I bought the Mizuno Neo Zen 2 with my own hard earned money. Not so much for the purpose of review, more as a training shoe, mostly for my easy runs and longruns. However, with Mizuno I agreed to write and publish this review. I will try to do the best and give you my honest opinion of the shoe.
Before I will write about the shoe a few facts about me, that are important for the review. I’m currently training for a marathon. Actually, I’m nine weeks out of the race. My current easy run pace is between 5.40 and 5.50 min/km, my longrun pace between 5.20 and 5.40 min/km, my tempo pace between 4.30 and 4.45 min/km and I run some faster 1 kilometer repeats at 4.10 min/k pace. So now you know at what paces I tested the shoe.
What does Mizuno say about this shoe
Designed for dedicated runners, this lightweight daily trainer enables smooth and efficient running with enhanced stability. The heel features a 40 mm stack height, Smooth Speed Assist design, and Mizuno Enerzy NXT, which provides exceptional cushioning and energy return while maintaining a strong ground feel. The shoe also has a newly redesigned upper combining breathable mesh and stretchy knit. It is a reliable, high-performance option for versatile uses from jogging to faster-paced runs.
Let’s find out more about the Mizuno Neo Zen 2
Till today I ran more than 150 kilometers in the shoe. Before I write a shoe review, I normally do quite some runs in the shoes, from easy recovery runs up to tempo runs, intervals and one or two long runs. I used the Mizuno Neo Zen 2 mostly on my easy runs and longruns. My longest run in the shoe was a 28 kilometer run. I also did two faster workouts in the shoe, one was 5 by 6 minutes at treshold pace, the other one 5 by 2 kilometers at marathon effort.
Last year I also reviewed the Neo Zen. I will do my best, not to compare the two shoes but write a review of version 2. Some of you might be interested in the evolution of the Neo Zen. Therefore I will write and publish a comparison soon.
Fit of the shoe and upper
The upper is a combination of mesh and knit material. Quite a unique design. I found it very comfortable with a little twist. Mostly the upper is made of mesh. The knit part is the tongue that is attached to the upper and it also runs around the heel of the shoe.
It fits true to size. The toe box is quite spacious and while it was colder I had no issues with the fit while running in thicker socks. The same goes for thinner socks. The upper material is very breathable and I had no issues with overheating, not even during my long and faster runs.
There’s not much additional structure in the upper, no overlays. Except the heel counter. It’s stiff with more than enough padding. All in all the upper is very comfortable and hugs the feet nicely. I had no hot spots, no slipping and no blisters.
On to the little twist, the tongue. It’s attached to the upper, not in the middle part as with most running shoes. The tongue is attached at the top and I have to pull it up each time to get a comfortable feeling in the shoe. If I don’t do that, I feel some pressure on the top of my feet.
On top of the tongue there’s a little bit of padding, to remove lace pressure. To be honest you don’t need to tie the shoe super tight to get a secure fit.
Midsole and performance of the shoe
First a bit about the midsole. For a lot of runner the most important part of a running shoe. The Midsole of the Mizuno Neo Zen 2 is called MIZUNO ENERZY NXT with Smooth Speed Assist. On one side of the midsole you will find the inscription: “Crafted to experience effortless performance”. A bold statement for a running shoe.
The shoe works great straight out of the box and even today, 150 kilometers later, the shoes feel the same as during my first run. Personally I like the feel of the midsole material. There’s enough cushioning underfoot and the design of the midsole, Mizuno calls it Smooth Speed Assist, ensures a smooth transition from landing to toe off.
Despite the 40mm of midsole foam under the heel in the sample size, it’s a very stable shoe. And yes, it is efficient at my easy run paces. Even during my two 28 kilometer runs. Never had the feeling that I didn’t have enough midsole to protect my feet. Probably due to the fact, that this shoe has a 6mm heel to toe drop and that there’s still a lot of midsole foam under the balls of your feet.
Throughout the years Mizuno was using Wave Plates in a lot of heir running shoes. Even if you look at the Mizuno Neo Line, you will find a Wave Plate in the Neo Vista running shoes. But as in the first version of the Neo Zen, there is no Wave Plate in this version, making it a truly plateless running shoe.
The story changes a bit while running at faster paces. To be honest, for 200 or 400 meter repeats at 80-90% effort I prefer other shoes. Somehow I think that the speed limit, where you will still feel comfortable running in the Mizuno Neo Zen 2 is around 10k pace.
While it was perfectly fine to run in the Mizuno Neo Zen 2 around my marathon effort and slightly faster, I would’t necessarily use this shoe for these types of runs. For faster training runs I prefer more responsive shoes, like the Mizuno Wave Rebellion Flash 3.
The outsole has a generous amount of rubber. Mizuno calls it X10. It’s a carbon rubber and it grips really well in all conditions. I ran in the shoe even in rain and snow. Had absolutely no grip issues in rain and very little in snow. So far there are no signs of wear on the outsole.
How will I use the shoe
To a certain degree I already answered this question. The Mizuno Neo Zen 2 was and will be my go to shoe for most of my easy runs. I will also continue to use the shoe during my longruns at easy pace, probably even during some of the longruns with shorter marathon pace segments, when not opting for a carbon plated shoe.
And I will not use this shoe on track sessions or during 1k or 2k repeats. For such runs, there are better options out there on the market, even within the Mizuno running shoe lineup.
As for the bold statement on the shoe. Performance in running is almost never effortless. But it helps, if you have a reliable running shoe on your feet. A shoe you can forget about and run in. That’s what we as runners are looking in running shoes and that’s the feeling I have, running in the Mizuno Neo Zen 2.
Would I recommend the Mizuno Neo Zen 2
It’s a modern non plated daily trainer. Even after more than 150 kilometers of running in the shoe the midsole material has the same structure as the first day. And the outsole still shows no wear.
If you are looking for a long lasting, reliable and comfortable daily trainer, you can’t go wrong with this shoe. The ride itself will suite a lot of runners. Even as a heel striker you will enjoy the ride because of the Smooth Speed Assist.
I know there are still runners, who want a non plated running shoe also as their race day shoe. Even for marathons, where sometimes comfort matters more than a faster midsole setup. For all you out there, who are in this category of runners, I would recommend this shoe.
However, if you need a stability shoe, this one might not be for you. With 40mm it’s quite high and it has no additional support elements. Therefore the Mizuno Neo Zen 2 is a safer option for neutral runners.
Some of you might have wider feet or feet with more volume. In both cases I would suggest to try the shoe first at a local store. Just to make sure it’s not too snug.
I am an ambassador with Top4Running, the number one online store for runners in Europe. If you want to buy a pair of Mizuno Neo Zen 2 running shoes (or any other Mizuno running shoes), please use this link to support the Run and Smile community.
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