The most underrated running shoe of 2025

I went to Hawaii for a week and could bring one shoe, this is what I brought.

Adidas Adizero EVO SL, ASICS Novablast 5, New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4/v5, ASICS Superblast 2, Saucony Endorphin Speed 4, Nike Vomero, HOKA Bondi, HOKA Clifton…ok I could keep going on and on. Essentially these are all some of the top road shoes that have released this year or within the past year.

What do they all have in common?

They aren’t the Salomon Aero Glide 3 — the most underrated shoe on the market.

This past week, our family took our first vacation (as a family of four) to Kauai, Hawaii for a much needed week of relaxation and detox from the real world. The goal was simply to have no plans, eat a ton of ahi, swim a lot, drink insane amounts of Hawaiian coffee, shop, rest, and just be present with the fam. Oh yeah, and I told my wife that I wanted to get in a couple of runs. To my surprise she said, “Only during nap time.”

Deal.

So upon packing and getting my things sorted, I was torn between what single pair of running shoes to bring out of my 20 or so pairs I currently have. After a few back and forths, I decided on the Salomon Aero Glide 3 — and man am I glad I did.

Here’s my 50 mile thoughts on this spectacular road shoe.

Why I packed this shoe to begin with

I had the opportunity to demo this shoe on the US release day as part of a Salomon demo event. I put a few miles in and was really impressed. I have never once set foot in a Salomon road shoe, so I was truly surprised by the performance and comfort I experienced. At the end of the demo event, they held a raffle for a few items…well the final item was a free pair of Aero Glides. And yeah, you guessed it, I won.

Fast forward about two months, and this shoe has become my trusty daily mileage road shoe. I wear it almost every week to our group run club, and easy miles around town. It’s also my go-to walking and around town shoe because of the comfort.

When it came to packing my one pair of running shoes for our trip to hawaii, I was debating between the New Balance Rebel v4, the Adidas EVO SL, and the HOKA Mafate X (I just got this shoe and I thought the gravel tread might be nice). Well as you now know, I landed on the Aero Glides. The combination of all-day comfort, incredible foam, lightweight design, and a phenomenal grip that could handle better than the other options (aside from the HOKAs), were my reason for going with this shoe.

My runs in Hawaii

I wore the shoe all throughout the airport, on our long walks along the beach every morning at 530am when my two children decided to wake up, out for coffee and dinner, and of course, my 4 runs.

On Day 2, I clocked a 7.02 miles run that featured a small variety of terrain. Predominantly rough old Hawaiian asphalt, a few small sections of gravel and dirt, and a tiny bit of sand. My run took me along the beach, and through a multitude of resorts, with some miles on the main road shoulder.

On Day 3, I decided to go the other way from my resort and found myself doing a 4.5 mile route through the waterfront of a resort, over to a grassy/sandy section so I could run past a bunch of beached green sea turtles, up a dirt road, climbing a 200ft hill or so, then drop down back to sea level along the Hyatt beachfront path, across Shipwreck’s Beach, and danced along the Heritage trail up to a cliff lookout, and then back the same way I came. The Heritage trail consisted of sand, roots, dirt and some rocky sections.

On Day 5, I was captivated by the small amount of the Heritage trail I ran a few days prior, so I headed back that same way for a little over 6.5 miles. This time, I traveled up the road a little when I got to Shipwreck’s Beach and adventured down a rocky dirt road that ultimately led to a trail run for well over half the mileage. I felt like I was running through the jungle on a pretty nice single track, then it started to kick in to gear and travel up the cliff. When I made it to the top, the trail became very rocky…and not just standard rocks, but sharp lava rocks. Roots were strewn throughout, and I continued making my way along the coast on this trail that varied between dense jungle, steep cliffside, and sandy descents along the beach. It eventually climbed back up along another cliff that shared about a half mile on a golf course before you hit the final cliff peak, and then descend down to a horse stable on the cliff. It’s here that you follow a rocky and very rough dirt road back to the resorts, finishing on a mile or so of asphalt. I also got caught in a tropical downpour which felt amazing in this humid heat. This run was the most versatile, and also the most epic.

Our Final Day (which is tomorrow, so I am speaking about future Ryan here), I am planning to just do an easy 5k around the resorts before spending a bunch of time in the ocean before we get on a plane and head home.

These are the different runs that I did during my time in Hawaii this year, for a total mileage of 21.2 on the week here in the Aero Glide 3s.

Fit, Foam, Grip

The Fit of the Aero Glide 3s: I’ve tried Salomon trail shoes before, which arguably, they are much more known for over road shoes. The trail shoes have always been too narrow for me to wear comfortably, and as I have a wide-ish foot, it’s been a no-go. However, the fit on the Aero Glides is ample and truly fits my foot perfectly. I have never once encountered a hotspot or any rubbing and I’ve enjoyed the fit of this shoe more than many others I’ve tried this year. If you’re a standard or someone who sometimes wears wides, this shoe will work great for you. I personally am right in between a standard and a wide size.

The Foam of the Aero Glide 3s: This is the magic of the shoe. This max cushioned versatile shoe is built with Salomon’s energyFOAM Evo which is very cushioned, but not sink in marshmallow status. It’s responsive and got enough to keep you comfortably going on your long runs. With the responsiveness of the foam, the rockered profile, and the lightweight design, this shoe can really pick up the pace and hold its own on speed workouts if that’s what you’re into. On your feet all day at your job? Traveling? Working? The foam is great for all day on feet. It’s got enough energy to chase my crazy toddlers around Hawaii all week!

The Grip of the Aero Glide 3s: The grip really shined and I put this shoe through a really versatile set of terrain this week. This shoe is a road shoe, but I took it on light trails, gravel and even some more technical sections. It did stellar. I never once lost grip. I felt secure and suctioned to the trail ahead of me as I navigated unfamiliar, yet beautiful terrain. So impressed for a road shoe.

Bonus — The GRVL Version: If I was going to do this trip over, I would make one change. I would get the GRVL version and bring that. Same shoe, even better grip and built for more light trail work. I think the GRVL shoe has the potential to be a game changer and the ultimate travel shoe. Just bringing one shoe? Bring that cause it can handle road, gravel, sand, trail, and just about anything I did this week on Kauai.

Why you should consider it

So yeah, it’s a heavy claim, but I think that the Salomon Aero Glide 3 is the most underrated road shoe of 2025 (so far). I think it’s underrated because a lot of people don’t give Salomon the chops when it comes to road product, instead seeing the brand as a trail powerhouse. I get it, I was there too. All I’m saying is if you want to try something really special and versatile, I think you wouldn’t be disappointed with this shoe. In fact, I’d go so far in saying that I think you might love it.

If you get a pair, or better yet have a pair, let me know what you think! Drop a comment below and tell me I’m crazy for calling this my favorite road shoe of 2025.

As always, thanks for reading! I’ll catch ya on the next one — yew!

— Ryan from Into the Wild