New Balance Men's MR1226 Running Shoe Review

Customer Ratings:

Greetings all,

I have been running in the New Balance 1220 series for 10 years now. The 1226's are rediculously comfortable and required no break-in at all. I enjoy running in them more than any of the others I have used. Bottom line, buy these and you will not regret it. Remember this, they are meant for heavier (200+ for men) runners and they are for slight overpronators. God bless. U.S. Marine

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I ordered this shoe after having returned 2 pairs of NB 1906 which is a 200 dollar shoe retail. Go check zappos. This shoe is every bit as good as those shoes with better cushioning and better arch and pronation support for half the price. This is the running shoe deal of the year. The 1227 likely due out by summer of 2011 but who cares and it won't be at this price. I have some Brooks Beast which is highly cushioned and expected a big let down with these. I was very surprised with the quality feel and fit of these shoes. These will not be returned. I also returned the Asics gel Kinetics 3 so I have something to compare shoes with. Also have nike shox with forefoot air zoom and am very happy with these but they are wearing out and I needed to reload. I'm a stickler for forefoot cushioning and shock resilience as well as some energy return. I'm a big guy 240 lbs and the reviews about lack of forefoot cushioning are bunk. I got these in width EE and this was perfect although normal D is what I usually get. I do not like tight fitting running shoes but absolutely will not tolerate heel slip. So far so good. Will give update once I put more mileage on these puppies.

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I just purchased these New Balance 1226 running shoes today, men's size 10.5 D(M). These are apparently the brand new model, and have only been available for just a few weeks. I took them out for a 5 mile run, which quickly became a 5 mile run/walk combo due to the unbearable 100 degree temperature and constant 100% humidity. THANK YOU MARYLAND GLOBAL WARMING HOT HOT SUMMER SUN!!!

The first thing you will notice is that these shoes are incredibly light, with a very breathable mesh-weave upper portion. I could not believe how light they felt in my hands at the store, and then how light they felt on my feet. The technology and materials they use today to make high-end athletic shoes is truly mind-boggling. By the way, New Balance shoes are made in the USA (at least 70% so), and not by child / slave labor in places like China or Malaysia.

Even with the ultra-light materials, the rubber sole on the 1226 is very well-structured. These shoes provide tremendous stability under the heel and arch support, and great impact cushioning when I was running on the hard concrete sidewalk. At the same time, the front portion of the sole is extremely flexible, with the very front toe portion actually constructed to naturally curl upwards slightly. The flexible front sole means that the shoes did not need to be broken in at all (at least for me), as the heel cup did not slip very easily. This has been a huge problem for me with lesser, stiffer soled shoes like Adidas or Nike that I have owned, which all caused me dreaded heel rubbing blisters to varying degrees of misery. Regardless, there is so much padding in the heel of these New Balance shoes that I doubt blisters will ever be an issue.

I have extremely narrow, flat feet, and must wear custom orthotics in all my shoes, especially athletic shoes. My orthotics are not the full-length kind that replace the regular inserts in your shoe, but rather a super-rigid type that stops just past the flat arches of my feet. This usually creates huge problems with most new shoes and sneakers that I try, particularly running shoes. My orthotics fit perfectly in the "normal" D(M) width size of this 1226 shoe, with no slippage side-to-side or front-to-back, or any unbalanced feel as they sat on top of the regular inserts that are inside the shoes.

My only complaints on these 1226 shoes are obviously the high price, and the fact that they are too flashy looking for my typical taste. Given the impeccable reputation of this company and the quality of their shoes, I expect to get my money's worth out of my new favorite pair of sneakers. Thank you New Balance!!

Honest reviews on New Balance Men's MR1226 Running Shoe

Great running shoes. The cushioning is pretty great. I won't ramble on because other reviews are fairly good. One thing I must mention which really has not been so far is the shoe laces: good length, good qualiy. Superior to other shorter,lower quality shoe laces. Yes small detail, but to me it makes a difference.

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I bought a pair of 1226 runners primarily for stability with the bonus of extra cushioning and the availability of a super-wide fitting (4E). My secondary objective was to try something different, as I have been a Brooks runner for many years now. I weigh about 80kgs and I have slightly-flattish-to-normal arches and mild underpronation. I run between 30-40km a week. I've logged about 100km+ in these shoes over the past three months and I use them in rotation with a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10 and a new pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11.

The 1226 delivers on the points of stability and cushioning. To be fair, they're more on the motion-control end of the 'stability' range than I actually need, but that's my fault and no fault of the shoe. Cushioning is excellent, with a well-moderated heel strike. As others have mentioned, breathability is outstanding, one of the strong points of this model. On hot and sometimes humid Melbourne evenings, my feet don't burn up on the bitumen.

There is, however, an interesting quirk with the feel through the forefoot on toe-off. Although the shoe rolls through smoothly on toe-off, the forefoot feels vague and disconnected and lacks feedback from the ball to the toes. A bit too much cushioning/flexibility maybe? I don't know how else to describe it, but I certainly don't have the same lack-of-feel in either of my Adrenalines.

The little niggles? The heel is already showing signs of wear through the black glued-on outsole, and I'm not a heavy heel-striker. The insole is a cheap, hard bit of thin foam and should be of better quality considering this is a top-range NB runner. The shoes are also a bit flashy and will draw some attention whether or not that's a niggle for you depends on how much bling you like on your runners!

Other than that, I'd recommend the 1226 for big runners with moderate+ underpronation. This shoe will certainly deliver on its promise of stability and cushioning and they are well-ventilated. Personally, I rate my Adrenalines over the 1226, especially the new GTS 11, but that's another review for another time... :)

On a separate note, this was my first order from Amazon and I was extremely impressed with how quickly the shoes were dispatched (less than 2 hours from ordering!) and how quickly they were delivered to Australia (dispatched on a Saturday, arrived the following Tuesday!!!). Thanks Amazon!!