Puma ForeverRUN NITRO ($150)
Introduction
Puma pitches the ForeverRUNNitro as follows:
"ForeverRUN NITRO ushers in a new era of stability shoes by encouraging an optimal running stride for everybody and every run. The new running shoe achieves this through a unique combination of cushioning with NITRO foam and enhanced guidance with its RUNGUIDE System."
Let’s get it out of the way, right away. I can’t speak to how stable they are for “heavy” pronators but for this predominantly neutral shoe runner it runs mostly like a neutral shoe with some neat twists that point to its potential for some support.
First, we have a dual density (soft inner core, firmer outer carrier) of Puma’s excellent light and lively NITRO foam, a nitrogen infused supercritical EVA. I have run every Nitro shoe and it is among the most dynamic foams out there if somewhat soft. Here they effectively firm up the outer carrier foam somewhat.
NITRO is light compared to regular EVA or blends so we have a giant 40mm heel / 30 mm forefoot stack weighing just 9.5 oz / 269 g in a US9. Wait, you'll say many supercritical foam shoes are lighter at similar stacks. But here is where the ForeverRun starts to show its “stability” focus.
We have a gigantic and broad 95mm heel platform with the foot sitting down in the midsole and backed up by a plastic clip. The Invincible Run 3 is about the same heel width and the Nimbus 25 is at about 90mm with both notably heavier at 10.3 oz /292g (US9) whereas here we are at about 9.5 oz / 269g
The next part of the magic here is that the midfoot platform is notably narrow at about 65mm and running to the front we have cored out triangles leading to the broad 110mm wide forefoot which has nice flex.
Holding it together, if you will, is a PUMA Grip outsole with full rear and front coverage. Together with the 10mm drop, and and overall design that Puma calls Run Guide System everything hinted that this would not be lumbering hard to transition shoe as the Nike and ASICS tend to be for me.
Oh and the upper. It is a very soft simple engineered mesh with tufted pods and a copious helping of equally pliable PWRTAPE overlays arrayed differently medially and laterally. Finally, in collaboration with the Kaiser Sports Clinic in Denmark, we have a sockliner with a metatarsal pad.
Bottom line, at first look, there is lots of carefully thought out design here and a very reasonable stack for the weight. Let’s see how they run!
Pros:
Finally a big stack stable neutral unplated trainer that moves lively and easy at any pace: foam, geometry, drop, flex: Sam/Jeff
Transition from the giant heel to midfoot is particularly well executed Sam/Jeff
NITRO Foam in dual density. More please! Rebounding heel & forefoot, copious cushion Sam/Jeff
Clearly a stable neutral shoe Sam/Jeff
Maybe not a speed day shoe but everything else is deliberate moving and rebounding smiles Sam
Super comfortable well held upper Sam/Jeff
PumaGrip outsole continues to set the standard
Built-in metatarsal pad in the insole is subtle but appreciated
Cons:
Forefoot while flexible enough is slappy, pointing to a bit too much rubber coverage and not enough segmentation: Sam
A pronation control shoe, not so sure Sam
Stats
Approx. Weight: men's 9.5 oz / 269 g (US9) / women's oz / g (US8)
Official:
Sample Weights : 9.26 oz / 263g US 8.5 sample, 10.5 oz / 298g US 10.5
Stack Height: men’s 40mm heel (measured) 30 mm forefoot (10mm drop spec)
Platform Width: 95/ 65 /115 (measured)
Available now including at our partner Running Warehouse HERE
First Impressions, Fit and Upper
Bold, bright, and big in optic orange the ForeverRUN NITRO makes its presence felt!
The upper is a soft thin engineered mesh with functional tufts of thicker material for support. The media box was over the top! It even included exercise bands and a ball in a drawer below the shoes.
Support is also provided by PWRTAPE overlays in an unusual design with a front to back medial taping with 2 bands tying into the last 2 lace holes.
The lateral side tape ties into 1st, 3d (in V) and very front lace holes.
