It’s race test time as Tester Mike headed to Manchester to tackle the 2023 Manchester Half.
Along with joining over 16,000 other runners, he put the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 2 on his feet, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 on his wrist and the new Suunto Wing headphones on his head to see whether they pass the race test.
(Thanks to Puma for providing the race entry for the Manchester Half. This video is not part of any paid partnership with Puma)
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Intro
00:46 – What We’re Testing
06:34 – The Race Test
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Hey this is Mike from the Run testers And in this video we are going to be Giving you our race test of the Manchester half now as you can see I am No longer in Manchester now I did shoot Footage kind of pre and post race which I was going to include in this video Unfortunately I chose a location which Was within the confines of Old Trafford Where I would need a permit to shoot That video so at the risk of not getting Banned from Old Trafford which to be Fair probably won't be a too bad a thing With the glazers in charge um I've Decided to kind of re-shoot this now That I'm back home made that long trip Back down to London so I will take you Through what I've been testing in terms Of shoes watches headphones talk to you Through a little bit about the race and Yeah give you our full verit on the Manchester half and all the kit that we Were testing as well Too so before getting into the kit that I tested out at Manchester half I should Mention that the race place was provided By pummer now pummer have not paid me to Do this video and they haven't asked me To test any particular shoes it really Was just about we've given you a race Place go out and you know do this race That we're kind of the main sponsors at So I did take it as an opportunity to Run into some PES I haven't raced in any
Pumes I don't think ever um you know I've been playing catch up in terms with The other guys you know I've not been Able to race as much as I want to this Year because of injury so I decided to Kind of pick a pum isue out that you Know I was intrigued by but I haven't Had a chance or opportunity to really Put to the race test so what I did go For was this this is the Puma I'm going To get this wrong definitely Dev Nitro Elite 2 so this is the kind of run for Edition so you probably may have seen This out if you were following the race Um the kind of red blue kind of colorway Um that I've definitely had some looks At when I've gone out and done training Runs um now I was intrigued by the shoe And obviously we've done the review Earlier in the year Nick and Tom did a Kind a really good job with the review And they've done some versus videos and I'll put some links up to that as well Too so what I was really intrigued about And I think particularly when we're Seeing Ray shoes get more expensive this You know isn't one of those expensive Ray shoes um you know I think it's you Know retails £ 175 you can pick it up For kind of £45 so you know where not everyone can Spend a lot of money on a Sho this was You know this for me that was a kind of Really interesting part of it I like you
Know what p is doing in terms of midsole Um kind of Technology you know I've had Great runs or great times with sheo like The P velocity Nitro to and the magnify Nitro one and two as well too so I know They've got some good training shoes so This is really my opportunity to see What their kind of you know race day Shoes were so that was the shoe that I Decided to go with for Manchester half Okay so into things I was testing Outside of the shoes so I'll start with The watches and I had the Apple watch Ultra 2 on and I was really looking at How GPS performance got that kind of Dualband GPS that we really liked on the Original Apple watch ultra um really Looking kind of heart- rate monting Performance I didn't have a great Experience on the original Ultra on that Front and also just general battery life Which hasn't changed it again but Ultimately seem there's any differ is From that point of view um we are going To be getting into our kind of full kind Of comprehensive thoughts about the app Watch Ultra 2 that is coming up on the Channel very soon as well too so keep a Look out for that my other is I had the Garian 4 965 which we have just named Our running watch of the year and the 2023 run test as well so I'll put a link Up to the winnner video you can find out Why now this is a watch that I've used
Pretty much since we started or got it In for review I've been using it for my Training when I have been able to um I Raced with as well so I had that paired With a Garmin HRM Pro Plus chest strap Monitor and I also had connected to that Something called The Core which is a Kind of wearable body um temperature Kind of monitor um it's something that's Used in pying a lot but it's something That um it's kind of been pitched at Runners as well too so I've really kind Of been collating data at the moment to Kind of see if I can identify any kind Of Trends with that information um and Kind of see whether I can you know Optimize my training based on that Information information and what I like About it is you can kind of pair it with Heart rate M to chest strap so you can Kind of do correlations with the heart Rate information and also the body Temperature data that it delivers as Well too probably going to dig a bit Deeper into that in a separate video but Just a note so what else I was kind of Wearing and kind of collecting from a a Data point of view and the last thing Were these so these are the sunto wing These are Sun's first ever pair of Headphones if you not been really Following the story of sunto so the Company that owns sunto has been bought Recently in the last few years is and
