Article by Ryan Eiler
Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 ($300)
Introduction
Ryan: If I had to nominate a brand as the most underrated of the last couple years, it’d be Puma. Despite a slightly late entrance into the super shoe contest, it's abundantly clear that the folks in Herzogenaurach have thrown a ton of talented brain power into crafting both their trainers and their racing shoes over the last few years.
Their uppers are superbly crafted, their Pumagrip outsoles are highly regarded, and the midsole foams they choose are surprisingly versatile and performant.
And they don’t just go the route of knocking off the ideas of fellow competitors. Each iteration of their Fast-R line has been described as ‘exotic’ and ‘wild’, yet manages to perform well. Even by looking at only the press release for this latest version of the Fast-R, it’s clear that they’re pushing boundaries again and trying new things.
Pros:
Highly dynamic, deeply cushioned, energetic ride - Ryan
Forefoot cushioning and stability - Ryan
Composure and leverage during toe-off phase - Ryan
Ultra-light, low inertia feeling - Ryan
Minimalist, yet comfortable and secure upper - Ryan
Rockered shape + soft midsole harmonizes transition - Ryan
Cons:
Heel stability - Ryan
Versatility / ride dynamics at < race pace - Ryan
Heavily favors mid/forefoot runners & requires good form - Ryan
Price - Ryan
Stats
Approx. Weight: men's 5.73 oz / 162g US9
Sample Weight:
men’s 5.93oz / 168g US M9.5
Stack Height: men’s 40 mm heel / 32 mm forefoot (mm drop spec)
Platform Width: 79mm heel / (n/a) mm midfoot / 113mm forefoot
Puma Spec Projected Lifespan: 300 km/200 mi
Tester Profile
Ryan Eller A hopeless soccer career led Ryan to take up running, and after taking a decade-long break from competing, he is back racking up mileage whenever he can. He calls the 2018 Boston Marathon the hardest race of his life, where he finished in 2:40, barely remembering his name at the finish line. Ryan more recently has a PR of 2:13:36 at the 2024 NYC Marathon and ran 2:14:23 at the 2024 Boston Marathon, finishing 3d American and 15th overall.
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
Ryan: The upper looks so thin and delicate — almost threadbare — that it might be incapable of straining a pound of pasta without breaking. The truth, it turns out, is that its ‘Ultraweave’ material is perfectly capable, highly breathable, and nicely sculpted.
Its weave and density is uniform throughout, and resists stretching enough that it doesn’t rely on the usual lateral/medial overlays for support. The material itself isn’t soft to the touch, but it’s thin enough that it conforms to the foot nicely and doesn’t feel harsh.
A moderate toe bumper at the front gives the toe box an appropriate amount of volume and adds a nice touch of structure.
The fit is on the snug side, which I find appropriate for this type of shoe, and helps to make the foot feel more contained. Despite its minimalist build, I had no issues with lockdown or undue foot movement. The tongue is about as minimal as it gets, with only a small laminate section to help prevent lace bite. Laces from the second eyelet down pass through it, so it’s not as finicky as I assumed it’d be at first glance.
This Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 has a fairly solid heel build despite its weight, with a rigid heel cup rising about halfway up, a semi-padded heel collar, and even a thoughtful offset stitch where it routes up the back of the shoe in order to avoid rubbing the achilles. These are the details that I’ve come to expect from Puma. Heel lockdown is great, too — I’ll dare to say, even better than the Vaporfly V4.
The fit is on the lower volume side, but shaped to my foot very comfortably. Lengthwise, it runs maybe ¼ size long, so I’d only consider sizing down if you frequently are in between sizes and don’t have a wide foot.
Midsole & Platform
Ryan: I may just start referring to this thing as the ‘great white’, because it never wants to stop moving. Everything about its build creates a highly dynamic ride. With its blissfully soft and bouncy Nitrofoam Elite midsole, split forefoot/heel, highly rockered curvature, and undercut heel, it feels like it’s always bouncing, rolling, or propelling you in one direction or another.
I guess we should address that projection coming out of the front of the toe — the side-tongue sticking out at your competitors wearing lesser footwear as you pass by. It’s noticeable, but in a subtle way, and it doesn’t feel nearly as prescriptive or imposing as I worried it would.
II’m really not one for gimmicks and design tricks, but this extended toe actually seems like a nice innovation. It’s not going to improve your efficiency as drastically as switching to a superfoam + plate did, but I would bet that it’s >0%, with very few downsides.
The biggest thing I noticed with this design is how much more settled the shoe felt during toe-off. One of my (few) quibbles with the Vaporfly 4 is that the very final phase of toe-off can feel thin and weak, where the foam is thin and the plate doesn’t quite reach. This design on the Elite 3 eliminates that entirely, and replaces it with a very reassuring feeling which is most noticeable during hard efforts. I even took a look at the outsole rubber to confirm that I was in fact using those extra few millimeters of rubber hanging off the front.
