In this first impressions review of the Mizuno Neo Zen 2, I take an early look at fit, ride, stability, and how it stacks up as a modern daily trainer.

Technical Specs

Stack Height: 40.5/34.5 mm
Heel-to-Toe Drop: 6 mm
Midsole Compound: Enerzy NXT

Back on Road

In the summer of 2024, Mizuno launched the Neo Vista, firmly planting a flag in the super trainer race. Despite its divisive knit bootie upper, the Neo Vista received high praise. It was bouncy, fun, and, at £150, positioned itself as a relatively accessible, value-oriented super trainer.

I could see the appeal of the Neo Vista. But I found myself feeling like the only member of the running population that didn’t actually like it. The knit upper made it difficult to get a secure lockdown. There wasn’t enough support. And, while the foam had a nice rebound to it, I always felt detached from the midsole. As such, it never felt stable.

So, when Mizuno released the first iteration of the Neo Zen — and the second version of the Neo Vista — it was a hard pass. Just like the Neo Vista, the Neo Zen was highly praised. It was soft, springy, and, being positioned as a versatile daily trainer rather than super trainer, came in at only £130. Many reviewers claimed it was the shoe to provide the most fun for the lowest price.

While reviews made it sound tempting, I had a feeling — based on my experience with the Neo Vista — that I may again be in disagreement with the masses. Besides, I was predominantly running trails by that point, and I was pretty sure that, no matter how great they were, the Neo Zen wouldn’t have done all too well there.

But yesterday, a surprise package from Mizuno turned up at my door. Its distinctive shoebox size and shape provided an inkling as to what was inside, but beyond it being a pair of running shoes, I had no idea. As I racked my brain to think of Mizuno’s latest releases, only one shoe came to mind. Well, one range of shoes, anyway: the Hyperwarp. As you can probably guess, that delivery did not contain the Hyperwarp Pure, Elite, or Pro, but rather the Neo Zen 2.

Strangely, I had taken a brief look at the NZ2 just a few days before after seeing it appear on SportsShoes. I’ve been running a more even split of road:trail over the winter and, believe it or not, no longer have the extensive collection of road shoes I once had. It felt like time to see whether the Neo Zen 2 would live up to its predecessor’s popularity.

First Impressions

The first thing worth noting is how comfortable the Neo Zen 2 is. I don’t know if the knit uppers were like this on all post-Neo Vista releases, but I can honestly say Mizuno has nailed it here. Compared with my first experience, this updated version is significantly more structured and the lockdown far more secure. The heel area features plenty of soft padding that both bolsters comfort and helps ensure a solid lockdown. As always, I received the NZ2 in a UK 8.5, half a size up from street. I do think street size might be fine, though, as there’s perhaps just a little too much room up front.

The midsole, though, was the real surprise. Based on the overwhelmingly positive reception to V1, I expected this to be something of a continuation — a soft, springy slab of TPU. But, that’s not the case. Both pack the nitrogen-infused Enerzy NXT, but if the last iteration was as soft as people make out, this one must have been firmed up quite a bit. It’s not a firm foam, by the way. It’s just not what I expected.

I feel like I say this a lot, but this tweaked Enerzy NXT midsole really does sit somewhere in the middle of that soft – firm scale. And, unless this is one of those mysterious foams that significantly changes after X amount of miles — a phenomenon I’m yet to truly experience — it doesn’t offer much in the way of rebound either.

In testing the Mizuno Neo Zen 2, I put it through a tempo session. While a speed-focused shoe might be the better choice, a good daily trainer should be able to handle whatever you throw at it. So, after a 1.5 km warm-up, it was straight in with 2 km at 4:50/km, 2 km at 5:25/km, and a final 2 km back at 4:50/km. The Neo Zen 2 handled everything from the ~6:00/km warm up to the faster segments (which were, in the end, around the 4:40/km mark) really well. Once you were at target pace, it was easy to settle in for the duration. But, if you’re expecting the Neo Zen 2 to feel like a bouncy, propulsive, energetic trainer, you might be disappointed. In some running shoes, it feels effortless to hit faster paces. The Neo Zen 2 won’t fight you, but you do have to work for it. And, to be honest, I’m here for it.

If what people say about V1 of the Neo Zen is true, this will likely be a divisive change considering their popularity. I can’t directly compare the two versions, but I’m guessing the original was something like a plateless Neo Vista. As I didn’t find the plated Neo Vista particularly stable, I can only imagine how detrimental to your ankles the Neo Zen 1 might have been — particularly for less experienced runners. It may have felt fun, but was it really an appropriate daily trainer?

This is something I’ve talked about in recent reviews. In fact, in my latest review of the Salomon Aero Glide 3 GRVL, I discuss why I think that shoe — or at least its non-gravel counterpart — is likely a much better option for the masses than the popular — and admittedly great — Adidas Evo SL.

And that’s why I’m really pleased that Mizuno has perhaps dulled down the second version of the Neo Zen. It is, after all, supposed to be Mizuno’s answer — or at least one of their answers — to the daily trainer segment. And in that domain, the Neo Zen 2 has so far proven to be a great choice. Rather than being insanely soft or feeling like you’re running in moon boots, the Neo Zen 2 does what a good daily trainer should. It’s impressively stable, has one of the most comfortable uppers I’ve ever worn, handles a variety of paces well, and the grip is superb. Today was certainly not the best day to take out a brand new pair of white shoes (thankfully I had the foresight to photograph them first). But despite the conditions, the outsole handled everything with ease.

I’ve certainly been guilty of favouring fun over form in the past, but right now I’m on a mission to — and I apologise in advance for this — “Make Daily Trainers Daily Again.” Race day technology has been trickling down for the last couple of years, and sure, sometimes it’s fun. But sometimes, all a daily trainer needs is to be comfortable, protective, stable, and dependable. On first impressions, the Mizuno Neo Zen 2 ticks every box. Just don’t expect them to look fresh for very long…

Update

Since publishing my first impressions review of the Mizuno Neo Zen 2, many more miles have been run in them. So, what do I really think?

Honestly, my first impression seems to be on the money. It’s not an exciting shoe, but that’s exactly how I want a daily trainer to feel. There’s a subtle pop to it. It’s protective, durable, and most importantly, comfortable.

It doesn’t do the work for you, and honestly that’s a good thing. It’ll see you through the long miles, the boring miles, and it’ll make sure you’re developing the requisite strength to actually run those fast miles. It’s the type of shoe that, come race day, will make the assistance provided by the race day shoe of your choice — the propulsive foams and carbon plates — feel like running is effortless. And fundamentally, that’s how it should be.