What that company does make headphones So you know since they decided to bring Out their own pair of headphones a pair Of bone conduction style headphones so Like kind of open air kind of awareness Style um approach to headphones um so Ideal in terms of a of a race scenario Where you still want to be aware of People around you may want to soak up The atmosphere as well and they're Priced around the same as shocks open Run Pro so they're not cheap um and as I've seen this year there's a lot of Cheap uh bone con that do really deliver Really good performance so whether these Are worth the extra bit of money there's Some extra features here kind of like The reflective lighting you're getting To improve visibility at night time There's some kind of head gesture Controls as well too but I was really Looking at how the battery would perform How whether the sound would be good Enough and it' be good enough quality um And ultimate they're comfortable to wear Because if they're not comfortable to Wear and don't you know not secured then They're going to be pointless ultimately So that was all the kit that I was Looking at uh the Manchester half in Terms of the half itself as I said I'm On the road to kind of getting fitter Again you know with a view to kind of Maybe start training for a marathan
Again for next year so this was really About you know seeing now that I'd had a Good kind of block of being able to Train and do a little bit more longer Running where I was at I was kind of Aiming at kind of 130 which is not my Quickest I think my quickest like 126 um PB wise so if I could get anywhere near That that's kind of what I was looking At doing at Manchester Hub what I'll do Now is give you a little bit of flavor What it was like to be at the Manchester Half get into what the race was like and Then give you my verdict on order the Kit that I was testing as well Too Okay so Manchester half obviously done I'm back home it's the day after but I'll try and give you a sense of what it Was like to do the race now what I would Say first and foremost it is a quick Course to do it's pretty flat as well The hills that I would describe a hills Were very small kind of incline so Relative if you know if you wanted to Have a go at running a quick halftime Then this would be a course to Definitely look at it was a pretty cold Start I would say so my advice would be Take some layers you're willing to throw Away cuz I'm definitely glad that I did Grab some kind of old t-shirts that I Did have with me to kind of Chuck away Because it was pretty cold but I would
Say it was pretty well organized on the Whole in terms of the race Village in Terms of getting through in terms of the Bad drop as well you know it was minimal Chaos in terms of what sometimes I've Experienced at these types of races the Only kind of slight issues and I Wouldn't say it was an issue for me Personally but I think for people who Are trying to get to the race I mean the Best way is to probably get you know a Tram into uh near to 12 Trafford where The start is and if that's where it is Next year then you know the trams are Probably the best way to do it there Were some problems after the time that I Had to get there so I'm kind of aware of That but generally that is something to Keep in mind of but it's not too far in Terms of you know from the center of the City so if you are staying in a hotel or Somewhere in the center of Manchester Then the tramps are generally pretty Good I think there were some issues on Um yesterday though in terms of that in The kind of morning after I'd kind of Got on to the tram but in terms the race Itself as I said it was kind of well Supported um as I said it was nice and Quick and flat um I like the fact they Kind of marked out the different parts That you were going through in Manchester as well which really nice It's great to hear some kind of you know
Manchester music as well out on the Course and I quite I'm glad that I had The headphones that I did have so I Could kind of hear some of that as well Too Um so yeah I think very well kind of put On um I would probably go go back and do It if I wanted to go and go and do Another quick half again it's a very Good one to do and if you're going after A time then it definitely is well suited To that I definitely would say a special Mention to the idea behind the medals so They decided for Manchester half to do a Kind of different combination of medals Kind of ribbons the kind of medals Themselves and they all had kind of Quotes from kind of famous mancunians Ultimately so I think I got a pretty Good one in terms of no gallago though He's a man city fan but I quite like That I think that's a really nice touch Of the medal is a you know if that's Something they decide to do going Forward I think that's you're going to Get a good medal out of the um race as Well too but for me already positive I Had a good race um I I run 131 um not my quickest but in terms of What I was aiming for and where I'm at With my kind of Fitness then I'm very Happy with that and I felt pretty good So that's a massive Plus for me in terms Of going forward my training for next
Year for kind of longer races Bally kind Of over the Marathon distance so yeah All good in terms of the race itself Very well organized nice and Quick Flat Um and I think if that's a kind of Course you're looking for in the UK You're looking for a quick half then It's definitely one to kind of consider Um based on my experience okay so into These shoes I was testing so I was in The DV8 Nitro Elite 2 and I had a very Good experience it in this shoe kind of What I was expecting um what I like About it first and foremost it's nice And light I think I weighed it in and I Think both shoes weigh exactly 211 G Which is not always the case in the Shoes that I've tested recently but um It's a nice light shoe exactly what you Would want for when you know when you Are going to be Racing um you know I think the hold and Kind of lockdown was generally fine for Me I was a little bit concerned there Might be a bit slipping because there's Not much going on here in terms of Around the hill um but there is some Kind of padding there to keep things Kind of nicely secure um so from that Point of view that was generally fine I Didn't find you know I had a UK size a It didn't feel the size was off um for Me at all it felt pretty good overall It's kind of you've got quite a nice
