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Test Bench 0.12  
Changelog

 0
By David Kroeker-MausUpdated Jun 17, 2026 at 02:52 pm

Our running shoe Test Bench 0.12 introduces a range of updates and additions to our reviews:

  • Firmness scores were updated to better align with runners' subjective feedback on the firmness of certain shoes' midsoles.
  • The Stability performance usage was adjusted to account for the new Firmness results and to better differentiate between shoes.
  • The Marathon/Half Marathon usage was updated to include more components from the Responsiveness tests developed for Test Bench 0.11.
  • The 5K/10K Racing usage was updated based on the new Firmness scores and to include more components from the Responsiveness tests.
  • Two new usages were introduced: Long Run and Daily Training.

Our methodology didn't change; the tests remain the same, and only the analysis and weighting of the results were adjusted.

What's Changed?

Firmness was previously taken as the local slope of the load-displacement curve. It's now the overall slope between the origin and the point of interest on the curve. This new firmness definition better aligns with how the shoe's firmness is felt while running, based on feedback from our running shoe testers.

Test Group Description
Performance | Heel Firmness
  • New heel firmness graph
  • New values for heel firmness
Performance | Forefoot Firmness
  • New forefoot firmness graph
  • New values for forefoot firmness

Verdicts And Usages

The main driver behind this test bench was the expansion of our usages. Now that we've tested a large sample of running shoes, we wanted to expand the usages beyond Marathon and 5K/10K racing. The new Long Run and Daily Training usages have been introduced to help users choose their next pair of training shoes. To do so, Lateral Stability was updated to Stability, using the new firmness and adjusting the weighting of the score's components. Marathon Racing has become Half/Full Marathon Racing, as the characteristics needed for a shoe to perform well over those two distances are very similar in most cases. Finally, Half/Full Marathon Racing and 5K/10K Racing were adjusted to account for the new responsiveness scores and metrics and to incorporate the Forefoot Long Run Cushioning score.

Usages/Performance Usages Description
Half/Full Marathon Racing
  • Forefoot Long Run Cushioning is now used in the score to account for cushioning over long distances.
  • Responsiveness and the metrics that comprise it are now used in the score, with an emphasis on Forefoot Compression and Bending Energy Return.
  • Plate was removed from the score, as Bending Stiffness, Bending Energy Return, and Rocker Stiffness, which are taken into account in Responsiveness, all reflect the stiffening effect of the plates in shoes.
  • Weights were adjusted.
5K/10K Racing
  • Responsiveness and the metrics that comprise it are now used in the score, with an emphasis on Forefoot Rocker Geometry, Bending Stiffness, and Rocker Stiffness.
  • Plate was removed from the score, as Bending Stiffness, Bending Energy Return, and Rocker Stiffness, which are taken into account in Responsiveness, all reflect the stiffening effect of the plates in shoes.
  • Weights were adjusted.
Long Run
  • This new usage is meant to show how well-suited the shoes are for long runs when prioritizing comfort and protection, particularly for training purposes.
  • The following metrics were selected to build the usage: Stability, Forefoot Long Run Cushioning, Cushioning, Responsiveness, Heel Rocker Geometry, Weight, Forefoot Rocker Geometry, Rocker Stiffness, Heel Stack Height, and Forefoot Stack Height.
Daily Training
  • This new usage aims at scoring how well-suited the shoes are for day-to-day training. This usually means the shoe should be versatile and handle training runs up to 10 km comprising of slower runs as well as, for the best daily trainers, some tempo runs.
  • The following metrics were selected to build the usage: Stability, Cushioning, Plate, Responsiveness, Heel Rocker Geometry, Weight, and Heel Firmness.
Stability
  • Heel and Forefoot Firmness account now for the largest portion of the stability score (50%)
  • Plate was removed. While it's commonly believed to improve stability by stiffening the midsole, firmness is a better metric for this.
  • Forefoot Width-To-Stack Ratio was removed because it was judged to have a very low effect on the shoe's stability.
  • Weights were adjusted.

Let Us Know What You Think!

Overall, this update's main focus was to provide an expansion of our usages to describe how shoes can perform in training to help you find the best running shoe for your needs. If you have suggestions or ideas to help us improve our reviews, feel free to comment on any page or reach out at feedback@rtings.com. Your input has been essential in shaping our tests, and we're grateful for it!

136 Running Shoes Updated So Far

We are retesting popular models first. So far, the test results for the following models have been converted to the new testing methodology. However, the text might be inconsistent with the new results.

44 Running Shoes Planned To Be Updated

We are also planning to retest the following products over the course of the next few weeks:

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