On this channel, we like to give newcomers as much of a chance as the established brands. So in this video we’re getting tucked into a new shoe from a new Greek brand – the Ena Proto Runner 1. A performance daily trainer designed to support over and underpronators. It’s an entry shoe and an interesting looking beast with some different ideas. And a price tag that made us double take. But how does it run? We’ve put in the test miles to find out. Hit play for our Ena Proto Runner 1 review.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
0:00 – Intro
0:36 – Details: Drop, Stack Height, Weight, Price
1:09 – Shoe whip round
2:58 – How’s the fit?
4:46 – The Run Test
10:52 – Verdict
14:10 – Now watch this
Hey people welcome to the Run testers Now on this channel we like to give Newcomers as much of a chance as the Established brand so in this video we're Getting tucked into a new shoe from a New Greek brand this is the ENA I think That's how you pronounce it Proto Runner One it's a performance daily trainer Designed to support over and under Pronators it's an entry shoe and an Interesting looking Beast with some Different ideas and a price tag that Made us do a double take but how does it Run well we put in the test miles to Find out so let's get into it in our Ena Proto Runner one Review quick key specs first then Starting with stack height and the ENA Proto Runner one packs 35 a half in the Heel it's got 25 and half Ms in the 4T For a 10 mil drop it weighs in at 9.9 o Or 281 G in a UK men's 8 and 1/2 Testo On price it lands at £210 in the UK They're not available in the US But that is a ballsy price point for a First shoe on the shelves from a new Brand even for a shoe with a carbon Plate onto a quick shoe whip round and We have to start with this kind of wild Looking midsole setup you've got a top Layer of softer cushion foam sitting Close to the foot then there's a full Length carbon plate followed by a dual Density foam system that's at the bottom
That's centered around what Eno calls Axiore which is they describe it as an Energy management system with this kind Of Big Hollow Center that splits the Forefoot and the heel and it's joined by The carbon plate and this kind of Flexible sort of tendon like core that You've got here the idea is that this Helps to distribute impact and return Energy across multiple axes to create a More natural movement between the heel And the forefoot for stability and Responsiveness now there is a big cut Out as well in the heel here you can see And in the forefoot as well in says this All caters for runners seeking a strong Connection with the ground providing Stability efficiency and a powerful Stride up top you've got 3D knitted Fabric that combines recycled TPU and Tpe that's enhanced with nylon for Breathability flexibility and comfort It's got that kind of coated durable Feel sort of not plasticky but it's not Soft the heel collors follow that more Mineral race sort of design with Internal pads under the ankles but Nothing in the rear the Tong's are quite Minimal too flatten wrapping with a Little lace pad not too much speaking of Laces you've got these kind of lace Locking laces with quite reinforced Eyelets and some interesting additional Eyelets on the side here that let you
Tweak the lacing slightly differently You might with most shoes you flip them Over and there's like a really good Covering of organic Rubber and that's a Tick in terms of the overall protection Protection for that kind of mids salt Really good covering here and a OD to The idea that this shoe is supposed to Cope with the mix of terrain as well So the fit for me and the Proto Runner One um I'm in size eight in the UK this Is a size eight um what I found about The shoe is that uh I could probably Have done with a little bit more space Before the big toe so I'd be tempted to Go up half a size in this shoe it's also Not the most um the widest shoe out There so you might have a problem with That if you've got average your W wide Feet uh definitely feels like a more Restrictive shoe um maybe that will fix It if you go up half a size in it uh is A very comfortable shoe though it's got A lot of padding around it not a massive Fan of the upper it just feels a little Bit um doesn't doesn't have the sort of Cushioning and comfort that I I like From a lot of shoes um but it's fine uh I've just um I just prefer uppers on Quite a lot of other shoes but overall I Would say it's a comfortable shoe uh and Probably size up half a size so quick Word on fit then I ran in my regular Running Sho size which is a UK 8 and A2
I describe the FIT here as pretty snug These are pretty narrow you can see it's Quite tight around the toe knuckles they Have loosened off the more that I've Running them when you first put them on It's quite a squeeze they hold really Nicely across the top of the midfoot When they're laced down right is well They hold nicely and the heels I did Have to work a bit to get that sorted You've got these quite kind of thin heel Collars here and there was a little bit Of slipping if I didn't quite get the Laces in you can see there's a bit of Bagginess there but got flat wrapping Tongues no lace pinch so you can lace Them down nice and tight and they are Generally pretty secure with pretty Decent room and they are generally Secure here with pretty decent room To lengthwise in the toe box I just Probably would like a little bit more Space in the toe box particularly around These old big toe Knuckles so maybe I'd Consider going half a size up in these If I wanted a roomier fit if you like it A bit snug then stick true to Size now in testing I've clocked around 25 miles in the inner Proto Runner one I've run across the usual range of test Paces everything from slow PLS to miles That are up close to top Pace the Longest time on feet I've had in this Was an hour and 15 minutes I think long
