New Balance Ellipse 1 tested: comfort above all

When you run regularly, you know that choosing a pair mostly depends on what you want to feel under your foot. Some brands play the card of speed and lightness, while others prefer to focus on comfort and safety for our everyday runs. With this Ellipse 1, New Balance clearly decided to offer us a true cocoon, a pair made to accumulate miles without cutting us off from our sensations.

On paper, it promises lasting comfort, good stability, and plenty of cushioning underfoot to chain training sessions without worries. So I wanted to check if all that held up in real conditions. Result: I took it with me on 12 outings, which represent about 10 hours of running and 85 kilometers, mostly on city circuits, between asphalt and small dirt paths.

Design and first impressions: A dynamic silhouette that inspires comfort

When pulling this New Balance Ellipse 1 out of its box, the first contact is honestly good. Visually, it looks sharp and immediately makes you want to lace your shoes and go for a run. Just looking at it, you can guess what awaits you on the road: a design that seems sturdy, a nice plush look, and a real feeling of comfort.

Aesthetically, it works very well. The profile is quite successful, showing a rather sporty look, and even though the sole is thick to guarantee cushioning, it doesn’t feel like you're wearing clogs on your feet. New Balance delivers here a model with a modern and no-nonsense look, perfectly in tune with the "relaxed endurance" spirit of the pair.

Putting the look aside, the feel in hand supports what the brand sold us. That famous all-out comfort, you already feel it when you handle the shoe. You quickly understand that it will absorb the repetitive shocks of asphalt without whining while pampering our feet with every stride.

Even before taking my first steps, I wasn’t expecting anything complicated: I wanted raw comfort and good durability. The goal of this test was mainly to see if I’d have a good base, a clean support for my stride, and cushioning that does its job on typical outings.

The only real question I had in mind before going for a run concerned the weight. With such an emphasis on the "slipper" side and the thickness of the sole, I was afraid of ending up with a dead weight on my feet, severely lacking pep. That was the whole stake of this test.

First Impressions: An Immediately Comfortable and Well-Fitting Shoe

Once your foot is in, no surprises: the main quality of the Ellipse 1 is obvious. From the first steps in the living room, it feels really good. There's just enough room at the front for your toes to breathe, but without ever giving that unpleasant feeling of swimming inside the shoe.

I didn't notice any strange rubbing or pressure points, and the tongue naturally sits in place. In short, it immediately feels like putting on slippers. No need to suffer for three weeks for the shoe to mold to your foot, it’s ready to wear.

In terms of support, it’s just as reassuring. You just need to get the hang of adjusting the laces at first, but once you find the right tightness, your foot doesn’t move an inch. The balance between comfort and ankle lockdown is perfectly dosed, without having to strangle your foot with the laces.

This first contact is therefore ultra positive. The shoe completely disappears as soon as you warm up and immediately reminds you that it’s here to pamper you.

Real-World Test: 85 Kilometers Between Asphalt and Trails

To see what it was made of, I took it on my daily runs, for durations from half an hour to an hour. In total, that’s a good ten hours of running spread over 12 separate sessions.

I stayed on my usual playground in the city, with typical surfaces and no elevation change: sidewalks, asphalt, and dirt park paths. So I didn’t try taking it on technical forest trails or mountain slopes. The elevation profile remained flat as a pancake.

But deep down, that perfectly fits the plan I chose to use it for. It’s the ideal shoe for the classic easy endurance run, where you jog calmly and chat, at a pace that lets you really appreciate the softness of the foam.

The weather was mostly on my side, with lots of sunshine and dry terrain throughout almost the entire test. This at least allowed me to see if the fabric breathes well when the temperature starts to climb.

After my 85 kilometers, the verdict is clear: my sensations haven’t changed one bit since day one. Whether it’s the sole’s cushioning, the lace hold, or the quality of the shock absorption, the shoe didn’t budge, and my stride remained smooth throughout.

