Mizuno Hyperwarp Pacer

The Mizuno Hyperwarp Pacer is a lightweight training shoe designed for speed. Priced at $160, it competes with shoes like the Adidas Evo SL ($150) and New Balance Rebel v5 ($140). The Hypewarp Pacer is a new model for Mizuno featuring a supercritical EVA midsole foam and a nylon shank. It is meant to serve as a training companion to the Hyperwarp race shoe line that they launched last year so it has a similar shape and geometry to those shoes, but with a more generous layer of rubber on the outsole and a daily trainer type upper. It has a lower drop (3mm) than its competitors, but it is also very light, coming in at 220 grams in our Men’s US Size 10.5. The step-in feel is nice with good padding around the heel collar and it fits true to size. Out on the run we found the foam to feel on the firmer side, but responsive. The lower drop pushes you up onto your forefoot, which gives you a direct, dart-like, low-to-the-ground, fast feel with decent cushioning that you could take up to 10-12 miles. It is a perfect blend of a peppy foam, cushioning, protectiveness, and reactivity with great grip to push off on the forefoot for attacking a workout or hill sprints. We wouldn’t recommend it for high mileage daily training, recovery miles, or long runs; but, if you liked the Evo SL and are looking for an alternative with similar pep, similar capabilities for daily miles, but even more oriented towards speed work, repeats, and hill sprints, the Hyperwarp Pacer is a great option.