I haven’t run in many New Balance Shoes since college. Since working at a running store the last few years, I’ve tried New Balance shoes on, but I’ve never run a significant amount of mileage in them. The only New Balance shoe I’ve tried in the past few years is the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante.
After a couple hundred miles, I realized it wasn’t enough cushion for me and looked cute so I made it a kick around shoe. The 880v7 sells well at our store and it’s a comfortable shoe. Since I’ve been enjoying various models and brands lately, I thought it would be the perfect time to come back to the brand. The 880 is a neutral shoe and lift weight shoe. It’s the 7th version, but I haven’t run in any of the previous versions.
I’m not sponsored by New Balance, nor are they paying me to write this. My opinions are my own.
Fit:
I haven’t run in previous models but based on trying previous versions I can tell the 880v7 is wider. The shoe itself comes in both wide and double wide.
Like many current styles of running shoes, the 880v7 has a seamless upper which accommodates bunions and wider feet. New Balance is usually known to fit more full feet and to be honest, I find this to be one of the widest neutral shoes out there. I usually wear 10-10.5 wide in shoes, and in the 880v7 I wear a 10 in the 880.
Ride:
The New Balance 880v7 has standard cushioning. It’s not a minimal shoe or a high cushion shoe but somewhere in the middle. It’s great for training for the mile or marathon, in fact recently Emma Coburn said it was one of her favorite shoes! It must be good right?
The cushioning technology is called TRUFUSE which is softer than many other brands. It has a 10 mm drop and weighs 9.2 ounces for women. It feels a lot more cushioned than it is, and not as flat as many New Balance shoes.
I’ve run anywhere from 2-10 miles in the shoe and it feels good at both the beginning at the end of the run. Compared to other brands, it does feel a little heavier on my foot. That’s not a bad thing.
Runs I’ve enjoyed the most for soft services such as trails and compacted snow.
Summary:
Right now, the 880v7 is in my rotation as a shoe for an everyday run. I usually keep it to my days around an hour, but there isn’t a reason for that.
So far I’ve put just over 100 miles on the shoe, and it’s been good to me. New Balance, themselves, have done a lot of fantastic updates with their shoes recently and definitely different from that stereotypical, “all white leather shoe” which they still make too.
Current Rotation:
Daily Runs: Brooks Glycerin 15, Hoka Clifton 4, Saucony Ride 10, and New Balance 880V7
Speed Work: Nike Zoom Fly, Altra Escalante
Racing: Saucony Type A or Endorphin
Questions for you:
What brand of shoe are you running the most in?
What is your favorite shoe?
I’ve been wearing New Balance 99X’s since the early 1980’s. I bought my first pair because I thought that the “N” stood for Nike. I wear 11-4E which most other brands don’t make. I have no interest in trying anything else.
You know, Mizuno Wave Riders were my faves, from like 9 (skip 12, I think) through 17. I also used to wear Zoots — they were my go-to for races. I tore my plantar fascia and couldn’t wear either shoe without pain after recovery.:(
I started wearing Brooks Ghost and PureFlows, and they seem to be my new faves!
I just got these shoes. Mine are a slightly different color. I love them although they might be a touch wide for me in the middle. I have some soreness on the outside of my foot … not even discomfort but it might be because it’s a touch wide. Also, I’m obsessed with the slightly elastic laces which I just love.