Thin upper here as well so it's kind of Airy breathable um and keeps that weight Down overall as well to without you know Neglecting having to give you that kind Of structure that you want in a Rao as Well to it's kind of what I expected or Hoped to see in a shoe like this which Has that kind of nitro foam in it and That kind of you know that I've really Liked some things the velocity Nitro 2 Which I think you know combining that With a shoe like this that's nice and Light it gave me something that felt you Know I felt very consistent when I was Running in this shoe and I felt like you Get a nice little bounce I think you That responsiveness that you do just get In that kind of nitro foam that pumy Uses and it felt just very reliable During that run and I I felt you know I Never felt like it dropped off it didn't Feel too aggressive for me it felt Pretty stable as well but it did feel Enjoyable to run in this shoe what I Would say is in the latter stage I Wasn't really tiring I I kept pretty Consistent in terms of my Pace in that Race but I was almost wanting something A little bit extra from this shoe it Almost felt like you know I was waiting For the pop in this shoe and it didn't Really come for me it definitely felt Good running in a shoe and it felt very As I said very reliable and consistent
In terms that feeling which is what you Want over those kind of slightly longer Distances but I just you know to Compared to some of the other shoes I've Used and roast at half you know Marathon Distance I was just looking for Something else and I don't know if maybe I wanted a little bit more in terms of That cushioning in terms of what I was Getting there and maybe if there was a Little bit more there maybe and a little Bit more as I said pop there then maybe I would have you know been able to push On a little bit more maybe creep under That 130 but I think the thing for me is It's just a shoe that I would want to go Kind of Beyond Half Marathon distance in It and I think it can absolutely handle That but I almost feel like there are Shoes if I was going beyond that Half Marathon distance that would give me a Little bit more than the shoe But Ultimately it had it was a shoe that Served me well in that race it felt good Felt it felt like there was enough Bounce in there it felt like the ride Was very you know was good enough what I Would expect from you know PE machines That I've run in before and trained in And not necessarily raced in um Obviously the outsole I mean the pummer Grip outsoles have just been solid in All the shoes that I've run in or pumes That I've tested you know when I had to
Do some kind of twists in the course you Know the grip was very very good and Kind of the calling was absolutely you Know absolutely fine and that's really Where I think pummer shoes really kind Of stand out from that point of view so From an outside point of view it felt Very very solid so yeah all very Positive for me my only thing would be Is that I was hoping for something a Little bit extra in there kind of late Later kind of stages of the run and I Also think is there enough for me to say This is a shoe that I'd want to go Longer distance with I'm not 100% sure It definitely does strike me as a kind Of daily kind of training shoe kind of Speed workor shoe that you can also race In as opposed to the other way around if That makes sense um but a good Experience um I think you know when you Consider how much is and how compared to The other shoes that are out there Designed for the similar things and I Think this is a it feels like a very Strong option it's just WEA there's Enough in there for me over other shoes That you know I think maybe it's maybe Missing something um that could just That extra bit of kind of you know magic In terms of this shoe but I do think it Is a good solid shoe overall um and I Think it was good at that half mouth and Distance I would just be skeptical
Whether I would want to use it whether It would Excel over longer distances um Ultimately okay so into the other kit That I tested and I'll start with Watches I have the Apple watch Ultra 2 And the Gin for at 965 now obviously We've had very good experience with both Of these watches or the original Apple Watch Ultra and the 965 now what I first Looked at was the performance in terms Of the GPS during the kind of race and Kind of keeping eye on things like Average pace and they seem to kind of Held up pretty well against each other In terms of curing that exact half M Distance the Apple watch Ultra was a Little bit closer compared to the gar a 965 which was a little bit over Generally not that far off kind of Looking into my splits I definitely Found the Garmin kind of clocked me a Little bit quicker in places near the Beginning of the race But ultimately These splits kind of did tell the same Sort of story ultimately so they weren't Far off or no you know too far off to Kind of suggest it might have been some Issues there then kind of looking a Little bit closer at those kind of GPS Or kind of map GPS routs on the kind of Apple um fitness app and also on the Gin Connect app what I can see is actually The RO look pretty good overall I didn't See any real major issues which I was