On the downside, the soft, relatively small, split heel makes the shoe feel impatient and awkward at slower paces. Whereas the forefoot feels just about perfect, the heel feels much less stable and reliable to me. This isn’t much of a problem when you’re ripping at race pace, provided you aren’t a prolific heel striker. But it can feel a bit wobbly if your form breaks down or isn’t spot-on. It’s one of those shoes that is liable to put you into ‘baby deer mode’ late in a race if you find yourself on heavy legs.
It seems to me that extending the outsole out in front of your toes, as opposed to constraining its shape to the silhouette of your foot, provides more purchase on the pavement. This extra control increases leverage and stability during the point at which you typically have the least amount of contact with the road. It’s not drastic enough to leave you with sore calves or to feel awkward, but it does deliver a smooth, powerful finish.
If you’re looking for a race shoe that offers stability, you may as well go read our review of the Nike Vaporfly 4 (RTR Review) or Brooks Hyperion Elite (RTR Review) instead. On a more positive note, the midsole dynamics allow you to pronate freely and naturally. Think of it as a high-powered tool that is yours to use responsibly.
Having hit the major personality traits of this one, I’ll wrap up by reiterating how much fun this Elite 3 is to run. The midsole is blissful in its softness and explosive in its rebound characteristics. When you really reel things up and hit your stride, the grin-inducing ride is about as efficient as any I’ve felt.
In terms of Puma’s potential performance claims for the Fast R quoting the launch press release:
“A study by the University of Massachusetts, Amherst led by industry specialist Wouter Hoogkamer, concluded that Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 provides 3.15% improved running economy*, which for a 3-hour marathon runner translates to an unprecedented potential marathon time saving of more than 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
Commenting on the findings, Assistant Professor Wouter Hoogkamer, who specializes in the biomechanics and energetics of running said: "The most striking result from this study was the consistency of the running economy improvements. For every single participant the numbers showed that running was easiest - requiring the least amount of metabolic energy - in the Fast-R 3. This is remarkable. From years of research we know that our lab-measured improvements in running energetics translate to faster race times."
The UMass article doesn’t seem to claim that any one aspect is the reason for its outperformance, but rather emphasizes the specific, optimized combination of several properties in the R-3, achieved via its design process, as the reason for its enhanced efficiency. I don’t doubt that it’s more efficient than many other super shoes for a wide range of runners. However, I find it a bit of a reach to think that it’s going to deliver an additional 3+% gain for most folks. That’d be an outperformance of 4+ minutes over a marathoner wearing Alphafly 3s at the elite level. While it’s clear that they’ve dialed in most aspects of the shoe in this version, I doubt there’s anything magical about the plate, geometry, or foam dynamics here that can outperform Nike’s best by that margin.
As with almost all studies, they need to be analyzed with a skeptical eye, and with full context. Puma did sponsor this research, although the authors claim that Puma had no influence on the views in the test results, which I do believe. Test subjects were under very controlled (unrealistic?) conditions on fresh legs. How efficient are the R3 when fatigue sets in, and stability becomes more of an issue? I’d also love to see an independent test replicate this study (this UMass article is a preprint, and has not been peer reviewed) — then I’d be much more willing to believe such drastic performance gains.
It’s worth reiterating though, that I don’t doubt that this shoe will produce efficiency gains for most folks. In my continued testing of the shoe (now >70 miles), I’m still impressed by its powerful performance and consider it among the highest performers available today. While it isn’t for everyone given its unstable, unique heel, if you have $300 burning a hole in your pocket, you are unlikely to be disappointed by this R3.
Outsole
Ryan: Another patch of Pumagrip, another winner. Puma, if you’re listening: whatever you use to make that rubber — never change it.
Despite the shoe’s heavily rockered shape (something that can lead to feelings of instability on subpar surfaces), the softness of the midsole allows enough of the rubber to compress at any given time that traction remains commendable, especially in the forefoot. Again, that extended toe helps to inject a bit more confidence into the last moments of your stride at toe-off. This big cat really paws the ground when you need it most.
The only nitpicking I’ll do here is to say that I wish there was more coverage in the heel, given how small the platform is there.
And as with many soft, split heels, the rubber can splay out and grind against the asphalt at times. Durability is TBD, but as they only claim 200 miles of durability, I think it will at least hit that mark.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
Ryan: What a commendable piece of footwear Puma have created. It looks like a wild ride, but doesn’t ride as wild as it looks. The shoe’s ride and transition isn’t as silky as that of a Vaporfly, but just look at it — what did you expect? However, the rockered geometry and midsole softness eliminates any harshness or ‘clunkiness’ during the transition from heel to toe. Paired with a very stiff (and very exposed) ‘Pwrplate’, the Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 produces an efficiency on par with the best in the game.
