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The Mizuno Neo Zen is a non-plated daily trainer that Mizuno says
is the perfect shoe for all distances, speeds, and personal needs. That’s a pretty bold claim and we’ll be doing the requisite test miles to see if it lives up to billing. But before we bring you our full review, Run Tester Kieran shares his first impressions after some initial early miles.

JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
0:00 – Intro
0:22 – Details: Drop, Stack Height, Weight, Price
0:53 – Shoe whip round
1:21 – The Run Test
4:53 – First impressions
6:30 – Now watch this: HOKA Mach X2 review


Hey people welcome to the run test us And to my first run look at the new Mauno Neo Zen it's a non-plated daily Trainer that Muno says is the perfect Sho for all distances speeds and Personal needs and that is a pretty bold Claim and we will be doing the requisite Test miles to see if it lives up to that Billing but before we bring you our full Review here's my thoughts after some Initial early Miles let's give you some quick design Details first then first up you got the Specs you've got the mauno Neo packs a 40 mil 34 mil stack of mauno enery NEX Nitrogen infused foam with a gentle Rocker and a 6 mil drop it weighs in 8.5 O or 241 g with my UK men's 8 and a half That's about the weight of a sakon Endorphin speed 4 or a Nike alphafly Next perent 2 if you go back at Generation and it's priced at £130 in The UK or $150 so it's at the cheaper End now that mids salt is super soft Extremely cushioned across the foot and Compresses a lot and that makes the drop Feel low up top you got a one piece Softnit upper that's light and Airy with An integrated tongue for a booty style Fit and a minimal race style heel Package with some reinforcements but Those are still pretty pliable they do Add some structure and support into that Heel package flip them over and the out

Soole has a really generous covering of Mizuno's X10 rubber as well good for Durability and Grip on to the first run then I've Actually done two runs in the Muno neoen I did a seven mile at cruising sort of Middling Pace with a few faster efforts Mixed in and then a really easy 4 and a Half mile which was at my very kind of Slowest Pace now I always look at shoes When you've got this kind of minimal Race style upper and heel package with a Little bit of trepidation I always think There's a real risk that they'll rub or Not quite sit right and maybe not be as Comfortable as your traditional sort of Uppers and traditional heel colors but Actually the Neo Zen slips on the foot Really easily and it quickly feels like It belongs there the wrapping booty Style up holds well across the midfoot But it's nicely flexible it supports but Moves and it's all very spacious overall Had plenty of length in the toe box Maybe a little bit too much length there The heel collars come up a little higher As well on my achilles and under the Ankles than some shoes in this style but I found that actually made for a little Extra security without any unwanted Rubbing I ran in my regular UK and a Half and these did feel a little long in The toe box I don't mind a bit of room In sort of racier shoes but I think I'd

Like just to touch less length to make Everything feel a little bit more Connected with the ride Under Foot but I'm not sure I'd actually risk going Half a size down in these shoes on the Plus side they are nicely light and Airy And generally offer a really quite Disappearing feel on the foot now when It comes to the midsole feel the first Sensation you get when you put these on Is a marshmallow softness from the Nitrogen infused foam like it's really Soft squidgy highly compressive with Some wobble but it returns quickly as Well to deliver a big dollop of buoyancy And bounce from the very first few steps You taking it you know you're in for a Fun ride in this shoe this is a bouncy Foam shoe without a plate while some Testers I think found the outso midsole Combo stiff enough on this first run I Noticed the lack of that plate but then I prefer stiffer shoes generally I've Not run in the Neo Vista that has a Plate and I'm told offers a similar ride Or range to this sen shoe but with a bit More stiffness so maybe that'll be more My shoe but I don't tend to struggle With stability but even for me in the First few miles these shoes did feel a Little bit out of control I had quite a Bit of lateral movement and I had to pay Attention to my foot strike initially But I immediately enjoyed that energy

Coming back it's Lively it's fun feels Nice and soft but for some of this first Run I felt it was a bit like I was Driving on the motorway in heavy rain Where I just needed to concentrate that Extra bit now a clock 12 or so miles in Total and I found the foam settled the Further I ran or maybe I settled into The shoe either way in the latter miles The ride started to feel more controlled As I got used to it and overall the Neoen started to feel more natural I had To think less and less the longer I had It on my feet about those kind of Landings now when you engage them right As well what you get is a springy return That feels Lively and exciting the Softness in the foam also works well to Eat the road impact at the slower miles And even moving slow you're getting Assistance from that bounce and that Return from that energetic midsole I do Worry that the Wubble might not offer The support that some Runners might want From a shoe to do the very sort of Easiest of miles if you're looking for Almost like a container shoe that's Going to hold you and keep you stable Maybe this isn't it but in terms of Cushioning they can certainly take the Edge off the road now I didn't push them To my fastest paces and I'm interested To see how they perform when you're Landing mid to 4ot but really punching

Into the ground my inclination here is That they're going to work well at Marathon pace or cruising just below but I'm looking forward to challenging all Of that over the next 20 or 30 miles That I'll do in the shoe and [Music] Testing to sum up my initial first Impressions then well in the early miles This shoe did have me a little bit Worried from walking out of the house I Felt the softness and the wobble quite a Lot if you like a fir a stiffer shoe Maybe this will be too soft I definitely Noticed the lack of a stabilizing plate At times I'm not sure if that's because Of the shoes that I've been testing Before this one I've come to I've lot of Those have had a bit more rigidity but Initially it felt like a very different Ride from many of the shoes that I've Run in recently some ways he actually Reminded me of a shoe we reviewed it's Not well known shoe with the higho Impact it's a shoe that was full of Energy but lacked a little bit of Stiffness to smooth out the transitions I get that same sensation here or at Least I did for a while in this shoe Where I just I couldn't get away from The fact that I wanted a little bit of Extra kind of stiffness and control to Really punch up that foam to add a Little bit of extra to that bounce bit

Of pop with a bit of control and Snappiness perhaps that said this is a Really Lively shoe in a lightweight Package with bounce and buoyancy that Cruises really well it eats miles very Very easily offers plenty of impact Protection at slower Paces it feels Really versatile as a result of all of That I'm really interested to see if This could be an option for marathon Pace and faster training efforts and if It ticks those boxes well at the price You're getting this shoe I think this Could be a properly good value all Around and I'm looking forward to Putting that fully to the test so they Have it that's been my first impressions Of the mauno neoen we'll have the full Review up once we've done the full Testing hit subscribe and ring the bell To be notified when that and other Videos land on the Channel if you're Interested in fast daily trainers I'm Popping a review up on screen now you Should definitely go and watch otherwise Thank you very much for stopping by and Until next time happy running people