New Balance 1080v11 Review

Those who commonly find themselves dealing with the pain associated with plantar fasciitis may reel back when hearing about the idea of running. It’s no surprise, as plantar fasciitis is the most common pain point in the heels, and is very common amongst members of the running community. The New Balance 1080v11 is a great running shoe option for those runners, or anyone else looking for a max cushioning shoe with great heel support and high quality materials.

Many of the people who suffer from plantar fasciitis are well aware that the most common time for heel pain is as soon as they wake up. But, more focused pain will occur both during and after the run. Using footwear that doesn’t fit properly and is not well-cushioned fails to provide the heel and arch support necessary, and will do nothing but make the pain worse.

Plantar fasciitis treatments will include routine stretching and flexibility exercises. However, one of the easiest methods to ease associated pain is to use shoes that support the heel and arch properly.

The New Balance 1080 is a great example of a wonderful running shoe for plantar fasciitis. Manufactured by the gold standard of specialized footwear, the New Balance 1080 is an ideal choice for those suffering from plantar fasciitis.

Features and Benefits

The New Balance 1080v11 running shoe is an amazingly high-quality shoe option. They are truly ideal for those suffering from plantar fasciitis. The New Balance option performed amazingly well in most of our tests. They are very well reviewed on several sources, and they are a wonderful balance between style and comfort.

This shoe is surprisingly visually attractive as well. Regarding the shoes tested and researched for the “best running shoes for plantar fasciitis” category, these were easily the most style-forward. (Note: After all testing was complete, and we could wear whatever we wanted, these were the shoes we wore the most often).

Additionally, the New Balance 1080 provided very strong performance in walking and running. This allowed for extensive and lasting relief from our plantar fasciitis pains. These shoe also easily had the most features in them, including such options as:

• Removable gel insoles
• Asymmetrical heel counters for foot locking
• Breathable mesh linings
• New Balance’s patented heel support cushion, called N2
• Lighter weight shoe frames
• New Balance’s patented crash pad section, called ABZORB

The shoe is light, comfortable, and technologically advanced. New Balance states that the NB 1080 will keep up with you mile after mile. But did our testing show this?

Performance in Our Testing

We at Shoe Guide are known for our rigorous testing procedures. Our selections for the best running shoes for plantar fasciitis were no exception. We put the New Balance 1080 through a series of three separate tests, all taking place across various courses in the Jacksonville, Florida area. Those tests included: 

• A flatter route on strong pavement, with terrains ranging from asphalt to loose pebbles, carpeting, linoleum and sidewalks. Goal: a four-mile loop around the perimeter of the Regency Square Mall, one of those miles being a jogging pace.
• A more off-road route, the Spanish Pond Trail, with mud, stocks, debris and plenty of rugged terrains. Goal: Another four miles across environments untested in the flatter route, with a mile at a solid trail running pace.
• An intense stair climbing route, up the 42-floor stairwell of the Banks of America Tower in downtown. Goal: Testing the quality of the shoes over quick turnarounds, damp environments, closed quarters, and rapid inclines.

Here are how these running shoes performed:

In the flat route, the New Balance 1080 performed extremely well, both indoors and outdoors, and on tile flooring, carpeting and asphalt road surfaces. We noticed no issues relating to comfort and convenience when walking and jogging with this shoe.

In the off-road route, the New Balance 1080 also had an exemplary performance. This occurred at the intense Spanish Pond course, handling slippery wooden surfaces and dirt and mud with ease and grace. We experienced no slippage or discomfort here.

Finally, in the stair climbing route, we noticed that the New Balance 1080 had impressive grip. It was by far the stickiest of the shoes that we tested in these processes. For this reason, the 1080 performed ideally when maneuvering relatively slippery concrete 180-degree turns at fast paces when racing up the flights of stairs in the skyscraper stairwell.

Advantages and Disadvantages

All running shoes for plantar fasciitis have their own pros and cons, regardless of their placement or presence on our list. This is no fault of the manufacturer. Everyone is different, so there will be no perfect shoe for everyone. This is even the case with the well-made New Balance 1080. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages we found in our testing.

Advantages of the New Balance 1080v11

• This shoe is a very stunning combination of high quality materials, comfort level, and price point. Longevity is the goal with these shoes, and in our testing, we noticed this to be the case.
• This makes a great casual shoe, which is how we wore it after the testing was complete (note, they were not our go-to running shoe, but were worn daily for a few months after the fact).

Disadvantages of the New Balance 1080v11

• Those looking for a bright stylish running shoe as one of their priorities should look elsewhere. There are minimal color options for you to choose from, in both men and women’s (black and white).
• Sizing can tend to run a little bit tight. As such, we highly recommend for men to size up by ½ size, and for women to size up by a full size to avoid discomfort and exacerbation of plantar fasciitis pain.

Our Verdict

Overall, this was one of the best “all around” running shoes for plantar fasciitis that we tested. We were quite impressed by the New Balance 1080, but were not really surprised, as New Balance is one of those companies that tends to do very well in everything that they do shoe-wise.