I ran in ASICS for years, until I found that the insufficient padding on the ball of the foot was causing me chronic injury recurrence. The New Balance MR1012 became my favorite shoe over the last three years and was PERFECT. However, it's been discontinued. I tried the Gel-Forte as a substitute. Best I can say is that it's OK. I feel reasonably supported and protected, though I've only just begun running in the shoe. It lacks the cushioned comfort of the NB1012 and instead feels like I have a thick layer of cardboard under my feet. Am undecided at this point whether I will use these again; need to put on more mileage to really know. Hope this review helps a bit. FINAL NOTE: I'm normally 14D, but had to get 14EE for these (ASICS does indeed tend to run 'narrow.')