The original Puma Fast-R was a wild shoe, and things only get stranger with the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite, which has a decoupled midsole with a carbon plate that runs beyond the front of the shoe. It also introduces a new foam to Puma’s range, and is the first carbon racer from the brand to hit the 40mm stack height limit set by World Athletics. All the changes add up to an excellent super-shoe, especially for long distances, but how does it stack up against the best of the rest? Nick gives his verdict here.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:13 – Design & Key Stats
02:19 – How’s The Fit
03:06 – The Run Test
06:28 – Verdict & Alternatives
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Hello and welcome to the Run testers my Name is Nick and this is our full review Of the Puma fastar [Music] 2 so the fast R2 is a successor to Pummer fast R1 one of the more Interesting carbon shoes in the market With the second version pummer is only Doubl down on the kind of weirdness you Have here with the shoe and the Innovative features obviously there's a Lot going on the shoe we'll come to that But first let's run through the key Stats it cost £230 in the UK $260 in the US so a little bit of a price rise on The fast R1 it weighs in at 255 G or 9 Ounces so it is also a bit heavier than The fast r one because the stack height Has been increased it now hits 40 mm at The heel and 32 at the 4 foot for an 8 Mm drop obviously there's a lot going on With the shoe youve got that decoupled Midsole steel that you saw with the fast R1 that shows off the power plate the Carbon power plate running through the Length of the shoe now that carbon plate Extends out the front so youve got this Little bit of an underbite at the front Of the shoe there few says this creates Bit more ground contact more leverage by Using that longer plate so it should Create more efficiency and help you take Fewer steps and be more efficient over Long races like the marathon got an all
New version of nitro Elite foam in the Midell to so the fast you had Neva foam At the heel and then a pea based Nitro Elite foam under the for foot with the Farar 2 you've got the same foam across Both and it's Nitro Elite it's still Called that but is now an aliphatic TPU This is a new foam to me I've not seen This in a lot of running shoes yet and Pum basically says they're getting more Energy return from this foam than from Peba which has obviously become the Dominant foam used in super Sho so very Interesting bit of innovation going on There this lightweight Ultra weave upper Which is not un breathable but it is a Little bit kind of stiff and uh Interesting to touch quite different Field lots of uppers out there you've Got some power tape on there as well to Create a bit of structure and support And then this heel fit at the back is Basically the external heel counter on The shoe and also has been designed to Look a little bit cooler as well bit of Structure around there but not a whole Lot going on up top as you expect with a Racing shoe they try to keep that nice And light these pull tabs here to help You get it on as well cuz it is quite a Tight opening to the shoe and then you Have a puma grip outsole which is always A great feature on Puma shoes you get Really good grip from this even on a
Racing shoe like this it's quite a thick Layer of rubber actually and the Coverage on the forfeit is good like Hitting every bit of phone that's going To come into contact with the ground and You those two little sections of rubber At the back to cover off the heel chunk Of foam you have [Music] Here so I had no real problems with the Fit of the Puma fastar which I think It's a bit surprising I didn't think the Upper is the most accommodating it's Quite a weird stiff material the heel Design's a bit you know aggressive and All that but actually it's fit me very Well in my normal running shoe size got A uk9 which is a us10 in Puma same size I've worn across the Puma range I've had Enough room in the toe box and I've hold Around the heel and midfoot heel is a Slight concern to me i' say if I've used The shoe a couple times in a row it does Start to irritate my achilles a little Bit this stiff design with this fin at The back there and the kind of narrow Grippy design you have there like it's Not the most comfortable design it's one That would mean it would be a shoe I'd Use quite sply but that's how you'd use This shoe anyway just for occasional Fast sessions and races in which case I Wouldn't have a problem with it but yeah If you're someone with a very sensitive
Achilles tendon it might be one to look Out for a little bit with this fin at The back [Music] Here so I've done 50k of running in the Puma fast R 2 ahead of the review Embargo lifting here in the UK obviously I've used it predominantly for fast Running as You' expect from a shoe like This I've used it for a couple of tough Training sessions and then a park run or Christmas day park run actually at all Out pace and for the most part it's been A bit of a surprise all around like I Kind of had some my reservations about The shoes because it is quite a big Heavy shoe there's a lot going on here Didn't necessarily feel like a shoe that Was going to suit me in particular as I Am a high Cadence quite shuffly Runner Feel like a shoe that might be a bit Better for more booming loping Runners But first running the shoe I went out And did a progression run moving from 345 a k down to 325 a k pace so it was 20 minutes at 345 a k 20 at 335k it was Just around my marathon pace and then 20 At 325 a k which is probably more like My half marathon pace at the moment and You know I thought after a while this sh Would start to be a bit unwieldy maybe a Bit too big for me but it felt fantastic For that run R cruisy loads of power From this foam and plate design you have
Here in the midell so obviously we've Got a new foam here aliphatic TPU new to Me anyway but you really don't think You're losing anything on terms of Bounce compared to the peber Foams you Have on the market it's maybe got a Slightly firmer feel than some of those Foams but it's not uncomfortable and you Certainly get a big booming propulsive Feel to the shoe running at those kind Of Paces going through the gear Throughout that session yeah the shoe Just felt really great uh I felt like it Was really in control at those kind of Paces and getting a lot of Bounce a lot Of flight time and just great in the Shoe uh also that was on a greasy Park Path you know it is a good surface a Hard surface for running but it was in Winter slightly greasy top and you got Great grip here from puming grip as You'd expect no concerns at all running At those kind of Paces on those slightly Greasy surfaces but then I used it for Christmas day park run had a pretty good Day I can't remember exactly what I ran Off the top of my head but I think it Was 16 20 something rod and I finished Strong in that race like the fastest K Of the whole thing was my last K was in Grinch socks as well which obviously add A bit of pace but the shoe also felt Fantastic for that and that did surprise Me because like I say I'm quite a