Hope not maybe hoping but maybe expected Or anticipated maybe there might be some Issues in terms of how the roots would Be mapped out but they seem to work Pretty well I think the Gan might have Been a little bit behind in terms of the Markers out on the course but it wasn't By a huge amount or enough to kind of Put me off in terms of the race now in Terms of other metrics and heart rate Monitoring pretty much spot on um the Apple watch Ultra 2 compared to the Chest strap on average heart rate on max Maximum heart rate as well too and the Graphs they provided as well were very Similar in terms of what I saw so from That point of view all very solid and Feels like a bit of an improvement Although I had some good runs with the Upper watch Ultra the heart rate Monitoring so it's just the ocation Maybe the higher intensity kind of sh Interval stuff it didn't quite hold up I Think because of the size of the watch But hopefully there's a little bit of an Improvement on the ultra to on that Front battery life all pretty solid Overall kind of the drop off I expect to See on the 965 the Apple watch ult ult Ra 2 was fine as well kind of nothing Out of the ordinary in terms of the drop Off there very similar I think to the Apple watch Ultra I used it I had 100% For the beginning of the day um I think
By the following day it was down to 3% So you know it did last or get through That day comfortably so if you did want To run a half marathon and have still Have your Smartwatch for your rest of The day the Apple watch Ultra to for the Rest of the day it does feel like to me It can survive while still doing all the Other things it needs to do whether it's Notifications or you know just checking In on the weather or anything like that So that was all good no kind of major Concerns about the battery life so all Very good on the watch front uh the Apple watch Ultra 2 did very well I Would say in that test um particularly I Think also in the heart rate marting Which is something I wasn't expecting to See um based on me running a little bit Quicker and kind of really pushing that Sensor a little bit more okay so I'm Going to leave delving into the kind of Core body temperature wearable Thermometer that I've been wearing as Well cuz I really kind of need to dig in A little bit more in terms of that data And I think that gives you a sense of This device and what it's it's doing and You know you have to kind of sit back And really kind of analyze it so that's Something I would do and I would do that In the full R and I factor in you know The testing and what the information I Got from this race as well in that video
As well too so I'll get into my Experiences with the sunto wing Headphones now first and foremost they Did stay put they didn't jump around They were nice and secure to wear you Definitely do notice them a little bit More than you do on something like the Shocks open run Pro which are very Noticeably light they do kind of Disappear you do kind of forget about Them you don't necessarily forget about The sunto Wing they're not massively Heavy but you do know they're there and That's the thing you know almost the Difference between some of the bone Connection headphones that we see some Are you know excel in other areas but Ultimately in terms of that weight maybe They're not quite there but it felt fine It felt comfortable never felt an issue For me um in terms of my running with it In terms of Sound Performance now I Paired them up to the sunto app which is Pretty easy to do and you do have two Sound modes here you kind of have a Normal sound mode and kind of outdoor Sound mode which kind of I think Elevates the the level of loudness you Get here but I think you're sacrificing The battery life that you're going to Get so the sound quality was pretty good I wouldn't say it was anything out of The ordinary in terms of what I've Experienced with bone conduction
Headphones in general um I wouldn't say It was as good or better than the shocks Open run and open run Pros some of the Cheaper bone conduction headphones I've Tested as well recently so Halo um nanka Those have all got very solid sound for A lot less money so from a sound point Of view was absolutely fine I didn't use Just the head gesture controls and Didn't kind of set those up so I was Really focusing on the sound quality Which gave me enough awareness as well The balance of awareness was very good In terms of being able to hear things Around me but also get a good you know Level of sound from my music as well too Um in terms of battery life as I said I Had it in that other kind of sound mode And I clearly saw a bit more of a drop Off than I think you would expect to see In the other kind of sound profile that You have on the CTO Wing So I think I Had them 100% I was using them I had Them turned on just you know probably a Little bit before the race and they went From 100 to I think 46% so that's quite A substantial drop in terms of the Battery life so I think if you wanted Them to go further you would have to Kind of R off having them too loud You' Also probably have to go to that normal Uh sound mode as well which I think Doesn't get you as as much power in Terms of that performance but sound
Quality was good not fantastic or Anything out of the ordinary the fit was Fine stayed put felt comfortable to wear Um as I didn't use the kind of controls That massive amount but I did kind of Use to kind of flip between songs on the Kind of physical controls and were Absolutely fine so a good run with the Cinto wing um I just don't think you Know considering how much they cost Whether they really stand out from the Other bank production headphones that I've tested for running already okay so There have it that is our Manchester Half race test video hopefully you found It useful in terms of learning a little Bit more about the race itself and what To kind of expect also in terms of the Kit that we were testing so the pum Deviate Elite Nitro 2 if I remember that Right um which we've obviously got Videos up on the channel already the Apple watch Ultra 2 we will have a full Review very soon the C Wing um Headphones as well which a few of us Have as well so we'll be doing a full Review of that as well too uh and then Also the core wearable body thermometer As well which as I said I'll be digging A little bit more into that data to kind Of do a bit more of a comprehensive Video uh of that as well too lastly just A a last thanks to Puma again as I said For the race entry into the race um as
Always like And subscribe hit that Little bell to find out about our latest Videos and yeah we'll see you the next Run Test's Video
