Best Stability Running Shoes 2019
Introduction
Stability running shoes, sometimes referred to as support running shoes or guidance running shoes, are designed for runners who pronate more than a neutral runner (often referred to as over-pronation). Over-pronation occurs when a runner’s ankle rolls too far inward during the time between foot strike (landing) to toe off.
Stability running shoes typically include additional support features to stabilise the foot, ankle and knee during the landing phase of the running gait cycle. A main support feature typically seen in a stability running shoe and often omitted from a neutral or cushioning shoe is a medial post. The medial post is a firmer piece of the shoe, typically made out of plastic or a higher density EVA, built into the medial side (inside) of the shoe designed to assist with inward motion guidance or control.
With a diverse range of stability running shoes on the market in 2019, it can be difficult to choose which stability shoe is right for you (unless you’re one of those people whose only criteria for selecting a running shoe is how it looks!). To help you differentiate between the signal and the noise out there with the plethora of stability running shoe options on the market, we’ve put together a quick list of our top 3 stability shoes that are our absolute favourite shoes to run in this year! We’ve also outlined a quick blurb on why these stability running shoes are our favourite. We’ve clocked at least 100km’s (in many cases a lot more than 100km) in each of the shoes that we recommend below.
Top 3 stability running shoes 2019
Having looked at and run in a range of stability running shoes in 2019, we’ve arrived at the following best stability running shoe recommendations this year:
- Saucony Guide ISO 2
- Mizuno Wave Inspire 15
- New Balance 860v9
Starting from the top…
Saucony Guide ISO 2
The Saucony Guide ISO 2 is a sub-300 gram, 8mm stability running shoe that features Saucony’s ISOFit upper system and EVERUN mid-sole cushioning for a great fit and a firm, responsive ride with energy return. The Guide ISO 2 has been designed by Saucony for those runners requiring mild to moderate pronation support.
We’ve personally racked up a lot of k’s in the Saucony Guide ISO 2, training for a number of marathons and then running the 2019 Boston Marathon in the Guide ISO 2 and they have stood up well to everything thrown at them, be it speed or distance work.
There are three main reasons that we love the Guide ISO 2. The first is the ISOFit lacing system. It takes a little getting used to at first, but Saucony’s relatively new lacing system, with it’s finger-like design, pulls the upper snugly into the tongue, giving you a secure, comfortable fit feeling across the top of your feet and around the heel, when lacing up and running in the Guides. The second thing we love about the Guide ISO 2 is it’s 8mm heel-to-toe drop, making it a low-bulk stability running shoe, allowing for easier mid-foot or forefoot striking. The Tri-Flex outsole (sawtooth pattern on the outsole) allows the shoe to flex in all the right places, post-foot strike. Lastly, the Saucony Guide ISO 2 has a lovely but slightly stiff feel the first time you head out for your first run in them. In our experience, the Guide ISO 2 takes around 50-75k to properly break in, reduce in stiffness and feel more cushioned and comfy but once broken in, they are even more delightful to run in.
One small, insignificant criticism of the Guide ISO 2 was that the shoe wasn’t as breathable as the other shoes we tested. This factor varied depending on the socks that we ran in, with thicker socks obviously providing less of a feeling of breathability.
Despite this one potential drawback of the Guide ISO 2, we cannot rave enough about this model as a great multi-purpose training and racing shoe – capable of a quick 5k at a Parkrun on Saturday morning, through to a Boston qualifier in the marathon and everything in between!
SAUCONY GUIDE ISO 2 KEY STATS
- Weight: 292g (men), 255g (women)
- Heel-to-toe drop: 8mm (27mm heel, 19mm forefoot stack height)
- Surface: Road, track
Read a detailed review of the Saucony Guide ISO 2 or shop the Saucony Guide ISO 2 Women’s and Saucony Guide ISO 2 Men’s online.
Mizuno Wave Inspire 15
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 15 is another popular option in the stability running shoe line up. The Wave Inspire 15 has been designed for daily running, predominantly for use on roads and track and is ideal for runners who naturally heel strike.
