If you haven't felt the sensation you get when, after a few kilometers of warm-up jog, you switch into your interval shoes, I believe you still have one of the coolest running experiences ahead.
The feeling of your pulse dropping at rest but still kept active by the adrenaline in your body as you unpack the interval shoes from your bag. The adrenaline obviously comes from your warm-up, but also the thought that this is where the fun begins.
Maybe your fingers tingle as you tie the laces, and you only half-listen to your training partners' chatter. You're about to enter the zone. The zone you use when facing a tough challenge or when you need to unwind.
Help choosing interval shoes
These shoes all share a balance between comfort and speed. They are neither the volume training shoes, where comfort is the focus, nor the race shoes, where speed is prioritized. Here, both aspects are prioritized.
Balancing the two is not easy, but sometimes the brands hit the mark. You can use this balance to your advantage since one brand's higher prioritization of comfort might make a shoe more relevant to you than one that prioritizes speed over comfort. And vice versa, of course.
Comfort over speed
Overall, I would say a shoe where comfort is prioritized over speed is aimed at two runners
- The marathon runner: You, who runs long intervals (5+ minutes) at relatively low intensity (half-marathon, marathon pace).
- The new interval runner: You, who seeks your first interval shoe. You will notice a big difference from your regular volume training shoes due to technologies like stiffening plastic plates and super foam.
These shoes are often a safe choice because they resemble volume training shoes in comfort.
Speed over comfort
Shoes that prioritize speed over comfort are also aimed at two types
- The tempo runner: You, who runs short intervals (1-5 minutes) at relatively high intensity (1500m – 10k pace).
- The marathon runner: You, who runs long intervals but is willing to sacrifice comfort for a more versatile shoe that can also handle speed work (Hill sprints – 10k pace).
These shoes are sometimes criticized for feeling a bit dull compared to modern maximum stack shoes, but make no mistake: they excel at energy return for a fast feeling.
We've rated each shoe on both speed and comfort, with a high score (10) indicating that the shoe prioritizes this aspect highly, so you can make the right decision.
Our five choices
ASICS Sonicblast
- Weight: 256g (US9), 223g (US7.5)
- Drop: 8mm
- Comfort: 6
- Speed: 8
On this list, two 'new' shoes have made their place: The rest build upon previous generations. One of the two is from , and here we have a shoe with enormous potential. At first glance, the shoe looks like one that prioritizes speed, but as soon as you step into it, there's no doubt.
The midsole is higher than other ASICS interval shoes, and the combination of FF BLAST MAX and FF Turbo2 foam delivers outstanding comfort. The PEBAX plate stabilizes and adds pop to your stride.
Saucony Endorphin Speed 5
- Weight: 242g (US9), 214g (US7.5)
- Drop: 8mm
- Comfort: 8
- Speed: 6
Possibly the safest interval shoe you'll find on the market. Period. In the fifth version, comfort is back on top after a few generations of narrow toe boxes. is the shoe most will be able to run in because comfort is paramount. Yet, every runner would also notice a clear difference from their volume training shoes.
The plastic plate stiffens the already responsive PWRRUN PB. It's no coincidence that the Endorphin Speed series won the running shoe of the year several years in a row. It does almost everything – durability, speed, comfort – well above average.
adidas EVO SL
- Weight: 228g (US9), 196g (US7.5)
- Drop: 6mm
- Comfort: 7
- Speed: 7
adidas delivers the second shoe that made the list with its first generation. has quickly become a shoe you can't avoid in the cityscape. Almost as fast as the shoe itself. One detail about adidas' incredibly light shoe is that it doesn't use plate technology. Instead, the shoe's speed comes precisely from its weight.
The shoe uses the same super foam, Lightstrike Pro, as the race shoes , but by omitting stiffening elements in the midsole, you get a less aggressive shoe that trains your body's own aggressiveness: Combine that aggressiveness with the carbon plate shoe on race day, and there's not much that can hold you back.
Nike Zoom Fly 6
- Weight: 252g (US9), 210g (US7.5)
- Drop: 8mm
- Comfort: 5
- Speed: 9
Nike has gone the opposite way. In you find not just the same foam as in the top models from the American brand: Nike has simply pampered their legendary interval shoe with a full-length carbon plate in this generation. The plate is not as aggressive as its larger counterparts, but it works better for more moderate paces.
Compare again with the race shoes, Vaporfly or Alphafly, and the Zoom Fly offers an outstanding upper that not only hugs your foot. It also lasts many more miles than its larger counterparts. This is probably the most aggressive shoe on the list, scoring highest on the speed parameter.
New Balance Rebel V5
- Weight: 226g (US9), 180g (US7.5)
- Drop: 6mm
- Comfort: 9
- Speed: 5
Something that is hard to explain is how the lightest shoe on the list can also score highest on the comfort parameter. I certainly can't explain it. But that's how it is with .
The midsole is what differentiates this from the others: A FuelCell combination of the super foam PEBA and soft EVA foam provides a thoroughly pleasant running experience. So pleasant, I might call it soft: The shoe is not made for the very short and intense intervals. But for you, who need a shoe for longer, less intense runs
running the roads thin at marathon pace, the Rebel V5 is an excellent choice.
Hopefully, you are now informed about what to look for in your next interval shoe.
These were our top five from last year, and among them, you can likely find one to suit your needs.
And if not, you can find our entire selection of interval shoes and all our training shoes .
