In production · road · Recovery / Long run / Daily · $170
Taller, rockered and plush — NB's flagship soft daily.
Built for recovery, long run, daily, at a target pace of 8:00–11:30 /mi on road.
New Balance tuned this midsole very soft (5/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is above average: the midsole rebounds well without feeling unstable. At 46 mm of heel stack this sits in max-cushion territory; legs stay fresher on long efforts, but the platform is tall. Combined, the ride reads as lively at 3/5 responsiveness.
There is no plate here. The midsole does all the work, so the shoe flexes naturally and stays versatile across paces — easier on the feet day to day, but without the snap of a plated shoe when you want to roll.
A 6 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The rocker is aggressive: the sole is curved and stiff enough to tip you into the next stride on its own, which saves the calf on long runs but feels strange when you slow right down. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. Support is light — neutral, with a mildly steady platform.
The toe-box is wide, with space for the toes to spread late in long runs. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 500 miles from the outsole, about $0.34 per mile at $170.
For the foams and plates New Balance uses across its line, read the New Balance brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
275 g / 9.7 oz
Level with the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
46 mm
10 mm taller than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
6 mm
Level with the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$170
10 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
3 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
5 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~500 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the New Balance line it is lighter than the brand's median (278 g / 9.8 oz) and sits taller than its median stack (36 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Mount to Coast P1(2025)
265 g / 9.3 oz · 42 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $190
Max-cushion road ultra shoe designed for hours, not miles.
On Cloudeclipse 2
290 g / 10.2 oz · 42 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $190
Double-layer CloudTec for On's softest long-run ride.
New Balance Fresh Foam X Ellipse
272 g / 9.6 oz · 40 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $150
Soft, rounded easy-day cruiser built for relaxed cruising miles.
Brooks Glycerin Max 2
311 g / 11.0 oz · 45 mm · 6 mm drop · — · $200
Brooks' tallest, softest ride with a strong rocker to keep it moving.