Alo, Tracksmith, Even Zara Are Making Running Shoes Now. But Are They Any Good?

Tracksmith’s apparel has had a chokehold on front-of-the-pack runners over the past decade, so it was only a matter of time before the Boston-based company branched into speedy shoes. The Eliot Racer, which launched in March for $280, is a supercharged, carbon-plated version of its do-it-all daily trainer, the Eliot Runner. “Footwear was always part of the business plan,” Tracksmith CEO Matt Taylor, says. “We want to be able to service all the needs of a committed runner from head to toe.” It took ten years for the Ivy League–inspired brand to have the resources it needed for a footwear product it could stand behind, he added.

The result was worth the wait. The Eliot Racer uses a supercritical Pebax foam midsole and a full carbon-fiber plate. Translation: It feels cushioned but snappy straight out of the box. (I nearly ran a 5K personal best the second time I wore these.) With a paper-thin breathable upper and the total weight topping out at seven ounces, the Eliot Racer has everything you’d expect from a race-day super-shoe. But without the moonboot-bounce that comes with more aggressive geometry, these are stable and comfortable enough for more than just the fastest runners — and the toned-down aesthetic is a nice break from the flashy neons of the most popular super-shoes.

Cult-favorite French running brand Satisfy makes apparel that looks more like it belongs in a fashion editorial or skatepark than on your local track. That ethos shows up in their first entry into footwear, TheROCKER, a $280 trail running shoe with a sleek silhouette that took nearly five years to develop. Over six miles of rolling, rocky single track, I could feel how the midsole foam blends PEBA (the kind you’ll find in race-day super-shoes) with more traditional EVA (a staple in daily trainers) for cushioning that feels soft and nimble enough without sacrificing structure and stability. The abrasion-resistant mesh upper is light and tough with a technical look that’s still in line with the brand’s “keep it on” strategy of creating gear that looks good enough to wear well after your cooldown. It’s a shoe built for runners who want one do-it-all trail option — something that can cruise on a gravel road but still handle tougher terrain (like a streamlined Hoka Speedgoat).

Before the Canadian activewear brand known for buttery yoga leggings debuted the Blissfeel in 2022, it put in four year’s worth of R&D, using foot scans from more than a million women to build in functional features specifically geared toward female runners’ feet (think a more snug heel, a roomier toe box, and better arch support). Since then, it has released the Wildfeel shoe for trail running and a max cushioned running shoe called the Beyondfeel.

While Lululemon does sponsor several professional track-and-field athletes, including long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall and 1500-meter specialist Nikki Hiltz, you’ll notice those athletesaren’tcompeting in their shoes. The Blissfeel 2 is meant for everyday running, and I found this to be best for easy runs under 10K. It’s a neutral trainer with cushioning that’s not too firm but not too soft, with an ever-so-slightly rockered sole that smooths out your stride. At $128, it lands in that sweet spot between budget and boutique, which is ideal for anyone looking for a shoe that can help them accumulate miles in between studio classes. It won’t blow your mind, but it also won’t wreck your legs after a few miles, which running in gym shoes might.

It’s hard to trust a brand that sells $49 blazers with a carbon-plated shoe — the pinnacle of modern running-shoe technology — but Zara’s $169 price tag may be tempting in a market where $250 is the norm. The fast-fashion retailer clearly took cues from popular race-day models (the design looks like the Nike Alphafly 1 or 2, minus the Air Zoom Pods) to cash in on the current running boom. Supposedly, the shoes are built for “long distance” and “high performance,” although that feels more like a copycat claim than one backed by any research.

From step in, it’s clear that while the design is on-trend, you’re just getting the illusion of tech. The cushion has none of the bounciness you’d expect from a shoe marketed this way, even with a carbon plate for propulsion — the foam felt stiff and flat. At nine ounces, it skews heavy for a performance shoe, especially considering today’s lightweight foams. Given my experience with Zara apparel, I doubt the durability of the thin rubber outsole and its upper mesh material, which fit normally, but felt flimsy. I ran an uptempo 5K in these and couldmaybesee using these for short-speed sessions, but you’d be better off spending $150 on a versatile daily trainer like the Adidas EVO SL.

Rabbit is known for making some of the coziest runner apparel out there, and slipping on the Dream Chaser 2 feels like sliding your foot into one of the Sacramento-based brand’s super soft hoodies. Everything about this shoe — which feels similar to trainers like the New Balance 1080 or ASICS Gel-Nimbus — screams comfort, from the stretchy-but-not-sloppy upper to the padded collar to the molded memory foam heel. Underfoot, the proprietary midsole foam delivers max cushioned comfort without turning it into a platform shoe (all the better for your ankles).

You’re probably not going to PR in the Dream Chaser (yes, there are two strips of carbon fiber in the midsole; no, they’re not going to make you faster — they’re just there to help stabilize the softer foam so it doesn’t feel like a marshmallow), but this is the kind of shoe you could run in for hours. It’s smooth and stable rather than overly springy, ideal for easy miles, long runs, or recovery days (although I did find it to be light enough to allow me to pick up the pace). At $160, the Dream Chaser 2.0 lands comfortably in the daily-trainer category — and, honestly, it holds its own against bigger-name options.

The Alo Runner is the athleisure brand’s first-ever performance shoe, and the company shot for the moon in terms of deliverables: This shoe is designed for stability and support on street, trail, track, or sand. Theoretically, I guess itcouldhandle all those surfaces (I wasn’t brave enough to test the multi-terrain outsole on anything more textured than a bridle path), but it’s definitely not what I’d reach for if I’m running on terrain more technical than asphalt.

The shoe looks sleek and feels light, with a decent amount of cushioning atop a wide, stable base and an airy mesh upper that keeps your feet from overheating. But the arch support is minimal and there’s no real sense of propulsion with each step; it felt kind of flat and underwhelming on an easy jog, and picking up the pace was a no-go. Runners who areactuallyfocused on performance probably won’t be interested in the Alo Runner, but these will do the job for anyone just looking for something that can handle a 5K fun run or the studio-to-sidewalk transition. They’re comfortable enough to wear all day, and the clean, monochromatic silhouette nails the fashion-meet-function aesthetic Alo is known for.