Obviously conscious decisions were made about where to put the support tapes and I find the hold excellent, just between “comfort” and “performance”.
The gusseted tongue has thin padding and with the soft thin laces, PWRTAPE overlays, and pliable mesh providing a very secure and comfortable mid foot lock down.
The sockliner is part of the design done in collaboration with the Kaiser Clinic of Denmark. An EVA type sockliner it has a metatarsal pad that was pleasing on try on but seems to fade into the background while running doing its thing without overdoing it.
The heel counter is semi rigid with a plastic clip that is not totally rigid as well. except at the far rear. It works very well to provide supportive stability without resorting to an over extended forward design as found on the Nike Infinity or Brooks Guide Rails. This design allows my foot to flow forward without the rigid inflexible sensation towards mid foot of the “rails” in the Nike and Brooks.
The rear collars have bolsters on the inside that extend deeper down than usually in such non rolled collar rear designs. Unlike many of the other bolster cushion heel and ankle areas (for example Nike Invincible Run 3 for several of us) there is no slippage.
The fit is true to size with a somewhat characteristic of Puma pointy very front of the toe box.
Jeff: My black/white pair isn't nearly as striking as Sam's orange colorway, but right away it's an impressive shoe.
My initial response was that this was what the first Deviate Nitro should have been, just a great fitting upper with zero heel slip that plagued the Deviate. Very clear that this is one of those shoes that does all elements very well. Some shoes have a great upper but just a so-so midsole, or a killer midsole with a phoned in upper or a poorly designed outsole - none of that applies here.
More details below, but starting out, the upper is top notch. Sam detailed it well, and Puma really nailed the subtleties of how/where to add slight support elements without overbuilding the upper.
The toebox isn't amazing in its width, but it isn't awful either.
One of those shoes that has "enough" space, while I wouldn't mind just a touch more, but it hasn't kept me from logging nearly all my miles in the Forever Run since they showed up a couple weeks ago.
The metatarsal pad built into the insole replicates the aftermarket met pads I've put in my shoes over the last few years (dealing with a neuroma), but it's so subtle I didn't even notice it for the first five or six runs - except I did notice my feet felt great after each run.
I'm right with Sam, the heel counter's stability is incredibly transparent and has no downsides for this supinating neutral runner. Brooks' Guide Rails give me knee pain and Nike's Infinity clip digs into my arch - Puma's Guide System doesn't even introduce itself to my feet. The inner bolsters hold the foot like a comfortable straight jacket - not even the hint of heel slip. The gusseted tongue also plays a part in keeping the foot planted. This shoe, maybe more than any other, could be run without any laces and it wouldn't be a complete disaster, but it doesn't overdo it by any stretch. Puma really got it right this time around.
Midsole
The NITRO midsole is the “secret sauce” here. A dual density nitrogen processed supercritical EVA foam as with all Puma Nitro shoes it is notably lively and energetic. As a supercritical foam, it is also light allowing Puma to build to a 40mm heel / 30mm forefoot stack height with a very broad forefoot and heel platform and with an extensive outsole yet come in at a mere 9.5 oz / 263g US9.
Most notable in the design is the very broad 95mm heel.
Usually inherently stable shoes without posts or plastic pieces continue with a broad midfoot but here we narrow down considerably at mid foot. So, while the heel landings are notably stable, transitions away from the heel to midfoot for such a wide heel are notably easy. I particularly noted how stable yet rebounding the heel wass during test runs in Park City on steep hills with tremendous cushioning that was never sloppy.
Jeff: While the upper is a big step forward for Puma, the great midsole was no surprise. Puma has had a few absolute bangers since they brought out the Nitro series, but these may be the best of the daily trainers. The dual density construction has plenty of firm cushioning and rebound, and Sam is right, the width of the midsole plays a big part in one of the most stable platforms out there - and it does so without making the shoe run bulky in any way.
Outsole
Plenty of fine durable PumaGrip rubber here in a single moderately firm flavor as the outsole itself is a single unit. The rubber is well matched to the midsole, neither over soft reducing response or over firm and harsh. Grip is excellent.
