Introduction
As an official sponsor of Hyrox, Puma is no stranger to the demands of hybrid fitness competitions. However, while Puma’s partnership brings a range of apparel and footwear into the spotlight, the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 isn’t specifically designed for Hyrox events. Known primarily as a high-performance running shoe (and proven by podium placings by Puma’s Olympic athletes), its suitability for the specific demands of Hyrox needs to be tested. In our review, we’ll put the Deviate Nitro Elite 3 through its paces and let you know whether it can provide the grip, stability, responsiveness, and versatility required for your next Hyrox race.
Stats
- Weight Men’s: 7.4 oz. (209 g) for a US 10.5 / UK 9.5 / EU 44
- Weight Women’s: 5.8 oz. (164 g) for a US 7.5 / UK 5.0 / EU 40
- Stack height: 40mm (heel), 32mm (forefoot)
- Drop: 8mm
- Plate: PWRPLATE (Carbon)
- Foam: NITROFOAM™ ELITE (Aliphatic TPU)
- Grip: PumaGrip LT (lightweight, high-traction rubber compound)
Fit and Comfort (Sizing & Upper)
Puma shoes are notorious for fitting slightly long and very narrow. However, I would say that the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 is about the most true-to-size Puma I have tried. It certainly fits me better than the Puma Velocity Nitro did in the same size.
I think that much of this is down to the UltraWeave material they use for the upper. Although it feels almost like a plastic to the touch, it has a lot of give and I found it stretches slightly over time. This means that if you do have a wider foot, the materials expand with it rather than give you that compressive feeling.
This is an incredibly light shoe and you really feel that when you put it on. Despite this, Puma have stuffed a good amount of comfort into it. The foam beneath your foot is soft and absorbent, the padding around the ankle provides plenty of protection from friction, and the tongue/lace set-up disappears on your foot completely.
For Hyroxers, you’ll be pleased to know that the shoe is very breathable. Racing indoors tends to be hot and sweaty, but there’s plenty of ventilation here. So much so that if you look inside the shoe, you can see outwards through the gaps in the weave. Shoes such as the Asics Metaspeed Paris will offer even more breathability, but the Nitro Elite 3s are far more breathable than the likes of the Puma Velocity Nitro or Deviate Nitro.
Perhaps the one weakness for me is that there is a slight lack of structure. Although you have PWRTAPE overlays, which give the shoe a little rigidity around the midfoot, I found that I had to be very careful to get a good lockdown with the laces to ensure that my foot didn’t slide around towards the end of my runs. I believe this is due to that stretchy material having so much give and the pumas being a little longer than many shoes. For sled pushes during a race, you’ll certainly want to tie a heel lock.
Overall then, I would say that the shoe is very comfortable to wear. By far, this is the most comfortable super shoe I own and far, far more comfortable than the likes of the Vaporfly, Metaspeed Paris, Endorphin Pro, Rocket X 2, and so on. I would go true to size in this, although if you have a narrow foot and are often between sizes, you may consider going half a size down if you want a true, snug race day fit.
What’s it like to run in? (Midsole)
I have run in just about every super shoe, from the Vaporfly to the Metaspeed Paris to the Saucony Pro and I would say that this is the best shoe I have run in.
You have 40mm stack in the heel and 32 mm in forefoot. For me, this foam beneath your foot offers you a bouncy ride that you really feel giving you back energy as you run. It’s very different to the low-to-the-ground, firm feeling that we had in the Deviate Nitro Elite 2. With more foam underfoot, the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 is able to offer a more curved carbon plate that provides much more assistance in getting you through your stride and turning your feet over quickly. The rocker geometry is not at the level of the Saucony Pro’s, but because it is a lighter and more bouncy shoe, I find the Puma’s encourage me to run faster.
If you’re a runner who likes to feel that squish and spring back when you run, then this is one of the best super shoes for that. However, if you like a firmer, snappier ride then you may find the Deviate Nitro Elite 2 a better option.
How stable is it for Wall Balls & Lunges? (Midsole)
This is the first real weakness the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 has for Hyroxers. The squishy foam is ideal for running, but less so for your lunges, wall balls and sharp turns.
The Deviate Nitro Elite 3 has a very narrow midfoot. This means that when doing wall balls or lunges, your foot naturally wants to lean to one side or the other (as you can see from the picture below). Coupled with a maximal stack height (for a racer) and squishy foam, you really do feel like you are fighting to keep your foot centered on the shoe’s platform and planted to the floor.
