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Pronation is totally normal. But if too much causes you pain, one of these picks could boost your comfort.
Not so long ago, stability in a running shoe meant a maximalist construction that corrected an overpronator’s stride and often unnaturally muscled around the runner’s form. Now stability shoes take a less aggressive approach, thanks to some fine-tuning, new technology, and evolving biomechanical research. Instead of “fixing” your gait, shoes these days are designed to improve your comfort on runs and reduce injury risk, whatever your unique running style may be.
Overpronation occurs when you push off from the big toe and second toe, which causes the foot to roll inward. This is perfectly normal; however, ankle or shin pain are common ailments when your gait exaggerates these mechanics—which is where stability shoes can help. “Bars,” “rails,” and “medial posts” are buzzwords for the tech brands build into shoes’ midsoles to aid in alignment and relieve your feet from that constant rolling-inward motion. Brooks and Altra use guide rails to help steer your feet and encourage a smoother heel-to-toe transition.
361 Degrees’s Strata 3 uses denser, reinforced foam on the midsole’s inner side for extra support as the foot rolls inward.
Brooks’s Guide Rails
Brooks’s Adrenaline GTS 20 features flexible bumpers along its medial side to encourage a straighter footstrike through toe-off.
Altra’s Guide Rail
Altra’s guide rail is reinforced into the medial side of the Ego midsole of the Provision 6.
This plastic Pebax plate in some Mizuno shoes supports like a medial post but increases flexibility with its unique zig-zagging structure.
J-shaped outsole frames give Hoka One One shoes wide and stable bases that resist excessive inward rolling.
You don’t need to be familiar with all the technical ins and outs of how brands build stability and support into a shoe. All you need to know is that a stable experience feels as though the shoe perfectly braces your foot, while guarding against extra motion that can cause injury. Runner’s World editors or our team of wear testers have run in every shoe here, and we’ve also evaluated them all in our Shoe Lab. We research the market, survey user reviews, speak with product managers and engineers, and use our own experience to determine the best options. Based on value, our test impressions, and how the shoes meet overpronators’ motion control and support needs, the 10 stability running shoes below are our top picks for feeling secure.
The Arahi lends overpronators support with a dense EVA J-Frame, so called because it wraps around the heel and medial side of the shoe in a J shape. A padded tongue and heel collar lock in your ankle without causing friction, and a new pull-tab (reminiscent of the spoiler on a sports car) allows you to slide into the trainer without creasing the back. The shoe’s slightly curved rocker sole transitions quickly and rides light and smooth, which let test editor Amanda Furrer cruise comfortably at easy pace with enough get-up for the unplanned fartlek. “I used to save cushioned stability trainers for recovery runs following a marathon,” Furrer said. “Lately, however, I’ve been reaching for Hoka’s Arahi as an everyday trainer, even on fast days, now that the 5 has a more textured tread for tackier grip on slick surfaces.”
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Stability has taken on a new look in the Provision 6, the best version we’ve tested. Gone are the stabilipods, three-point stabilizers of firm foam on both sides of the forefoot and the lateral side of the heel. And the guide rail that wrapped around the border of the midfoot and heel is now virtually hidden and reinforced into the Ego midsole. In this way, the Provision, a stability shoe, looks like a neutral trainer. It also has a two-fingered medial strap, which connects the lacing to the footbed for a more secure hold. Some testers found the construction gave them a better sense of how and where their footfalls landed. Even if you don’t require such a level of control, your foot stays secure.
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Like its v11 predecessor, the 860v12 has two layers of Fresh Foam in its midsole—the top is soft, the bottom is speedy. New Balance tweaked the formula of the lower layer (an EVA-based material), slightly lowering the durometer—a measure of hardness. So in this version of the shoe, it feels a smidge more forgiving. That much is all good. But on the run, the new-school foams clashed with old-school stability tech, a dense medial post. It does the job to slow down pronation forces, but the extra weight slows the shoe’s ride, too.
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The Kayano is a titan, lasting through 27 iterations. So you don’t mess with that name (or shoe) without some serious forethought. It delivers boatloads of cushioning and stability, but not every runner needs that level of protection. For those who want something lighter, there’s the “Lite.” Unlike its namesake, the Lite uses just a single piece of midsole foam to provide cushioning and stability; the standard model has a dual-density post on the medial side plus a hard plastic Trusstic bridge in the midfoot. To help guide a pronating foot, Asics scallops the Lite’s lateral (outer) edge while bolstering the foam’s medial side. The design helps the sole compress on landing, and then provides extra resistance as you roll to midstance. Our wear-testers, including longtime Kayano wearers, thought the shoe delivered in both areas and felt faster underfoot. “Even neutral runners like myself found the shoe less intrusive than a traditional post—I could feel a little extra pressure under my arch, but nothing that was irritating,” said runner-in-chief Jeff Dengate. “And the shoe retains some of the Kayano’s premium qualities like a soft tongue and collar, which dial up comfort for long runs.”