As always with the outsole I look at the underside geometry of the shoe. By reducing the midfoot rubber coverage and in fact concentrating it on the lateral side Puma clearly allows for the smooth transition I feel.
The cut out triangles exposing the softer central Nitro core, narrowish midfoot, no medial midfoot rubber converge and 8mm drop all contribute to a smooth flow from heel towards toe off.
The very front outsole could use some work. While the forefoot is clearly very stable I found the forefoot a bit slappy, for me usually an indication of not enough flex and segmentation. The shoe has some stiffer flex up front no question but I think the front rubber could be more segmented across the shoe as there are plenty of cut throughs but they are not connected across the width of the platform.
Jeff: I largely agree with Sam on the outsole. They used the right kind of rubber; it has plenty of durability and grip and it's thin enough to not try to be the star of the show.
The cutout of the midsole, revealing the other type of midsole, and the sculpted rubber, leaving plenty of midsole to be beaten up by the ground, work together to keep weight low, but in neither case do they hurt durability. My only disagreement from Sam's assessment is on the forefoot, I didn't find it slappy up front, but that could be our differences in gait or size - the forefoot felt plenty flexible to me.
Ride, Conclusions and Recommendations
Sam: None of the recent big stack trainers except the Craft Pro Endur and plated SC Trainer have been much to my liking, especially those that try for “inherent stability” such as Nimbus 25, the new Invincible Run 3, Ultraboost Light, or Puma’s 2022 Magnify. They tend to be lumbering, overly broad underfoot (and especially at mid foot), stiff, and not always any pace versatile.
The ForeverRUN Nitro is none of the above. It is highly cushioned, Nitro foam lively and fun without being overly soft or firm, stable “enough” and is smooth flowing at any pace. Credit goes to the relatively narrow mid foot platform, the cut throughs and the elegantly arrayed outsole. While a bit "bulky" in geometry it is light and can serve most daily training needs from moderate pace everyday runs to long runs to recovery runs.
I am not convinced that it is an ideal shoe for heavy “late” more midfoot pronators but if you need the support on heel landing at the rear of the shoe you will for sure find it here. It is ideal for “heavy” hard heel landing including steep downhills.
It is light at 9.5 oz for its 40mm heel and has enough drop at 10mm and flex to never get in its way.
My only negative is that the forefoot is a bit slappy and stiff (overly stabilized, overly broad?) even with the shoe broken in and more flexible. A bit more segmentation across the width and less rubber might help. Even with the outsole issues upfront the Nitro foam midsole comes through with lots of forefoot rebound and cushion.
In the wish list department I would love to see a similar dual density midsole and trimmed down outsole on a less broad platform (lighter and more agile) which I think would make for a model that would be a near ideal run any pace trainer.
Even on tired legs at slow paces every run brought smiles. A bit “bulky” but never heavy or heavy feeling), other Puma Deviate Nitro, Liberate, Velocity) are better suited to speedier training days but for 80% of my miles, the regular easier ones the ForeverRUN is the one I want to reach for.
Puma really has delivered a powerful refinement of what max cushion daily trainers can be here by carefully blending some stability from the broad platform with attention to run flow through the geometry and outsole. Finally the upper is without reproach for comfort, hold, and fit.
Sam’s Score: 9.46 /10
Ride: 9.4 Fit: 9.6 Value: 9.5 Style:9
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Jeff: And here's where I take umbrage with Sam - I really enjoy the Nimbus 25, Invincible Run 3, and a few others in that camp - and yet I arrive at the same conclusion for the Forever Run. In short, it's fantastic. Upper, midsole, and outsole are all exceptionally good executions that lead to a shoe where the total is much greater than the sum of its impressive parts. The toebox could be just a bit wider, and I wouldn't hate if the heel pull tab was a little bigger, making it easier to use, but the incredibly minor flaws notwithstanding, this is one of the best versatile use max-cushion daily trainers to be released. Between the midsole and outsole, the durability is fantastic making the $150 price tag feel like a steal.
