The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 is a plated support trainer designed for overpronators who want an amazingly stable ride for weekly mileage. Its firm platform provides excellent support underfoot, but its impact absorption isn't great, and it lacks the pep and energy of more modern offerings. It handles easy runs and routine daily training decently, but its heavy build and poor propulsion make it a bad fit for racing or runners wanting an exciting ride.
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Our Verdict
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 is a mediocre choice for marathon racing. Its excellent stability keeps the ride controlled as fatigue builds, while its tall stack places plenty of foam underfoot. However, that foam only absorbs impact adequately and performs unremarkably over longer efforts. Its heavy build and disappointing responsiveness also make it inefficient over the distance.
Excellent stability keeps the shoe controlled as form breaks down late in the race.
Firm midsole is very trustworthy underfoot.
Midsole lacks adequate protection deep into longer runs.
Heavy build and poor propulsion make maintaining pace harder.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 is an unremarkable 5K/10K racer. Its forefoot is very firm and bends adequately enough to provide a stable platform through toe-off. However, its rocker geometry does an unremarkable job of encouraging roll and flattens easily under load, limiting quick turnover. It's also heavy for a short-distance racer and lacks the propulsion needed to compete.
Very firm forefoot provides a stable platform through toe-off.
The rocker provides little assistance moving the foot through toe-off.
Heavy build and poor propulsion make quick turnover difficult.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 is an okay long-run companion. Its tall, amazingly stable platform provides a trustworthy base underfoot. However, its midsole performs unremarkably on longer outings, lacking adequate protection. Its weight combined with its sub-par propulsion also means it becomes laborious on foot as the miles build.
Firm midsole is very trustworthy underfoot.
High stack provides a good buffer from the road.
Midsole lacks adequate protection deep into longer runs.
Heavy build and poor propulsion make maintaining pace harder.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 is a decent daily trainer. Its amazingly stable platform keeps the ride controlled through routine mileage, and the plastic shank adds support without making the shoe hard to handle. However, its cushioning leaves a lot to be desired, while its heel rocker isn't very assistive, and its disappointing responsiveness means it lacks liveliness on the road.
Amazingly stable platform is very trustworthy.
Plastic shank supports your stride without turning the ride overly rigid.
Midsole only provides adequate protection from the road.
Heavy build and disappointing responsiveness make the ride quite flat.
We've bought and tested more than 250 running shoes. Every pair purchased with our own money, never supplied or sponsored by brands. Our data-driven tests are designed to go beyond marketing claims, and since every shoe goes through the exact same methodology, you can directly compare results to find the right pair for your needs.
Test Results
Energy Return
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 has poor energy return. The forefoot gives little energy back through toe-off, while the heel returns almost none after landing. Runners of all footstrikes will find the ride flat and unrewarding.
Poor forefoot energy return limits propulsion through toe-off.
Terrible heel energy return makes rearfoot landings lifeless.
Though a bit better than the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25, the Mizuno Wave Inspire 22's forefoot energy return is poor. The midsole lacks bounce and joy, and has you slapping the sidewalk without springing back. Much like the heel, the Saucony Hurricane 26 is far more enjoyable.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22's heel has terrible energy return. Rearfoot landings are flat and dull, lacking the bounce of more enjoyable shoes like the Saucony Hurricane 26.
Stability
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 has excellent stability. Its firm heel and forefoot keep the platform planted, while the broad rearfoot provides dependable support under load. The fully gusseted tongue also locks the foot securely in place, making the shoe easy to trust.
Excellent heel firmness keeps rearfoot landings very secure.
Amazingly firm forefoot makes toe-off trustworthy.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 has an incredibly firm heel, providing a confidence-inspiring platform for rearfoot landings.
Much like the heel, the forefoot of this shoe is very firm, providing an amazingly secure platform through toe-off.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 has a fully gusseted tongue and rearfoot-to-midfoot plastic shank. The fully gusseted tongue improves lockdown, and, rather than for snap or speed, Mizuno's "Wave Plate" helps make the ride amazingly stable platform underfoot.
Cushioning
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 has okay cushioning. Its heel absorbs impact adequately overall, whilst the forefoot is very good under lighter loads but drops significantly as force increases, so faster or heavier forefoot strikers will find it harsher than the overall score suggests.
Heel provides reasonable impact protection overall.
Very good forefoot protection under lighter forces.
Forefoot cushioning drops significantly under heavier loads.