Performance Evaluation: A Stable and Protective Shoe

On the sidewalks and urban paths I covered, the Ellipse 1 perfectly plays its role as a shield. I never had foot discomfort, and the foam does an excellent job smoothing over small pebbles, roots, or manhole covers you encounter in the city.

The way it holds the ankle also really pleased me. Sure, I didn’t do any serious trail running with it—and it’s not meant for that anyway—but on my routes, it delivered. You feel safe, your foot stays well aligned, and you don’t have to worry about a stupid little sprain.

The grip under the sole also performed very well. Zero slipping to report on the dry surfaces during my runs. Still, it would be good to see how it performs on a rainy autumn day on wet asphalt, to know if the sole remains as reliable when the conditions get tough.

This stability is truly one of its major strengths. Once the laces are well tightened, you place your foot without second thoughts and roll through your stride with complete confidence. Even if I didn’t do any acrobatic crossings, I felt 100% serene, without the slightest annoying tension.

A Smooth Roll and Particularly Effective Cushioning

During the run, the transition from heel to toe is very smooth. The shoe follows the natural movement of our anatomy, and honestly, it’s pure joy when you settle into a steady cruise pace.

But if you have to remember just one thing, it’s definitely its cushioning. The foam does an outstanding job absorbing repeated impacts from the asphalt. It’s simple: even running every other day, I came home without sore calves or aching soles.

Ultimately, this comfort perfectly matches the DNA of this pair. New Balance clearly designed it for runners who want to preserve their physical capital over time, much more than those chasing personal records on asphalt.

As for ventilation, nothing to complain about either. I pushed it on pretty warm days, and I never felt like my foot was in a steam room. The fabric lets air pass well, which adds another big plus to this overall feeling of well-being.

The fit is also perfectly calibrated for my feet. My toes weren’t crushed on the sides, and I didn’t have to pull on the laces like crazy to prevent slipping. It’s an excellent compromise between freedom of movement and firm support.

Dynamism: Comfort before the search for performance

Here we reach the limit of the exercise. By wanting to be so cushy, so stable, and so shock-absorbing, the Ellipse 1 inevitably sacrifices a bit of its dynamism.

As soon as you want to push a gear or do some sprints, it clearly lacks rebound, even giving a slight impression of "dragging your feet a bit" at the end of a session. But let's be honest, that's not really a flaw in itself, it's just the logical consequence of its design.

This is a pair designed for endurance and recovery runs, not to smash personal records in interval training. For this specific program, the equation the brand proposes totally works: you accept being a little less explosive in order to gain maximum comfort.

Sizing: A fit true to New Balance's usual standards

No unpleasant surprises on the size front. I already have several New Balance models in my closet, and this Ellipse 1 fits exactly the same.

As always for running, I take one size up from my city shoe size, and it fits perfectly. The toes have room to swell a bit with effort, while keeping a secure hold on the midfoot, which prevents any feeling of suffocation.

Durability: A pair that seems built to last

With 12 outings and 85 kilometers on the clock, what I see in terms of durability really brings a smile. Inspecting the sole and the mesh, I note absolutely no sign of early wear.

This is all the more reassuring since it’s my "all-purpose" shoe for easy jogs. It takes the same stresses on every outing, and it looks like it handles them without showing any sign of weakness.

As things stand, I think these New Balance will stay in my rotation for quite a while. Of course, we'll have to see if the foam doesn't compress after 400 or 500 kilometers, but for now, it’s solid.

Summary of my test

To keep it short, after 85 kilometers and 12 training sessions, this New Balance Ellipse 1 delivers on all its promises in terms of comfort. With its generous sole and unwavering support, it's a real pleasure to jog regularly and rack up kilometers without hurting yourself.

The flip side is naturally its lack of pep. Being the queen of protection, it sometimes struggles to kickstart and can feel a bit heavy underfoot when fatigue sets in or when you want to pick up the pace.

But that's not a problem, because that's exactly what you ask of it. If you're looking for a model above all soft, stable, and sturdy for your everyday runs in autopilot mode, this Ellipse 1 is flawless. It forgets about the clock to prioritize the body, with a durability that promises many hours of running together.