Run I did all of that on the road uh None of it Offroad so I haven't tested That kind of multi-terrain sort of um Claim there but now before we get into The ride I think it's fair to say that Some shoes we get to test that when you First set eyes on them they don't always Look immediately invied you know some Are really nice and padded and plush and You think well they're going to slip on Really nicely some you kind of approach With caution when you open the box when I went to test this shoe that was kind Of the feeling I got on First Sight not Just because of the wild midsole design But the upper and the heel package sort Of put me on high alert they are wellb Built and they're durable but everything Looks a little bit kind of stiff it's Just not as inviting as some shoes that You might consider the kind of big stack Daily trainers that said stepping Comfort is okay it's not amazing they Don't feel immediately natural or at Least not the most disappearing shoe That I've run in Recently everything here I mean the heel Colors it's comfortable enough but Everything's just feels a bit harsher Than some other shoes that you've got Then when you get moving it's a really Interesting ride but the one word I had In mind on all of my runs was blocky the Midsole is a big stack but it's a firm
Stack if this shoe deliberately shoots For ground feel from a bigger stack shoe That is absolutely what you get it's Certainly not packing the softness of The likes a hocus Skyward X or a s Dophin train or a new balance SC Trainer V3 those other kind of super trainers That you would get that have you know Super Foams and plate combos in fact It's sort of quite unique and I'm Struggling to think of another big stack Shoe that offers a similar ride to this I thought you'd really notice that Separated heel and for foot more maybe With a bit of sink in the middle but for Me it doesn't feel like you're running On two separate distinct Parts which is A really pleasant surprise that's Something that does work it does feel Like one single unit across the mids Salt so that kind of bridging PL or that Tendon that is here is doing its job There is not much movement in the shoe As you can see it's very very stiff it's Also not very compressive the phone Doesn't compress you don't get that like High compression and return that you get From some big Stacks so you're not Getting really the springy bouncy energy That you might equate with some of the Shoes like this it is very very direct Very firm and yeah I think very glocky So the Proto Runner one is a tricky shoe Quite often we get shoes to test that
Really hard to sort of categorize Amongst all the other shoes that that we Test um it talks about on the website it As being a faster training shoe a race Shoe um a shoe that you can use for Marathons as well as it being quite Stable as well and I think that's Probably the focus of this shoe uh it's A shoe that's that's really it's aiming To give those performance level um uh an Experience of performance but give a bit Of stability as well uh the stability Side is very very good I've done about 40K in this shoe now and that has been Across easy runs tempo run and a farle Session as well where I took the um Sections up to about 4 minute km which Is about my 10K Pace um when I was Running at a nice consistent pace which For me is about 4 minute 30 um uh Kilometers uh I found that it worked Quite well it it's it doesn't have a Problem at maintaining a nice consistent Pace it does feel a bit clunky though It's quite a big shoe uh it's definitely Heavier than shoes that it's probably Trying to compare itself against and as A result it does feel harder to um Maintain the pace and pick up the speed A bit because it's a bit bulkier as a Shoe um at those fastest faster sections That I did with at my 10K Pace I I Didn't enjoy it for that I definitely Wouldn't use this for a race I wouldn't
Use it for Interval sessions uh it just Feels like it's a little bit too big on The feet um and I don't really get a lot Back from that mid midell foam it's Quite dense midell foam uh it's Relatively firm um and I didn't really Feel a lot from that plate either um it Is stable though uh and it's not an Unpleasant run uh all of the runs that I Even the easy runs it felt absolutely Fine the problem is is that there are Other shoes um out there that are Considerably cheaper uh that are like Daily shoes that can probably do the Stuff this shoe does but better and you Probably save yourself 60 70 pounds um So it's a tricky one to really Categorize because of that price I think The price is the thing that really uh is Is is a bit of an issue um when it comes To reviewing this shoe but overall I did Find it to be a fine shoe um I I think It probably sits into the world of maybe A training shoe a super Trainer shoe Which is really designed for heavier People or people that need a lot more Stability um because it does that very Well but if you can compare it with the Faster shoes out there like the carbon Plate race shoes and the carbon plates Or the plated um super trainers it Doesn't really stand up to them it's Harder to run faster in this shoe uh and It's and it's harder to run easier in
