New Balance Boracay Running Shoe Review

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If it’s a neutral running shoe with great cushioning that you’re seeking out, the New Balance Boracay with Fresh Foam is a great option. The Boracay is perfect for both runners that are looking to get in a few miles a day to runners training for marathons and beyond.

New Balance Boracay Performance Feedback

After putting a few hundred miles in the New Balance Boracay, my overall opinion of the shoe is positive. I’ve been working on a spring marathon training program while testing these shoes out which means I’ve been able to get some 14+ mile long run in as well as some short tempo runs to work on my speed and turnover. The New Balance Boracay running shoes didn’t necessarily knock my socks off, but they hit all my check marks that I look for in a neutral running shoe; good cushioning, no hot spots, lightweight, durable, wide, but not too wide toe box, good traction, and an overall comfortable fit.

Running Shoe Upper Construction

The New Balance Boracay uses a two way stretch material in the majority of the upper which allows for the shoe to accommodate various foot types and adjust to each foot strike while running. A good running shoe upper is flexible, but still must provide enough structure to keep your foot stable. The New Balance Boracay uses heated welded synthetic overlays to give the running shoe structure which reduces the amount of stitching and reduces weight.

The heel of the Boracay does a nice job of holding your foot in place in the rear of the shoe. I found there to be a good amount of cushioning in the heel cup to keep your foot from moving around, but not too much to where it rubs your ankles raw. In the toe box, I found there to be enough room for my feet to splay or widen out with each foot strike, but if you have a wider than normal foot, I recommend you purchase this shoe in a 2E or 4E depending on your foot width.

Wide Tongue

The one downside that I have found with the New Balance Boracay upper is that the tongue of the shoe is too wide. When you first lace up the shoe, the tongue has extra material that bunches up. This was a concern for me at first, but every with every run in these shoes, the extra material in the tongue always flattens out and becomes a non issue.

Boracay Fresh Foam Midsole

With the introduction of New Balance Fresh Foam this year, the material has quickly gained wide acceptance with many runners. The Fresh Foam material is a blown EVA which is both light and extremely cushiony, but still provides enough support and structure for a runner with a neutral gate. As someone who prefers cushioned running shoes, I’ve found the New Balance Boracay’s with Fresh Foam to have just the right amount of cushioning in the midsole.

Shoe outsole and Insole

For the outsole of the New Balance Boracay, the designers decided to go with a one piece blown rubber outsole. The outsole provides maximum ground coverage which provides great traction for dry days. I’ve run also tested these shoes on wet and snowy roads and have found the tread pattern to provide a good amount of traction. As you can see in the pictures, small pieces of gravel can get stuck in the tread, but this is not extremely common.

The insole of the New Balance Boracay uses a 3rd party premium footbed by Ortholite. The material in the Ortholite footbed provides more cushioning that the traditional cheaper insole that comes in most running shoes. For arch support, I found the Boracay to provide enough arch support for traditional arches, but I recommend uses a 3rd party insole such as Super Feet or Sof Sol if you have high arches.

Final Thoughts

The New Balance Boracay with Fresh Foam is a great choice for neutral runners that performs on a consistent basis. I have been happy with all the miles I’ve logged in these shoes and I’ve found no glaring reasons for a neutral runner not to buy this shoe. For more information, please visit www.newbalance.com or www.amazon.com/newbalance.