A former Division 1 runner, Dan grew up riding fixies and mountain bikes and now reviews everything from performance running shoes to road and cross bikes, to the latest tech for runners and cyclists at Bicycling and Runner’s World.
Amanda is a test editor at Runner’s World who has run the Boston Marathon every year since 2013; she's a former professional baker with a master’s in gastronomy and she carb-loads on snickerdoodles.
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