Although Nike and Adidas have used their deeper pockets to dominate podiums, Puma has been creeping into the mix, and for good reason. I do wish they didn’t push the price to $300 nosebleed levels, though. This version 3 of the Fast-R Nitro Elite has been refined yet again, and results in a shoe that I would seriously consider using on race day — and I don’t say that lightly.
Ryan’ Score: 9.7/10 (Deductions for heel stability, versatility, price)
Smiles Score: 😊😊😊😊😊
6 Comparisons
Nike Vaporfly 4 (RTR Review)
Ryan: The Vaporfly 4 is tame by comparison to the Puma. That isn’t to say it’s at all inferior, it’s just that the Nike is by far the more approachable and more versatile shoe. It’s honestly hard to say which one I love more — I love them both for very different reasons. If you want a world-class performer that’s easier to get to become acquainted with, and which won’t throw you any surprises, the Vaporfly is a surefire bet. However, if you want to get a little loose and prefer a more exotic, highly energetic ride, the Fast-R might be the way to go. The Puma feels more minimalist, but the Nike feels more refined. I prefer the outsole of the Puma, as Pumagrip has always been one of my favorites, and this extended outsole on the Puma creates a far better toe-off experience than does the Nike. Both shoes are on the narrower side but run about the same lengthwise.
Puma Fast-R 1 and 2 (RTR Review)
Ryan: This is a huge, noticeable improvement over V1. The plate seems to have been refined in its stiffness characteristics, as well as where it’s placed in the midsole. Whereas I had some initial hotspots with V1, this latest iteration was workable right from the beginning. The weight drop is noticeable, and the more minimalist upper is a welcome change. While the ride is still relatively wild, version 3 manages to create a transition that is surprisingly fluid given how big the cavity is between the heel and forefoot. This wasn’t necessarily the case in earlier versions, where the back and the front of the shoe were much more distinct. As was the case in previous versions, the shoe still gets a bit awkward unless you’re really putting a fair bit of force into it and keeping your weight forward.
Adizero Adios Pro 3 (RTR Review)
Ryan: The comparison here is largely the same as with the Adios Pro 4 comparison below, with the difference being that the Pro 3’s heel is much firmer and more responsive. The upper of the Pro 3 is more similar to that of the Puma’s, but has a bit more volume to it.
The Pro 3 has a much more stable platform than the Puma, especially in the heel. Again, the Puma is more weight conscious than the Pro 3, and makes the Adidas feel burlier, for better or worse.
The choice between these two is a matter of preference, as they both perform highly but have drastically different personalities. The more traditional geometry of the AP3 favors those who prefer to mash and propel vertically off of the midsole, whereas the Puma is more suitable for those who can handle a more exotic ride and enjoy a rockered shape to roll through their stride. Both fit true to size.
Adidas Adios Pro 4 (RTR Review)
Ryan: The Adidas feels like a far wider and more stable platform, especially in the heel (but despite the Pro 4 heel being softer than the Pro 3 heel). The Puma is essentially more weight conscious in every regard, from the thinness of its upper to its chamfered heel. The choice between these two is largely a matter of preference, as they are both world-class performers, but go about their business in very different ways. I would say that the more traditionally shaped platform of the AP4 favors those who prefer to mash and propel vertically off of the midsole, whereas the Puma is more suitable for those who can handle a more dynamic ride and prefer to utilize a rockered shape to roll through their stride. The Adidas runs at least ½ size shorter than the Puma.
ASICS Metaspeed Edge Paris (RTR Review)
Ryan: These two share a few similar qualities, being their ultra-low inertia, minimalist uppers, and commendable forefoot qualities. However, their rides differ quite significantly, with the ASICS delivering a smooth, buttery transition thanks to its uniform midsole geometry, and the Puma turning into a wild bounce house because of its split geometry and ultra-soft, chamfered heel shape. If you like tidy, serious performance, go for the Metaspeed, but if you’re up for something special and are willing to potentially deal with its side effects, the Puma is a ton of efficient fun. Both fit true to size.
Index to all RTR reviews: HERE
Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 will be available to purchase in limited supply exclusively at ‘The High Point’ – PUMAs ultimate Boston Marathon experience located at 745 Boylston Street – from Friday 18 April.
A limited global drop will go live on PUMA.com, in PUMA flagship stores and in select retailers across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia from Friday 25 April.
Europe only: use RTR code RTR5ALL for 5% off all products, even sale products
3 comments:
comparison with Deviate Nitro Elite 3?
How do you think this would work for someone with wide and flat feet? I have major issues with arch blisters on any Nike/Adidas trainers or supershoes, but generally Saucony shoes work like a dream for my feet
The width is about the same as a Nike racer, so I could see it being an issue if you have a history of such problems. Saucony generally more generous in the volume department.
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