Sonicblast 2

Yes. Reviewers wore their usual size and found enough toe room. It is a little narrower than the Superblast 3 through the forefoot, so try it on if you have wide feet.

You can, and reviewers see it as a good marathon training shoe with race potential. It's heavier and firmer than a dedicated race shoe, so one of those will still feel faster on the day. Many runners will use the Sonicblast for long runs at goal pace and save a lighter racer for the race itself.

Not as a first or only shoe. The ride is firm at easy pace and it's built to reward faster running. A beginner will get more from a softer daily trainer like the Gel Cumulus 28 and can add a shoe like this later.

Pick the Sonicblast 2 if most of your running is at tempo or marathon pace and you like a firmer, springier forefoot. Pick the Superblast 3 if you want one shoe for easy days as well as faster ones, or need a bit more room up front. At full price they cost about the same.

It's too new for long-term wear reports, and none of the reviews we read flagged early outsole wear. Check back once runners have put a few hundred miles on it.

The plate is now forked and the upper is a lighter engineered mesh, and reviewers found the shoe noticeably lighter overall. The result, they say, is a bouncier and more responsive ride, and the heel rub some runners had with version one has gone.