Mizuno Wave Rider 29 Review: The Great Wave

Introduction to the Mizuno Wave Rider 29

ROBBE: Once, we had workhorses. Horses that did the work– they pulled, they pranced, they raced, and they ran. From farmer’s fields to Paul Revere’s ride, they did everything you needed them to do. Then, much to the delight of worn-out mares, we invented tractors. No longer beholden to the health of hooves, tractors pulled manure spreaders with ease, hauled hay wagons without a hitch, and got crops into the barn before the rains came. They were the new workhorse.

They even managed to help Kenny Chesney get a girl who found them sexy, something nobody believes has ever happened, but inevitably worked on country radio.

The Mizuno Wave Rider almost goes back to the time of grass-fed horsepower. Certainly the time when John Deeres weren’t made of computer parts and a man could replace his own piston rings without a visit to the dealer.

Think about this– if you thought that Mizuno Wave Rider 1 was sexy when it originally came out in 1998, you had to wait a whole minute for its photo to load on AOL dial-up from your parent’s basement, hoping all the while that nobody would barge in without knocking on the door.

At the time, it kind of was sexy. Mizuno was a big deal in running and their 

Waveplate technology was far ahead of its time. After two decades, though, the crow’s feet showed around the eyes, the wrinkles developed on the forehead, and the standard gray colorways looked more like a shoe that was entering its senior citizen era. 

Suffice it to say, I wasn’t too excited about wheeling grandpa around for a full testing period. We’ve heard promises before of legacy trainers and all the improvements that are in store, and more often than not, we’ve been let down. 

But Mizuno has undoubtedly been doing some cool stuff over the past couple years, namely with the Neo Vista, Neo Zen, and the freak-off-its-leash Rebellion Pro. So I thought, maybe there’s something to it this time around.

Now, full disclosure, I did not run in the Wave Rider 28 (in fact, we didn’t even review the shoe for the website). So I can’t draw an exact comparison. But what’s new in the Mizuno Wave Rider 29 is, well– a bunch of stuff. Most obvious is the updated ENERZY NXT midsole, a nitrogen-infused EVA with a stack height of 38 in the heel and 28 in the forefoot (10 mm drop). That’s a bit more stack than the last version. The PEBAX Wave Plate, of course, is still present, but it sits a bit closer to the foot in this version. Then there’s an updated jacquard upper with some cushion around the ankle collar. Despite the increase in stack height, the shoe comes in even lighter than the last version, at 9.3 oz. (258 g) for a US M9. Finishing things off is a generous layer of X10 carbon rubber on the outsole.

That’s a long introduction, but it’s a longstanding shoe. So without further ado, let’s jump into the review.

What we like about the Mizuno Wave Rider 29

ROBBE: As I already noted, my bar was low for the Mizuno Wave Rider 29. It’s honestly one of the reasons this review is coming out a full month after we got it. I kind of kept it anchored offshore as the FW25 flood of shoes came into the office. Eventually though, I figured we should run in it, especially since Mizuno was talking it up so much. 

I have to admit, for once in their lives, a marketing person wasn’t BS-ing. It’s a fantastic shoe. I basically took this as my vacation running shoe and tacked on a couple more runs, ending up with around 35 miles in it, including an 11-mile long run in the insufferable Florida heat and humidity. 

Normally when we get a shoe, there’s either a break-in period or just a time when they don’t feel good on account of poor sleep or suspect nutrition or a great happy hour the evening before. I never felt that with this shoe. I truly enjoyed every mile and I’ll tell you why.

Let’s start with the upper, which is a pretty traditional jacquard mesh upper. There’s nothing inherently special about the construction, but it gets the job done thanks to a gusseted tongue and secure lockdown in the midfoot. I thought it fit great throughout the heel and midfoot, with just enough space in the toe box to maintain a good fit without developing any hot spots or blisters. There’s just enough comfort around the heel collar and it stays breathable, even as I ran in those brain-melting Florida temps. I also did another run down there in the Nike Structure 26, and the difference was night and day in breathability. 

The ENERGY NXT midsole, though– that’s where they really got things right. At this point, everyone has moved to some sort of supercritical foam in their midsoles. Brooks is there with all its shoes, especially the DNA Tuned technology found in the Glycerin 22 and Glycerin Max 2 models. Saucony has been on the PEBA train for years with the Endorphin Speed and New Balance employs a variation of PEBA blend in all its FuelCell models. Mizuno has been working on this formula for some time, tweaking it here and there, and they nailed it with this iteration.

It’s bouncy in all the right ways, lending a softer feel but not the kind that sucks up too much energy. This is helped in part by the half-length Wave Plate from the heel to the forefoot. It provides the right amount of stability in the foam, while also helping to propel you forward as it works together with that 10 mm drop. It creates a smooth transition into the forefoot area. Once you get to the forefoot, the ground feel is more pronounced; combined with the grip of the X10 outsole, you get a really nice toe-off rolling into the next stride.

The weight is just right on this. I don’t need to have a tempo shoe weight for my daily miles; anything in the 9-ounce range is more than I could ask for. I want this shoe to be a workhorse and to last for hundreds of miles, which I believe it will. I was able to pick up the pace when necessary, but also able to comfortably settle into a steady pace that could carry over any distance. 

I mentioned the outsole grip, but I want to reiterate that I had taken this on sandy roads and through some wet parts and it performed great overall. The generous layer in the forefoot and heel should last for some time. 

At $150, this is really on target with some of the best daily trainers out there.

What we don’t like about the Mizuno Wave Rider 29

ROBBE: Mizuno ain’t doing itself any favors with the design of their core models. I know not everything has to be exciting and cool and interesting, but you gotta give me something to get excited about. I got the gray colorway and felt like I caught a case of The Fright (a la the 1980s Canadian children’s horror classic “The Peanut Butter Solution”) and turned into a white-haired grandpa when I opened the box and peeked inside.

This shoe looks like it was inspired by the past decade of Mizuno Wave Riders, and those models looked like they were inspired by the Rotary Club of Iowa, and none of those things are compliments. Also, for some reason, there’s two Mizuno logos on the lateral side? Nike can do this, but for Mizuno it just comes off as slapdash.

Maybe that’s all a bit harsh, after seeing the colorway we took photos of in this review, I guess it’s not the worst. That gray one though… yikes. Nevertheless, it’ll probably be the number one seller, so maybe disregard my opinion altogether.

Luckily, that’s mostly the extent of the bad. It’s just an uninspiring shoe to run in from a design perspective. And I get it, not everyone cares about that. But when you see them on a wall in a shoe store and it’s a first time casual runner who just want a good-looking shoe– it matters. 

Performance-wise? I really don’t know if I have anything. I really loved this shoe through and through. That said, if you have issues with a high-drop shoe, or want a softer feel in the forefoot or throughout, then there are other options available, namely the Neo Zen or Neo Vista.

Final thoughts on the Mizuno Wave Rider 29

ROBBE: I really had zero expectations for this shoe, but Mizuno delivered on all fronts. I truly think this is one of the best daily trainers of 2025, which I can’t believe I’m saying, considering the last decade of this shoe has been mid at best. It may not be as sexy and as exciting as the Adidas Evo SL or New Balance Rebel v5 or even its own counterpart in the Neo Zen, but for a tractor that can pull in any distance and provide a stable yet bouncy ride, mile after mile? Yeah, it’s kind of sexy. 

You can pick up the Mizuno Wave Rider 29 for $150 by using the shop link below.