At 12mm, the Mizuno Wave Inspire 15 sports the largest heel-to-toe drop in our top 3 stability running shoes. Don’t be fooled into thinking this means that this best-selling Mizuno shoe is a bulky, heavy, old-school stability shoe, it’s far from it!
The first time we laced up the Wave Inspire 15 and headed out for a run, we immediately noticed how soft the shoe’s cushioning was, especially in the heel. While the shoe felt plush and a little bouncy at times, overall the Wave Inspire 15’s ride was on the stiffer, responsive side. Providing runners with a moderate level of stability, the Mizuno Wave Inspire 15 feels a little more stable than the Saucony Guide ISO 2, likely due to the Mizuno’s signature Wave Plate and our feet feeling like they sat lower in the Wave Inspire 15 than the Guide ISO 2, making it feel like it hugged the heel more. Overall, the Wave Inspire 15 has a lovely feel to it that makes running in it, especially slower, longer distance training runs, an absolute joy.
We love the look and feel of the Mizuno Wave Inspire 15 in both men’s and women’s styles. The Inspire 15’s two-way engineered stretch mesh upper breathes extremely well and feels very comfortable on. The upper is further enhanced by the silver hot melt upper overlays and signature runbird (Mizuno) logo, giving the shoe a sleek look that keeps the weight down to sub-300g in the men’s and sub-250g in the women’s shoe.
MIZUNO WAVE INSPIRE 15 KEY STATS
- Weight: 292g (men), 247g (women)
- Heel-to-toe drop: 12mm (36mm heel, 24mm forefoot stack height)
- Surface: Road, track
Read a detailed Mizuno Wave Inspire 15 review or shop the Mizuno Wave Inspire 15 Women’s and Mizuno Wave Inspire 15 Men’s online.
New Balance 860v9
Now in its 9th iteration, the New Balance 860 is one of New Balance’s best-selling, most popular shoes. Designed for over-pronators, the New Balance 860 is a 10mm heel-to-drop stability shoe that weighs a little more than the two other shoes at around 327 grams in the men’s 860 and approximately 272 grams in the women’s 860.
The 860’s no-sew synthetic/mesh upper design is extremely breathable and is, like Liam Hemsworth or Miranda Kerr (depending on your preference), extremely pleasing on the eye! Our pick of the colours this season is Black with Magnet – Black has been in vogue in athletic footwear for a number of seasons now and its benefit of being a wear-with-anything shoe, especially with colourful printed women’s activewear, we don’t see black going anywhere (black is the new, err… black!).
The soft TruFuse midsole and blown rubber outsole are both highly durable, allowing you to rack up the k’s in your training without retiring these shoes too early. New Balance’s T-Beam medial post has received a healthy reduction in size in this version of the shoe and runs from the middle to back section, providing a generous amount of stability for the moderate to severe overpronator. The fine balance of cushioning and firm responsiveness of the 860’s makes running in these New Balance a truly enjoyable experience.
Similar to the other two shoes in the top 3, the New Balance 860v9 has been designed predominantly for use on the road, track or firm grass and is well equipped to handle most distances, from shorter, quicker training sessions and 5-10k races, to half marathon or marathon training and race distances.
The New Balance 860v9 can easily be your next workhorse, default go-to shoe in your running shoe rotation. The quality of design and manufacturing of this shoe is excellent.
NEW BALANCE 860V9 KEY STATS
- Weight: 327g (men), 272g (women)
- Heel-to-toe drop: 10mm
- Surface: Road, track
Shop the New Balance 860 Women’s and New Balance 860 Men’s running shoes online.
Conclusion
That wraps up our review of the best stability running shoes of 2019. Three outstanding stability shoes across three different heel-to-toe drops (from 8-12mm) to choose from in a variety of weights, colours and designs.
Save yourself the stress of weighing these shoes up and just go with your preferred brand out of the three of these, we’re very confident you’ll enjoy all three of them!
If you have run in any of these shoes before and have an opinion on any of them, please leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you!
Shop men’s running shoes and women’s running shoes online at onsport.com.au today and enjoy free shipping, free returns plus earn loyalty rewards points!