The Most Popular Running Shoe Brands of 2024

To collect the data, the organization teamed up with MarathonFoto (a race photography service) and the software company Greenfly. Using race photos from MarathonFoto, Greenfly’s AI technology analyzed the bib numbers and shoes of 101,414 participants over the last year and broke them into three categories: marathon, half marathon, and 5K/10K/15K. (The identity of the participants was not included in the report.)

According to Running USA, the study is “the most comprehensive shoe brand count in the running market.”

Here’s a look at the most popular shoe brands, across all race distances.

1. Nike (21.3 percent of all finishers)
2. Brooks (16.5 percent)
3. Saucony (12.6 percent)
4. Asics (12.5 percent)
5. Hoka (12.1 percent)
6. New Balance (7.4 percent)
7. Adidas (5 percent)
8. On Running (3.7 percent)
9. Mizuno (1.7 percent)
10. Altra (1.6 percent)

The report also organized the data by gender. The top shoes men chose were, in order, Nike, Brooks, and Saucony, while women wore Brooks, Nike, and Hoka most often. Overall, 77 brands were represented in the results.

Among marathoners, Nike reigned supreme: 31.8 percent of finishers chose the Swoosh, outnumbering Saucony (17 percent) and Brooks (10.8 percent). Brooks, however, was the most popular shoe for half marathoners and runners racing the 5K/10K/15K distance.

According to Running USA, “Nike wearers tend to have faster finisher times, while slower runners prefer Brooks.”

Other trendy takeaways

This data is similar to another study conducted by Running USA earlier this year, the Global Runner Survey, which surveyed more than 7,000 runners about topics like gear preferences, race history, and fitness habits.

Brooks was the most frequent shoe choice among respondents. The Seattle-based brand took top honors in both training shoes and racing shoes; a repeat from 2023. Asics was the second most popular training shoe, while Nike and Saucony were also in the top four.

It’s important to note that the Global Running Survey respondents include all runners, whereas the shoe trends report examined only those who have raced, which may explain some discrepancies.

Runners who took the survey are fairly split on whether they are brand-loyal. Fifty-four percent train and race in the same brand of shoes, while 46 percent mix it up. Most runners prefer to buy their shoes in-person, specifically at brick-and-mortar stores (48 percent), but 38 percent shop online. Just 3 percent buy their shoes at race expos, while 12 percent have no preference.

On average, runners bought an average of three pairs of shoes per year and 24.9 percent spent more than $400 combined on their sneakers.

For sports apparel, Nike leads the charge with 15 percent of participants preferring the brand, followed by Under Armour, Brooks, Lululemon, and Adidas (all at 9 percent).

Theo Kahler is the news editor at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner who has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)