The Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 is Puma’s newest marathon racing shoe. Priced at $300, it competes with the Nike Alphafly 3 ($285) and ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris ($250). At easy paces, the Fast-R 3 felt stiff and unenjoyable. At faster paces, though, the Fast-R 3 was insanely aggressive and lightning fast. It may have even surpassed the Alphafly 3 as the best Supwell certified "demon time" race shoe. Puma indicates that the Fast-R 3 is best for lower cadence, stride runners, which has exactly how it felt on initial testing. Our only concern for this shoe is whether it will be comfortable enough for non-elite runners over 26.2 miles or if it will be better suited for 5K distances and below. Aside from the Nike Streakfly 2, the Fast-R 3 is the fastest racing shoe we've ever tested and definitely lives up to the purported hype. The Puma Fast-R 3 is an incredible shoe and marks a substantial leap forward in performance running shoe innovation.

Category

Race Day

Release Date

April 2025

Plated?

Yes

Type of Plate

Full carbon plate

Foam

NITROFOAM Elite

Foam Compound

ATPU

Ride

Firm, Responsive, Stiff

Heel Stack (mm)

39.0

Forefoot Stack (mm)

31.0

Drop (mm)

8

Weight (mens size 9)

6.0

Support

Neutral

Fit

Snug