Similarly, when running through tight turns, the lack of stability is something you want to be aware of. Whereas you may be able to run almost full speed around a corner in something like the Saucony Speeds or Puma Deviate Nitros, that combination of a narrow midfoot, squishy foams and high stack will force you to drop your speed slightly or risk rolling an ankle.
You definitely can do a Hyrox in this shoe and I know of at least a few Elite Hyrox athletes who will be running in it this season. However, I would say that you will want to be confident in your wall ball and lunge ability under fatigue and make sure that you get a good amount of practice in them before race day.
How’s the grip on the Sleds? (Outsole)
PumaGrip, which is the compound Puma use on the outsole of their shoes, is known as being the very best outsole material out there. Puma describes it as a ‘durable performance rubber compound built for all-surface traction’ and there’s not a single super shoe that touches it.
Why is this? Well, the majority of super shoes are built to be as light as possible. Super shoes are marketed to higher end recreational runners through to elite runners wanting to hit a PB. Generally, this means shaving a few seconds off their time. Most of this comes down to delivering an amazing, responsive foam with a carbon plate – both of which weigh quite a bit and without compromising them are hard to take weight from. So, in race shoes, companies tend to strip back the upper construction and reduce the amount of rubber on the bottom of the shoe.
Now, to an extent, Puma does this as well. The Puma Deviate Nitro Elite series uses what they call PumaGrip LT compared to the standard PumaGrip we find on shoes such as the Deviate Nitro or Velocity Nitro. Puma say that although there is less of this PumaGrip LT compound on bottom of a shoe and it’s lighter, the amount of traction offered is the same as the standard PumaGrip.
Now, I have to say that I did not find this to be the case on the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 2. To me, comparing it to the Puma Deviate Nitro 2, the rubber compound felt much firmer and less sticky. However, in the Puma Deviate Nitro 3, I would say that it’s much closer in feel to the standard PumaGrip.
Right, enough comparisons, can you push/pull a sled in it? Simply put, yes. This is the best super shoe to push/pull a sled in. The standard Puma Deviate/Velocity remain marginally better, in that they offer a little more ‘bite’, but I don’t believe this shoe will limit your ability to push or pull a sled. It’s plenty grippy enough for Open and Pro weights.
Anything else to be aware of?
Durability
Being a super shoe, this isn’t designed to regularly push/pull sleds. Instead, it’s designed for people to use sparingly for interval sessions and race day. I’m sure you could get through a dozen or more Hyrox races with this shoe, but if you start bringing it into training, it’s not going to last you very long. That PumaGrip LT is great stuff, but you’ll wear through it pretty quickly and I also wonder about the impact of the foam with so much regular compression. Basically, don’t buy this expensive shoe to train in.
Price
Although this shoe is expensive at around £200/€240/$270, it’s actually one of the cheapest super shoes out there.
Comparisons and Alternatives
Saucony Endorphin Pro 3/4: More Hyrox athletes use the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3/4 than use the Puma Deviate or the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite. Personally, I believe this is mostly down to the Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 being a much better shoe than the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 2 that was out at the same time. The Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 is a far superior shoe to its previous version. My guess is that as the Endorphin Pro 3 becomes harder to get hold of and more people experience the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3, there will be a bit of a shuffle due to how much quicker athletes will be able to run in this shoe. All that being said, I would say that many athletes, especially those weaker on wallballs or on lunges, will trade away the enhanced speed/grip of the Puma’s for the stability of the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4s.
Deviate Deviate Nitro 2/3: Unless you are an Elite athlete, the idea of spending £200 on a semi-durable shoe may not be an idea you entertain. Similarly, unless you are an elite athlete or very confident in your ability to do wall balls/lunges then the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 is going to make at least two stations pretty rough. With this in mind, the Puma Deviate Nitro 2 or Puma Deviate Nitro 3 offer a much cheaper and more stable option with the same level of grip that will last you much longer too. The main trade off with the standard Deviate over the Elite is that they are slightly heavier and feature a less tuned foam/plate that won’t offer as much ‘pop’ when you run.
Overall
The Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 is the best running shoe Puma has ever made. In fact, it’s up there with the top 5 running shoes ever made by any brand. However, I think that this shoe is probably reserved for Hyrox Elites or for those who are supremely confident in their ability to do lunges and wall balls.
For me, I think this shoe is perfect for my interval sessions and road races. I’ll stick to a more stable and durable shoe for Hyrox events and training (that could well be the Puma Deviate Nitro 2/3), but any time I want to run fast I’ll pull this one out and love every second I spend with it.
Pros
- Fast, responsive, bouncy ride
- Very comfortable for a super shoe
- Great grip for the sleds
Cons
- Lacks stability
- Isn’t designed for high volume