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A more stable version of Saucony’s Ride, the Guide pairs a lightweight TPU medial post and sturdy heel counter that lend extra support to a new Pwrrun midsole. In the 14, Saucony reformulated Pwrrun—making the lion’s share of the cushioning even softer and more responsive—while a thinner layer of Pwrrun+ sits on top for additional shock absorption. “It’s a shoe meant for long distances because it doesn’t give in or give up,” one tester said. “This model feels like it has a little more cushioning than prior models. It’s a solid choice for runners that want support, but not so much that it feels limiting to the stride.” The revamped upper holds the arch in an internal gusset beneath a new closed non-stretch mesh—a switch that our testers said provided a more locked-in fit around the midfoot. Last but not least, the cozy details for comfort are evident in this update; we especially appreciated tying the thick, soft laces and sliding our heels over the plush ankle padding.
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You’re not wrong if you thought “GTS” stood for “Go-To Shoe.” This year, Brooks is simplifying its naming convention by pairing stability shoes to its neutral siblings and tacking on GTS—now redefined as “Go-To Support.” The next Transcend and Bedlam, for example, have been named the Glycerin GTS and Levitate GTS. And, in the case of the Ravenna, it’s now being called the Launch GTS—a light stability shoe that’s speedy like the neutral Launch. Testers appreciated the comfortably firm cushioning and found Brooks’s holistic guide-rail system (firm foam along the medial and lateral sides of the heel serve as bumpers to align the knee and ankle) supportive. The most noticeable revamp—besides the name—is the new air mesh upper. It’s lighter and more breathable, but wear your tall socks; some testers found that the collar sat higher up on the ankle, which could cause rubbing on the lateral side.
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The Infinity Run isn’t explicitly a “stability shoe” in the classic sense, given its stability features that feel a bit more intuitive than the traditional approach. Eschewing a medial post, Nike went with a high arch and installed a horseshoe-shape guide rail on the rear of the shoe. The rails, similar to what we’ve seen on models like the Brooks Launch GTS above, are designed to stymy overpronation while not encumbering neutral runners. That, combined with the flared-out forefoot and wide base, led our testers to say that the Infinity Run had a very secure and planted feeling. Bouncy React foam underfoot still provides plush cushioning and shock absorption, while more soft collar padding boosts comfort around the ankle, where some testers experienced rubbing in the previous version. The lone trade-off? More outsole rubber improved grip and durability, but tacked on some weight. (Though you may not even notice; the gains are less than half of an ounce.)
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At just a few tenths of an ounce heavier than the standard Glycerin, the Glycerin GTS 19 provides stability with Brooks’s holistic guide rails system. (Denser foam on the lateral and medial sides of the shoe act as bumpers to lessen erratic knee movement brought on by overpronation.) This extra foam makes the shoe slightly stiffer than its neutral counterpart, but there’s still plenty of “give” that allows your foot to flex during push off. Like the Glycerin 19, the GTS has a DNA Loft midsole, which provides responsive cushioning and makes the shoe easy on the joints for recovery runs and dependable when you go farther than that turnaround point on your usual trek—though it isn’t our first choice for speed sessions. “I’ve been running in Brooks Adrenaline GTS for 10 years,” one tester said. “This new Glycerin GTS has all the support and stability I love in the Adrenaline, but with more heel cushioning and a slightly softer feel.”
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The Inspire continues to be Mizuno’s trusted stability model, providing a soft experience much like the popular Wave Rider but with a more supportive midsole for overpronators. This 17th version uses a reshaped zig-zagging TPU wave plate to stabilize the underarch; it won’t stop your foot from rolling inward, but it helps curb those pronation forces to keep you steady. That plate sits between a fresh wedge of Mizuno’s new Enerzy foam in the heel and a full-length top layer of U4ic. (Both foams are EVA-based, but Enerzy is the more premium of the two materials and feels significantly softer underfoot.) “The heel cushioning is plush but not spongy so that it feels unresponsive or like your foot is completely sinking in,” one tester said. “While this shoe compares to the Brooks Glycerin GTS in terms of stability, the toe spring is flatter, which made toe-off feel less smooth.”
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The GT-2000 makes a good pick for runners who don’t need a ton of support but still want something with a bit more stability than a neutral shoe for days on the trail. FlyteFoam and Gel units at the heel and forefoot deliver reliable cushioning (and a more forgiving ride than earlier versions we’ve tested), while a dual-density midsole and guidance truss help control excessive pronation. The ninth trail-ready version comes with a redesigned one-piece mesh that’s reinforced around the arches for extra support and a more aggressive lugged outsole. “The best features of this shoe are the fit and comfort of the engineered mesh upper—particularly in the toe box—and the shoe’s overall ride,” said one tester. “I’ve run in several iterations of the GT-2000, and I truly believe that it continues to improve. Transitions from heel strike through toe-off are seamless, with a springy feel as you leave the ground.”
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