The toe bumper is very minimal, with lots of give, so if you are exceptionally wide toed and you end up overhanging the platform, the upper will let you. Lastly, the toebox isn’t earth shatteringly big, but it is more than ample. I even used the Wave Rider 24 for a 7 mile trail run (pretty tame, but there were a few technical sections) and I would put the foot hold up with many trail shoes. The lack of overlays doesn’t hurt the shoe’s performance any. There’s not much in the way of overlays, and the heel counter is pretty robust there’s not a lot of give in the back.Īgain, compared to the heel counter in last year’s Wave Sky WaveKnit 3, this heel collar is fairly minimal, and somewhat padded, as opposed to getting close to skate shoe territory of upper protection. The engineered mesh is a fairly dense weave, with slits in the outer layer showing the layers deeper in. It is very breathable, even though it isn’t the thinner upper around, and it is an enormous improvement over the WaveKnit that Mizuno has used in a number of their models. The Wave Rider 24’s upper uses Mizuno’s Engineered Air Mesh, and there is some truth in advertising there. There is almost a perfect thumb’s width from the end of my big toe to the end of the 10.5, I would not recommend sizing up or down. Not to say that ENERZY is super squishy, but it brings much more substantial cushioning than the previous midsoles like U4ic or XPOP. For years most runners have learned that “Mizuno soft” is codeword for “really really firm”, which isn’t a bad thing in itself, but can be frustrating for runners looking for a plush ride. While that is still true of the WR24, adding the much improved ENERZY midsole material is a massive step up for the Japanese company. Their Camry, Civic, or Altima, if you will. Historically the Wave Rider has been Mizuno’s run-of-the-mill daily trainer, nothing too outlandish. It’s been a few years since I logged any miles in a Wave Rider, last giving the Wave Rider 19 a chance. In December he raced his first 50 mile trail ultra. He has a PR's of 4:07 marathon and 5K at 23:39. Jeff runs 40 miles per week, both roads and desert trails in Phoenix, Arizona. Jeff is the token slow runner of the RTR lineup as such his viewpoints on shoe and gear can differ from those who routinely finish marathons in three hours or less. Stack Height: 20 mm (forefoot) 32 mm (heel Samples: 10.6 ounces / 301 grams men’s US10.5 Wide or flat-footed runners may find the midfoot too narrow Wave plate in heel feels like a relic of times past that adds weight but not much performance Segmented outsole has large gaps of exposed midsole, seeing lots of early wear Toebox and underfoot protection both ample enough to run 10+ miles even for bigger runners New midsole material is impressive, much more substantial than stack #s would suggest Segmented outsole gives the shoe lots of flexibility with good traction & durability Upper is breathable with minimal overlays Like the vast majority of Mizuno running shoes, it still has a plastic Wave Plate running through the heel to midfoot, designed to give the shoe a springy ride. This Wave Rider is a leap forward from previous iterations, and it feels much more substantial underfoot in the protection department, but doesn’t overdo it to feeling overweight. This is Mizuno’s traditional daily trainer, made to fit in your rotation as the meat and potatoes shoe that you wear a few times a week, for easy miles and even some uptempo stuff. The Wave Rider 24 is the first running shoe featuring ENERZY (that proof of concept limited bulbous casual shoe doesn’t count) and if this is an example of what is to come then Mizuno is going to be back in the zeitgeist again. Mizuno has officially entered the next generation midsole material war, and they came to play.
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