The heel of this shoe has an acceptable amount of cushioning, providing passable impact protection when pounding the sidewalk.
Though the forefoot provides adequate impact protection overall, the midsole is very uneven. Slower or lighter runners will find it impressively protective, but the cushioning degrades considerably as more force is applied, leaving heavier or faster runners with sub-par protection when pounding the road.
Responsiveness
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 has disappointing responsiveness. Its forefoot bends adequately enough and offers some resistance through toe-off, but it returns little of that stored energy. The rocker also flattens easily under load, while the heel gives almost no energy back after landing, making the ride slow and unrewarding.
Forefoot offers some resistance at push-off.
Poor bending energy return limits propulsion.
Compliant rocker provides little assistance through the stride.
Terrible heel energy return makes rearfoot landings very flat.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 stores very little energy when bent, returning a disappointing amount through toe-off. This makes the shoe wildly inefficient, and far less fun than shoes like the Saucony Hurricane 26.
The forefoot of this shoe isn't particularly stiff when bent, so toe-off remains comfortable rather than snappy or aggressive.
The forefoot rocker of this shoe is much more pronounced than that of the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25, with a higher toe spring and a more pronounced angle that helps it roll much more smoothly through push-off. However, it's much gentler than the Saucony Hurricane 25, which is the smoothest overall, and none have an angle that promotes aggressive snap.
True To Size
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 fits remarkably true to size. Its length and arch width are spot-on, while the forefoot width closely matches the expected fit. However, the toe box is very low, and runners with taller toes may find it restrictive. Most runners can still choose their usual size, though higher-volume feet should consider the wide version.
Length and arch width are bang-on.
Forefoot width is excellent.
Very low toe-box height may restrict runners with taller toes.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 is heavy for a daily trainer, but in the ballpark of what support shoes traditionally weigh. It lags behind more modern offerings like the Saucony Hurricane 26, though it's a bit lighter than the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 has a tall stack under both the heel and forefoot. Its measured drop is lower than advertised, however, so the geometry is less steep than Mizuno claims.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22's heel rocker provides poor assistance through landing to midstance. Its low heel spring and shallow angle do little to roll you through stride.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 has passable long-run protection overall. It won't bottom out on longer efforts, and holds up significantly better than the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25, but runners who regularly venture on longer jaunts and want to save their legs some pounding will be much better served by the Saucony Hurricane 26.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 in men's U.S. size 9, as indicated on the label of our unit. The colorway shown here is Estate Blue/White. Mizuno offers Regular and Wide sizing for men and women, with multiple color options available across regions. The design section applies specifically to the version we tested, but we expect other sizes and gender variants to perform similarly.
Popular Running Shoe Comparisons
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 is a support trainer that uses a plate and a wide platform to deliver excellent stability. It outshines unplated options like the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25, which uses guide rails to prevent excessive overpronation. The Brooks has a higher drop and suits heel strikers better, but it's a bit heavier, less cushioned, and even less energetic. Runners wanting the liveliest, most cushioned support shoe should look at the Saucony Hurricane 26. Its unplated support geometry is gentler than either of the other shoes, but it's still very stable and offers the bounciest, most enjoyable ride.
For more options, check out our list of the best stability shoes and the best shoes for beginners.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 and Brooks Adrenaline GTS 25 are both traditional support trainers, but the Mizuno is the better shoe for most runners. Its plate-led geometry makes it more stable and less intrusive, and it's much more cushioned, with better performance across daily mileage and longer efforts. The Brooks uses more heavy-handed guide rails to correct excessive overpronation, and has a higher heel-to-toe drop, making it more suited to heel strikers, though it's heavier and less energetic. The Mizuno is still a solid option for heel strikers, so unless you don't like the feel of a plate, it's the shoe to get.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 is a better support shoe than the ASICS GT-1000 15. It's much more stable and significantly more cushioned, performing better across all daily training, though its plate makes it more rigid. The ASICS is much lighter and retails for far less, but its ride is much duller. Get the ASICS if you're on a budget; get the Mizuno if you want maximum support and don't mind the rigid ride the plate provides.
The Mizuno Wave Inspire 22 and Saucony Hurricane 26 are both support trainers for overpronators, but the Saucony is far more fun underfoot. It's much lighter and bouncier, providing more protection across everything from easy runs to long efforts. The Mizuno is much more stable, with a plate that creates a firmer, more rigid ride. Get the Mizuno for maximum support; get the Saucony if you want more fun across your weekly miles.