Love it or hate it, marathon season is finally upon us. Whether you’re racing one of the world majors in Boston or London this year, are hitting up Brighton or Manchester in the UK, or are heading abroad to Paris, Prague, Copenhagen, Madrid or Stockholm, April and May are some of the busiest months of the year for races.
What are the best marathon running shoes in 2026?
I’m personally racing in Paris, and if you’re anything like me, I can bet one of the biggest things on your mind is your marathon running shoes. That's why I’ve spoken to experts, have personally tested, and have had all of my favourite runners feed in, to come up with this: an ultimate guide to marathon running shoes.
If you’re racing very soon like I am, the unfortunate truth is it’s probably too late to switch up your marathon shoes and consider running in something new. Stick with what you know, but use the recommendations below to help inspire your next training block. However, if you’re thinking about races a bit further on in the calendar, or are starting to train for one of the autumn races like New York, Chicago, Berlin or Valencia, I’ve used my latest training block to suss out the best marathon running shoes on the market right now, with some expert advice from Runna Head Coach Ben Parker. This guide aims to help you make sense of what the best marathon running shoe is for you, whether you're a seasoned runner and marathoner, or are getting ready to finish your first.
What's in GQ's guide to the best marathon shoes?
How we test marathon running shoes
GQ's Daphne Bugler testing the Nike Alphafly as part of her Paris training block
Here at GQ, we test every running shoe out before recommending it, in this case, making use of our team of runners who are either training for upcoming marathons or who have run them in the past, to make sure we give these shoes a proper run through. We look at how the shoe responds, how it lasts over long runs, whether or not you can pick up the pace in it, and how durable the shoe is. We also use different types of runners, including those who need and test stability shoes, faster runners who can test them for an interval session on the track, and beginner runners training for their first races.
Our top tip for marathon shoe shopping: As always, make sure you get your shoe size confirmed and head to a running store to get your gait analysed before actually choosing a pair, if you haven’t already done that. It’s also Runna Head Coach Ben Parker's top advice: “The most important aspect to look for in any running shoe — especially one you plan to run a marathon in — is that it fits you properly and agrees with you. There is no best shoe for everyone, so find what feels comfortable for you, given you will be running 42.2km in them”.
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