Shuffle Runner over 5K I thought a Lighter shoe would just suit me a lot Better than this and actually I felt Very strong throughout throut I could Run wasn't holding me back at all could Run any Pace I wanted to and then kick On hard in that final K and it's really Been the story of the shoe like it has Been a bit of a surprise like it's not Sure I necessarily feel like I'm Desperate to pull on that it's going to Feel great when I do put it on but then When I go and run fast in it it feels Fantastic did another session where I Did I think 10 times 2 minute reps Getting the pace I was getting knocking Out of the shoe was a lot higher than I Necessarily expected and I would Normally run in that kind of session Just going down towards well a sub 310 Pet pce throughout every 2 minute rep And again feeling very strong very in Control loads of booming bounce so Overall yeah I've had a really positive Experience with it like I still do think There are times when I'd like to have Something a bit smaller on my foot in Particular something that would help me Turn my Cadence over a bit faster which Is how I tend to run fast but you know It hasn't been the big unwieldy shoe That I thought it would be potentially Looking at it still don't think I'm Getting a lot from the underbite I think
I'd probably lose that and save a bit of Weight there potentially don't think the Upp is amazing but I think it's been Okay for me and I do think the midso Setup works really well to deliver a Really fast aggressive ride and then You've got great grip at all as well on The outside there so all around good Positive run experience with it for sure Question more is how it sits compared to Other carbon shoes and this is where I Think this design will struggle a little Bit because it is a bit more outlandish Than other shoes it's a bit heavier I do Think you're getting really good Bounce From other shoes as well but certainly My experience was a positive one in the Puma fastar [Music] 2 So my verdict on the fastar 2 is that This is an interesting and Innovative Carbon racing shoe from pummer do think It's the best carbon shoe they've made In terms of just sheer pace and Propulsion like I used to prefer the Deviate Nitro Elite range and I still Think the lightweight quite simple Design of those shoes will appeal to Lots of Runners but if you are putting a Lot of pace into this shoe you get a lot Back from it and I do think over a Marathan distance you're certainly going To get a more propulsive energetic ride
From this than you get from Puma's other Races I do think it will stand up well Against the best Marathon Racing shoes On the market as well wouldn't be Unhappy going into a marathon this shoe Compared to any of the others I think You're going to get a very fast and Efficient ride out of it it's going to Catch the eye certainly and there are Some other new features I don't think Work that well I still don't really like This heel Fe and I don't necessarily Like this underbite but I do like the Foam in the mids soole you have here Problem is there are loads of great Shoes on the market right now and Fantastic shoes and for me much as I Like this shoe I would still be picking Up other shoes ahead of it Nike alphafly 3 is the really obvious one to pick for Me when it is available again obviously It's a little bit more expensive Especially in the UK but you are getting Fantastic propulsive ride that matches The kind of propulsion you're getting From the shoe in a much more lightweight Design that has a bit more of a Connected ride and feels a bit more Smoother and tips you forward a bit more Aggressively and you get a bit more Bounce from the for foot of that shoe With the Air Zoom pods outfly 3 will Still be ahead of it for Me dayly 3 you Know is a slightly different kind of
Shoe it is that lighter shoe but you get A good amount of Bounce from it but it Is a lot lighter cheaper and you got a Really good turnover in that shoe for Fast running over short distances as Well which is where the faster I think Isn't quite as good as it I think this Is more of a marathon Focus shoe for me Puma has a lot of carbon shoes in its Range that probably the other ones would Suit shorter races a bit better but when You're spending this kind of money you w Really to get a carbon shoe that can Handle a bit of everything which the Have a fly and the alply can so well I Think there's a lot to like about this Shoe it's not one that's come in I've Gone yeah that's the Innovations here Have all worked it's better than Everything else in the market I think It's a really good shoe it puts pummer In now a bracket with other shoes like The SC Elite V4 and lots of other shoes I think are very good options for racing But it doesn't necessarily stand out From those options and everything aside From its wild design in terms of Performance it's got the performance but It doesn't really take things to a new Level and are there are shoes I'll be Picking ahead of it still like the Nike Alpha 5 3 and that's kind of the problem With carbon shoes like there are loads Of these shoes out there and they're all
Really good shoes but if you're going to Spend a load of money you're probably Going to buy one maybe two some people Might buy loads of them because it's an Interesting thing to have a lot of and The collectors almost but in terms of Just building a running shoe rotation You are looking at kind of one or two Shoes Max in this bracket and the fast R2 as good as it is as fun as it is I Don't think it' be the one i' select Above everything else which is where I Tend to lean towards the Nike shoe still But really enjoyed testing it and I did Find it a lot faster and more impressive Than I expected when I first saw the Design so it's a really good shoe Exciting things to come from pum Intering to see how this foam is used in Other shoes really interested to see What happens with the DV8 Nitro Elite Line with the next version if they push That up to a 40mm stack out as well Because do think that's a really good Accessible carbon shoe with a quite a Natural ride that is still lightning Fast but fast two is not that it's not a Natural shoe it's got a weird ride it Feels a bit disconnected and clunky but When you start running fast it feels Fantastic pick it up you'll have a good Time in it but it wouldn't be my top Pick for a car racer just [Music]
Now all righty that's our review of the Puma farar 2 let us know what you think In the comments below we'll get some Comparisons to other shoes up on the Channel in the next few weeks please do Like and subscribe ring the little bell And we'll see you next Time
