Step 02 — The lineup
6 shoes scored across eleven metrics · Any purpose
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Sizing note
Most of this lineup runs roomy in the forefoot — stay at your usual size.
Durability
Expect roughly 450 miles before the midsole flattens out.
Step 03 — Every metric
| Metric | New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v5 | New Balance Fresh Foam Hierro v9(2024) | Brooks Caldera 8 | Salomon S/Lab Ultra Dust | Salomon S/Lab Ultra Glide 2 | New Balance Fresh Foam X More Trail v2 | Altra Olympus 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 310 g / 10.9 oz | 297 g / 10.5 oz | 309 g / 10.9 oz | 315 g / 11.1 oz | 302 g / 10.7 oz | 320 g / 11.3 oz | 315 g / 11.1 oz |
| Drop | 4 mm | 4 mm | 6 mm | 6 mm | 6 mm | 4 mm | 0 mm |
| Stack (heel) | 37 mm | 33 mm | 39 mm | 41 mm | 41 mm | 45 mm | 39 mm |
| Cushioning | |||||||
| Flexibility | |||||||
| Stability (5 = most guidance) | |||||||
| Rocker geometry | |||||||
| Energy return | |||||||
| Responsiveness | |||||||
| Toe-box | Wide | Wide | Wide | Wide | Wide | Wide | Very wide |
| Plate | — | Rock | — | — | — | Rock | Rock |
| Intended pace | 9:30–13:00 /mi | 9:30–13:00 /mi | 9:30–13:00 /mi | 9:30–13:00 /mi | 9:30–13:00 /mi | 9:30–13:00 /mi | 10:00–13:30 /mi |
| Purpose | Trail, Long run, Recovery | Trail, Long run, Recovery | Trail, Long run, Recovery | Trail, Long run | Trail, Long run | Trail, Recovery, Long run | Trail, Long run, Recovery |
| Sizing | True to size | True to size | True to size | True to size | True to size | True to size | True to size |
| Durability | ~450 mi | ~450 mi | ~450 mi | ~450 mi | ~450 mi | ~450 mi | ~450 mi |
| Price | $145 | $165 | $150 | $280 | $250 | $170 | $180 |
Your reference shoe is shown first for context. Cushioning, flexibility and stability are rated 1–5, where 5 stability means the most guidance and 1 means fully neutral.