PUMA Fast-R Nitro Elite 2 Review: A Speedster's Dream

A shoe built for speed, power and deliver that ultimate race day edge.

Runner Reviews | Daniel Cheeseman - Neutral - Track & Road

First impressions out of the box

The Puma Fast R-2 is certainly one of the more uniquely designed super shoe’s that I have had the opportunity to test out. With an exposed carbon plate in the forefoot, it’s a shoe that will certainly turn heads.

Having used the Puma Deviate Nitro 3, I was keen to see how the Fast-R 2 compared. The Fast R-2 has a much more aggressive feel than the Deviate Nitro 3, it’s not a shoe that you’d want to be using for recovery runs, this shoe is built for the race day and race pace specific workouts.

The 40mm stack height with an 8mm drop gives the instant super-shoe feeling when initially putting the shoe on. The fit in the midfoot and forefoot is forgiving, it’s not a tight fitting upper so I used the runners knot as personal preference just to give a more secure feel.

Pushing the pace: Track to half marathon

The first test before racing in the shoe, was to complete a track session in the shoe with the idea of seeing if the shoe was suitable to use for a Half Marathon Race.

The track session I completed was 5 x 2km reps with 2 minutes recovery, the target pace being Half Marathon Race Pace.

The Fast-R 2 felt good for this type of intensity and length of session, the puma-grip worked well on the bends of the track and I didn’t feel any hot spots throughout the session.

My take-away from the session was that it would feel great for a 10k/Half Marathon effort, but unsure whether due to the aggressive nature of the rocker and carbon plate whether it would be the best option for me should I choose to step up to the marathon.

How do they compare

Comparative to the New Balance SC Elite V4 which I have been using for training, I would say the Fast R-2 felt better at speed and locking into a pace, but the SC Elite is a slightly more stable shoe so potentially for longer distance I would lean more towards the SC elite.

Stepping up on race day

My main test for the shoe was then to use it for a Half Marathon, which I completed the Ramathon Half Marathon in Derby, a brilliant event organised by Run for All.

The target I had in mind was to try to run a Championship Qualifying time for London Marathon in 2025.

The Fast R-2 I have to say felt great the whole 13.1 Miles – it felt quick enough to handle the early fast pace that was set, but also the increased stack height kept me rolling towards the end of the race as I was fatiguing and moving back from a forefoot to mid-foot strike.

Pushing to a PB and The Road to London

Thankfully they carried me to a new personal best time of 71 minutes 25 seconds and hopefully earned me a place for the London Marathon next year, which gives me some ample time to try out some other shoes before deciding on what shoe I will complete London in!

Final thoughts:

My takeaway would be that the Fast-R 2 is a great option for 5k up to Half Marathon for an experienced and relatively well-conditioned runner.

The fit and feel of the shoe can make the Fast-R Nitro Elite 2 a great training shoe as well as a race day shoe and it feels robust enough that even at £230 RRP, it should ensure that you can get your money’s worth.

The weight of the shoe (255g UK9) may put people off using the shoe for a full marathon distance, but weight may be something that is worth sacrificing for a well-fitting super shoe that can be used in all conditions.

Shop the full Puma Collection online or find your local Up & Running shop.