Mizuno Wave Inspire 21

We were eager to put on some shoes from the Japanese brand to test them and the Mizuno Wave Inspire 21 has been chosen to see how, after 21 versions, it is still one of the most reliable and popular shoes from Mizuno.

The Mizuno Wave Inspire 21 is one of the brand's running shoes that is designed for those runners who need extra support and stability during their daily workouts but also adapts to a wide range of runners as we will see below.

First impressions and features of the Mizuno Wave Inspire 21

During our last running training sessions we have been testing this model on different terrains and distances. From short distance sessions at faster paces to medium distance sessions (16-20kms) at more moderate and calm paces.

Asphalt has been the main protagonist during our training sessions but we have also performed sessions in which we have combined asphalt road with dirt tracks and trails to test its behavior beyond the completely smooth terrain.

From the first moment we started running with them we have adapted perfectly and I would highlight their comfort and good fit of the foot inside the shoe.

It is a shoe that stands out for its great reliability. If a shoe receives 21 versions it must be for a reason. It is a consolidated model within the catalog of the Japanese brand that, perhaps does not have the popularity of other shoes like the Mizuno Wave Rider 28 but, thanks to its great reliability does not falter in any aspect.

We like shoes with a high drop, as we always prioritize comfort over speed, and with the Mizuno Wave Inspire 21 we can not complain because it has one of the highest drops that we can find in the market today, a drop of 12 mm, however, we must say that, during all the days of testing the shoes we have not noticed it too much, it gives extra cushioning but without penalizing too much stability.

Being a shoe mainly intended for runners who need extra support (although it can also be used by runners with neutral footstep), we noticed a greater support in the inner area of the Wave plate, which continues to stand out, season after season, as one of the most popular technologies of the brand.

It is not a shoe designed exclusively for runners with a pronator footprint because this greater internal support does not bother runners with a neutral footprint who can also use it without issue.

The midsole provides us with a rather firm cushioning, without great boasts or very soft sensations that other outstanding foams in the market today can transmit, even so, you can run long distances with the shoes in a comfortable way and with comfort in each stride.

The outsole has pleased us more than we expected, it has great durability and grip both on completely smooth surfaces such as asphalt and on packed earth and similar terrains where it has responded brilliantly, with great grip and without excessively premature wear thanks to the material and its design, with the Mizuno Wave Inspire 21 we are guaranteed a shoe to run for miles and miles without worrying about wear and tear.

Ideal runner profile of the Mizuno Wave Inspire 21

It is a shoe that adapts to a wide profile of runners as it stands out for its reliability. Thanks to its cushioning it is ideal for daily runs, its comfort is more than guaranteed and its stability is more than proven.

Mediumweight runners who like to run at medium paces (5:00-5:30) are the perfect profile for this model and, if they need extra support, I would say that this is one of their candidate shoes. Also, runners who like to have a shoe on their feet that responds efficiently to their daily runs will adapt to this model without any problems.

What we liked the most

It is a shoe that does not stand out especially for a single aspect but in its entirety, demonstrating at all times its great reliability, perhaps what is the most difficult thing to find in a shoe, since there are models that stand out for providing us, for example, great reactivity, speed or cushioning but then fail in other aspects that are also important. This is not the case with the Mizuno Wave Inspire 21, as it has a very balanced set of features that provide us with everything we need to run reliably and comfortably.

Opportunities for improvement

We're missing a little more innovation in the shoe, this version does not incorporate major new features or improvements over the previous version. It has a design and technologies that continue along thel ine of its predecessors.

Perhaps, for those runners who like to combine moderate paces with series or faster intervals in the same session, it would lack a little more reactivity and "spark" for those more intense moments in our workouts.

With which models can we compare the Mizuno Wave Inspire 21?

It is time to compare it with similar shoes that we can find in the market and, the truth is that there are quite a few because the big brands already include shoes that provide extra stability and footprint control in their catalogs, among all of them we highlight the following:

Final conclusions

In this latest version of the Mizuno Wave Inspire, we have a shoe that continues along the line of its predecessor and which runners who do not need extra stability can also enjoy during their daily running workouts.

Comfort more than guaranteed, a Wave plate that performs its function perfectly and an outsole that guarantees a good grip and (almost) infinite durability, are the highlights of one of the most popular shoes in the extensive catalog of running shoes of the Japanese brand.