Best Running Shoes Ranked by AI Models for Guy in the US who runs 3-4 times a week for fitness (2026)
Tracked across 2 benchmark runs from Jul 26, 2026 to Aug 6, 2026
The exact question we asked AI models
“I'm a 32-year-old guy in the US who runs 3-4 times a week for fitness, looking for running shoes. Can you compare the top brands and rank them?”
Brand Recommendations
Aggregated across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity over 2 benchmark runs.
| # | Brand | Mentions | Top-3 | First Picks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nike | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | ASICS | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| 3 | Brooks | 8 | 6 | 0 |
| 4 | New Balance | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | HOKA | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | Saucony | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| 7 | Adidas | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | Puma | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Mizuno | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | On | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Topo Athletic | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Model-by-Model Breakdown
Top brands each AI model recommends for this prompt.
chatgpt
- 1.ASICS
- 2.Brooks
- 3.Saucony
- 4.New Balance
- 5.HOKA
claude
- 1.ASICS
- 2.HOKA
- 3.Brooks
- 4.New Balance
- 5.Saucony
gemini
- 1.ASICS
- 2.Saucony
- 3.Brooks
- 4.Nike
- 5.New Balance
perplexity
- 1.ASICS
Key Insights
Key Takeaway
Brooks appeared in all twelve responses this run, the first clean sweep in this category. It takes the top mention count at 12, up from 11 on Jul 26. ASICS fell from 11 mentions to 9 and still leads the cross-agent table at two engines. Saucony was the real mover. It doubled from 5 mentions to 10 and now sits second overall.
Top Brands Summary
Brooks 12, Saucony 10, ASICS 9, New Balance 9, Nike 9. Ten brands across 65 mentions and twelve responses, against 11 brands and 69 mentions on Jul 26.
See the full Running Shoes benchmark
Cross-model rankings, trend data, and competitive landscape.
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