Runners love their gear and tech. No one more than Craig Plath. When he shows up to parkrun with a new pair of shoes - we get to hear his review. So why not share it with the Russell Running Community.
Craig is a local runner from Chesterville. He is an avid parkrunner, completing 90 parkruns as of the publishing date of this post (August 18, 2024). And a run streaker who has been running EVERY day since December 1, 2022. That's 627 days in a row.
Now, here is Craig's Run-Down
PUMA Deviate Nitro 3
I'll give you some background so that you know where I'm coming from. That might help you decide if my running experience and pattern are close enough to your own for this review to warrant any comparable consideration.
I am 54 and run 35 km every week, most often in Zone 2 but edging in on Zone 3. I participate in Parkrun every week and average just under 25 minutes for a 5K, but that same run at home can often take me as long as 35 minutes as I listen to audiobooks and relax while I run.
I've been wearing Nike Tempo Next % since last fall. I've worn through 3 pairs in that time because I am 621 days into a run streak. As such, I've put over 450 km on the youngest pair of shoes in my rotation.
So, I went shopping for a new shoe that could serve several purposes in my training. I would have purchased another pair of Nike Tempo Next % because I love the sock fit concept and don't have to wear them with laces, but Nike stopped making them. So, I started doing research.
I already have my winter shoes lined up, which include various trail shoes and older runners with spikes, for varying degrees of inclement weather. What I need is a set of daily trainers that can still help me perform some speed work at the New York Central Fitness Trail parkrun on Saturdays. My requirements are significant cushioning, plenty of width in the toe box, and plated soles for extra energy return, but without a hefty price tag due to the fact that I need to replace my shoes every 4.5 months. I also want something that has been around for a while so that I don't have to change the make and model again in another 6 months.
The Nike Vaporflys are a great shoe, but they are designed for races and, therefore, won't last under the significant amount of mileage I put on a pair. They cost well over $300. The Zoom Fly is plated, but it sold out everywhere I looked, so the price tag isn't relevant.
The same is true of the Saucony Endorphin Speed 3, which also has a nylon plate. However, if I can't find them this late in the season, there isn't much point in talking about them either, other than to say that the Zoom Fly and Endorphins fall into similar categories.
So, it was time to take a trip to the Running Room on Bank St. in Ottawa. The staff there brought out a few different brands, including the Hoka One, which has a 42mm stack height! Those shoes aren't even legal in competition, not that it would matter, as I'm not a competitor, but wearing them felt like running on marshmallows and was not enjoyable at all.
Finally, I settled on the Puma. Initially, I was concerned because Puma had a reputation for being low-end athletics many years ago, but I tried them on and liked what they felt like in store. They seemed very similar to my Tempos.
The Pumas have a more reasonable stack height, a tongue that is connected via elastic to the base of the shoe rather than to the upper, and a real carbon plate, not a lower-end nylon or carbon-infused plate. The price tag is also much more reasonable: $220. That's considerably cheaper than the shoes it's competing with other brands.
So, I left the store with a pair in size 10, one size up from my regular shoe size and half a size up from what I normally wear in Nike brands.
They feel comparable to their equivalent models in other brands in every important way. They provide plenty of support; there is no notable heel slippage. There is plenty of cushioning, in fact, a bit more than I'm used to with my Nike and Saucony, but not so much that it feels unnatural.
I first wore them on a 10K run, and the cushioning was very obvious, greatly reducing strain over the middle distance. Today, I wore them on my normal 5K. I took it easy for the first part of the run and then aimed for a high Zone 4 performance in the last 800m, finishing in a reasonable 31 minutes, about 2 minutes quicker than my average middle-week run. My legs were strong. There was no soreness.
My verdict is ...
... that these are very suitable daily trainers, with enough balance between cushioning and energy return to meet the needs of most average to slightly above-average runners. You can certainly use them for middle to long distances and possibly shorter speed runs. The price is definitely reasonable, at $220 MSRP, which is less expensive than their competition in the same bracket. Add to that the fact that they don't cheap out with less expensive plates at this level but still use a true carbon plate, and the value proposition is definitely worthwhile.
My verdict...one week later...
After this week's parkrun, I now have a really good feel for the shoes, and I have to admit that they are not well suited for speed runs. The lack of padding easing forward towards the toes does not generate the typical rolling sensation I've come to expect from runners designed for performance. It feels as if the majority of the cushioning is designed for the midsole, with very little in the heel or toe. While the lack of support in the heel is good because this forces you to run more on the forefoot and toes if you were otherwise inclined not to do so, that same lack of support also under the toes interestingly makes it feel as if you are still running on the midsole when you attempt to roll further forward, as required for higher speed efforts.
Therefore, I recommend these shoes for middle to long distances, tempo runs, Zone 2 and 3, but nothing faster than that. I am slightly disappointed, but only because I'm so used to my Nikes, which are excellent all-around shoes. The specialization of these shoes, however, will keep me honest during my training, forcing me to wear a different pair of shoes for my speed runs.
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