Mizuno Wave Prophecy 3: Shoe Review

Mizuno released its Wave Prophecy 3 late last fall to an excited audience of runners. The Prophecy 3, one of Mizuno’s neutral shoes, is lighter than its predecessor and incorporates a new, softer midsole foam. Additional updates include a multi-layer structure for a lightweight (9.6 oz. for women, 11.9 oz. for men) shoe with a comfortable, durable design.

But, let’s take a moment to acknowledge the obvious and really important fact that this shoe is totally sexy, right?

I mean, I get a lot of compliments on my Sayonaras, but these? I can’t walk out the door without people — both runners and non-runners alike — commenting on how cool they look. It’s like they’re from the future with the funky open sole and hexagonal design on the upper.

Now, where the Sayonaras were fairly minimal, these are definitely not — the Wave Prophecy 3 uses maximum cushioning to create a super comfortable running experience. The other big difference, and what was a bigger factor for me, is the drop — the Wave Prophecy 3 has a considerable drop (meaning the heel sits up higher than the toe), which is awesome for heel strikers.

I, however, am a midfoot striker.

That being said, because of my injured knee, I haven’t been doing nearly as much running as I’d like (and therefore haven’t taken these out for much of a spin as far as sustained runs go). I have, however, used them for a number of long walks (with a few short jogs tossed in), as well as for pretty much all my circuit, strength, and machine cardio training (like on the elliptical), and they weren’t joking with the cushioning. That is a comfy, comfy fit. Normally, I come home and take my running shoes off immediately (I don’t like to put any additional miles on them outside of working out), but I’ve found myself wearing these throughout the day because they just feel so nice.

So! Fit Bottomed line: The Mizuno Wave Prophecy 3 is a tremendous shoe — maybe a little on the pricey side at $209.99, but you’re paying for a whole lotta shoe in a lightweight (and totally hot) package, which is a great feature for runners putting in a lot of miles. I can definitely see where all that cushioning would make long runs feel pretty sweet.

As with any shoe, I’d strongly suggest trying it on in a store where they let you run around a bit in it, because while I love wearing the Prophecy for most things, because of my particular running form, it’s not my go-to shoe when I actually, you know, run (which is what they’re really made for). If you’re not sure what kind of running form you have, a specialized running store should be able to help you figure that out.

Do you prefer a cushy running shoe or are you more of a minimalist runner? Or does it depend on the run and the shoe? —Kristen