More foam spreads each landing over a longer moment, and most runners feel that as soft. Below are the tallest shoes, then lighter ones, cheaper ones, stability shoes and this year's releases.
What we look for in a max cushion shoe
Height at the heel. We go by the maker's heel stack, and more than 38 mm counts here.
A base that stays steady. Tall shoes need a wider sole to stay stable, and runners rate how steady each one feels.
Weight that stays reasonable. Newer foams carry the height with fewer grams, so weight separates them.
The tallest road shoes
Puma
FAST-RB Nitro Elite 2
- Weight
- 250 g (UK 8)
- Stack
- 55 / 47 mm
- Widths
- Regular
Its heel sits 8 mm higher than its forefoot.
Craft
Atmosfär 1
- Weight
- 224 g (UK 6)
- Stack
- 51 / 45 mm
- Widths
- Regular
Its heel sits 6 mm higher than its forefoot.
Adidas
Adizero Prime X 2 Strung
- Weight
- 284 g
- Stack
- 50 / 43.5 mm
- Widths
- Regular
Its heel sits 6.5 mm higher than its forefoot.
Adidas
Adizero Prime X3 Strung
- Weight
- 292 g
- Stack
- 50 / 43 mm
- Widths
- Regular
Its heel sits 7 mm higher than its forefoot.
Hoka
Skyward X 2
- Weight
- 312 g
- Stack
- 48 / 43 mm
- Widths
- Regular
Its heel sits 5 mm higher than its forefoot.
Light max cushion shoes
Adidas
Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2
- Weight
- 136 g
- Stack
- 39 / 36 mm
- Widths
- Regular
At 136 g it's the lightest on this page. Its heel sits 3 mm higher than its forefoot.
Mizuno
Hyperwarp Elite 2
- Weight
- 159 g
- Stack
- 39 / 36 mm
- Widths
- Regular
Its heel sits 3 mm higher than its forefoot.
Skechers
Aero Elite
- Weight
- 167 g
- Stack
- 40 / 36 mm
- Widths
- Regular
Its heel sits 4 mm higher than its forefoot.
Cheap max cushion shoes, $165 or less
361°
BOUNDAI 6
- Widths
- Regular
ASICS
Gel-Cumulus 27
- Weight
- 264 g
- Stack
- 38.5 / 30.5 mm
- Widths
- Regular, Wide (2E)
Its heel sits 8 mm higher than its forefoot.
Mizuno
Wave Rider 28
- Weight
- 235 g
- Stack
- 38.5 / 26.5 mm
- Widths
- Regular, Wide (D)
Its heel sits 12 mm higher than its forefoot.
Max cushion stability shoes
ASICS
Gel-Kayano 30
- Weight
- 264 g
- Stack
- 40 / 30 mm
- Widths
- Regular
Its heel sits 10 mm higher than its forefoot.
Hoka
Arahi 8
- Weight
- 278 g
- Stack
- 39 / 31 mm
- Widths
- Regular, Wide (2E), Extra wide (4E)
Its heel sits 8 mm higher than its forefoot.
ASICS
Gel-Kayano 31
- Weight
- 306 g
- Stack
- 40 / 30 mm
- Widths
- Wide (2E)
Its heel sits 10 mm higher than its forefoot.