Puma is behind some of the most innovative carbon plate running shoes to hit the market in recent years, but it’s safe to say that the new Puma Fast-RB Nitro Elite pushes the boundaries further than anything the brand has done before.
The RB in the name stands for “Rule Breaker” and that is the core concept behind the shoe. Puma’s goal is to develop the highest-bouncing shoe possible outside of the restrictions set by World Athletics, which include a limit of one plate in the midsole and a maximum stack height of 40mm at the heel.
There are three plates in the Puma Fast-RB’s midsole, a full-length carbon plate on top of the midsole and two more TPU plastic plates under the forefoot. These plates are separated by pieces of Puma’s springy Nitro Elite foam, which is also used in legal racing shoes like the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 and Puma Fast-R 2.
The stack height is an incredible 58mm at the heel and 46mm at the forefoot. The midsole is also decoupled, so the heel and forefoot areas are not connected by foam, only by the plate. When the shoe is on a flat surface, the heel doesn’t even touch the ground.
Add to that the laceless upper and this has to be one of the weirdest running shoes I’ve ever seen.
Puma Fast-RB Nitro Elite: Price and availability
The Puma Fast-RB will hit stores on August 28th and will be a very exclusive shoe in terms of both price and availability. Only 1,000 pairs will be available for sale initially and will retail at €350 – US pricing is not yet confirmed but is expected to be around $400.
It’s expensive, exclusive and a little bizarre, but what’s it like to actually run in the Puma Fast-RB? To find out, I took it on a 15k run at different speeds. Here are my key findings.
It is incredibly springy
Puma has made every effort to create a springy ride with the Fast-RB, and the shoe certainly delivers. I felt a tremendous amount of spring in my step when running slow or fast in the shoe, but the propulsion provided by the midsole and plates was more noticeable when I increased my pace.
Most running shoes with carbon plates feel unnaturally elastic when running compared to normal sneakers, but the Puma Fast-RB takes it to the next level and makes running a lot of fun.
I ran faster than expected
I took it easy for most of my run in the Puma Fast-RB, partly because I was a little concerned about the instability of its design, and my heart rate was pretty low the whole time. Relative to my effort and heart rate, my pace was higher than usual, suggesting that the plates and springy design of the Fast-RB had a positive effect.
However, after a while it felt a bit of a struggle to pick up the pace in the shoe as it is quite a heavy shoe and just very big. It almost feels like it is more suited to casual running and having fun than real racing.
It is not a stable shoe
Even legal running shoes with carbon plates are rarely stable, so given the Fast-RB’s wild design, it should come as no surprise that it’s pretty wobbly underfoot. For my first run with the shoe, I chose a mostly flat course on level ground with few turns, and I wouldn’t feel as comfortable on a winding course with cracked surfaces.
It is much heavier than most racing shoes
I’ve already mentioned weight, but it’s worth highlighting again because at 13 ounces in my US size 10, the Puma Fast-RB weighs more than 3.5 ounces than pretty much every other carbon shoe I’ve tested—the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3, for example, weighs 7.5 ounces.
This weight means that while the Puma Fast-RB is certainly a rule breaker, I’m not sure anyone will be breaking records with it – I prefer riding a lighter, legal road bike to chase personal records myself, and have so far preferred running at a more relaxed pace on the Puma Fast-RB.
The upper material is comfortable and safe
Uppers without laces are always a bit of a risk as it is sometimes harder to achieve a secure fit. This was particularly concerning for me with the Fast-RB as I didn’t want my foot to move at all due to the unstable construction underfoot.
But the upper proved to be sufficiently tight and comfortable when running. The shoe fit me well in my normal size, but I would say if you often find yourself in between sizes, it might be better to go for the smaller shoe to ensure it fits snugly enough.