This shoe uh the the only area it really Excels in is that level of stability um And it's all right at that cruising Pace As well um so it's all right but it just For the price it's comparing comparing It with a lot of other shoes that do a Lot more than this shoe uh the outsole Is very good so um good level of rubber On that have had no issues at all uh on Wet ground when I was out running Absolutely fine um and even though it's Got this sort of weird cutout of it it's Presumably to save to save weight um I Didn't really notice that so on some Shoes that that do designs like this if They've got softer midell Foams that That sort of design can cause an issue Especially if you're sort of moving the Shoe around as you're running and Landing in the wrong way because this um Midsole is quite a lot more dens than What you'll find in a lot of super Trainers um this cutout I didn't really Notice it um I don't I didn't land on it Um so I was sort of landing on this area Here and it felt absolutely fine um and To be honest it's got quite quite a Steady nice Heel To Toe transition as Well um if you're just running at that Consistent Pace verdict then and this shoe is an Odd one I'm not 100% sold it ran okay it Did a job it's highly durable it's Clearly being designed with a lot of
Attention to detail the materials feel Solid it all feels quite premium but It's a blocky ride that didn't quite hit The mark I don't think I don't mind a Firm direct shoe no I don't necessarily Always need that big compress release And my miles were perfectly Parable in The shoe at quite a wide range of Paces I didn't dislike it but if you're not Getting that soft compressed spring and You're shooting for a more responsive Firm rocket snapper do wonder why you Need this kind of bigger stack that Somewhat kind of just adds weight I Think it could be a lot more simple Something that I noticed here was it Just feels bit over engineered the Comfort was okay but this wouldn't be Top of my list for plushness on long Runs the top Pace potential I don't Think Rivals the best carbon plate shoes That come in at a similar price and There are just half a dozen sort of Cruisers for you know those runs at Marathon pace or slightly slower that do It better I think it's all a bit Structured it's it's a little bit heavy For all out speed so I'm kind of left Wondering where it fits really I think It's quite a unique ride and then when You come to the price I think that's the Real sticking point for me there's a lot Of tech here clearly premium materials Thought-provoking kind of shoe
Engineering from the design but Regardless of all that technology on Board I think it's hard to recommend Dropping 200 plus pound on a shoe from a Brand new brand that feels very Different underfoot I think it's a shoe That some Runners may love if you've Been hankering after this very unique Ride that it delivers if that's Something you've been craving kind of Firmer from a higher stack shoe it may Work for you but I think for many Runners this shoe is going to be a bit Of a risk and I just think there are Many many other shoes that I would Recommend ahead of it to my verdict on The Proto Runa one tricky one so if I Was to review this shoe and I was Ignoring the price I would say that it Is a uh fairly solid stability option For people that um want to do faster Training miles I'm only 70 kg so I might Not be getting the best out of this foam Um but it's comfortable it's nice it's Fine it does the job um the problem is That for the price and what it's trying To do I think you're comparing it with Some really really good shoes so even if You put this against something like the Socin speed 4 that shoe is far superior When it comes to speed training Versatility even easier runs I I prefer That shoe to this one um I think the Closest shoe that you're going to get to
This is something like the um the socony Endorphin trainer um or maybe the sakon Kvara pro it's more like the kar Pro Actually because the trainer is a little Bit softer now um I think that's the Sort of shoe you'll compare it with and That shoe Kar Pro I never really got on With it's a tricky shoe to to to Categorize I think it's fine I think it Ticks a lot of boxes I think that Stability element is really where people Are going to get the benefits from it But I think uh for the price and uh when You compare it to some of the other Options out there it just doesn't really Match up to Super Shoes and super Trainers that we've got at the moment so There you have it that's been our review Of the ENA Proto Runner 1 hope you found It useful we'd appreciate a subscribe if You're not already don't forget to ring That Bell to be notified when new videos Land on the channel if you're interested In super trains I'm going to pop a video Up on the screen now that you should Definitely go and watch otherwise thanks To ever for stopping by and until next Time happy running people
