Official US Retailer of the Runsifly Flare Elite and Our Thoughts After 100 Miles

The Runsifly Flare Elite has the speed assistance of the best marathon racers on the market at the price less than many of the super trainers on the market. Not only is it fast, but it is also comfortable and has an approachable geometry that will work well for a variety of runners. The high stack of supercritical 100% PEBA race foam, smooth rocker, and snappy plate come together perfectly. The Supwell team has enjoyed running in it so much that we decided to become an official Runsifly Flare Elite retailer in the US.

Specs of the Runsifly Flare Elite

Stack Height: 39mm in the heel with a 8mm drop

Weight: 175 grams in a Men’s US Size 9

Midsole Construction: 100% supercritical PEBA midsole foam with a full length carbon fiber plate

Price: $200 at www.HobbyJogger.com

Race Day

Runsifly Flare Elite

Lightweight marathon racer designed for speed over distance

Price

$200

Plated?

Yes

Foam

PEBA

Weight (oz)

6.2

Drop (mm)

8

Support

Neutral

see details

Why We Decided to Import the Runsifly Flare Elite to the US

The Speed Assistance

There are some carbon-plated race shoes that we love as long run shoes and maybe for some marathon training workouts. They are comfortable and approachable enough not to beat us up or require additional recovery after wearing them, but they aren’t the fastest of the fast.  We’ve coined these race shoes the Cruisers. In this category, we include racers like the New Balance SC Elite v6, Saucony Endorphin Elite 3, Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4, and the Topo Specter Elite. The other category of race shoes are those that we call the Bruisers. These are the fastest shoes that provide the most speed assistance. They typically have very energetic, modern race foams that are incredibly responsive, in addition to having minimal uppers, very aggressive geometries, and cut-outs and extreme bevels to reduce weight wherever possible. These shoes we often reserve for our most important workouts and for PR attempts. In these demon-time racers, we are typically giving up comfort and stability for all-out speed. Some examples are the Puma Fast-R 3, ASICS Metaspeed Ray, and the Mizuno Hyperwarp Pure. After using these shoes, we typically feel more beat up and need longer to recover, so they aren’t the best for longer time on feet or frequent workouts. 

The beautiful thing about the Runsifly Flare Elite is that you get the speed assistance of a Bruiser with the protection and comfort of a Cruiser. The smooth, yet aggressive forefoot rocker, combined with the lightweight and soft, yet responsive, foam provides a fast, but comfortable ride that won’t leave your legs feeling trashed.

The Foam

The Runsifly Flare Elite midsole features a 100% supercritical PEBA foam that is on the slightly softer side of the goldilocks zone. It isn’t super soft and squishy like the foams in the Saucony Endorphin Elite 3, Li-Ning Feidian 6 Elite or the Brooks Hyperion Elite 6. The perfectly tuned foam and really smooth rocker allow for a very direct and efficient toe-off that keeps all your momentum moving forward. In the racers that use really soft foams, sometimes the ride can be a little squirrely or wild, causing a sensation of losing some energy laterally and causing foot and leg fatigue. With the Runsifly Flare Elite you get the perfect amount of compression and decompression with a softer, less harsh, underfoot feel. The Flare Elite is also more stable than some of the softer racers and there is no sensation of getting lost in the foam or it not rebounding as quickly as you’d like. It is also not too firm, which allows for good protection and cushioning underfoot late into a long run or workout.  

For Yowana's full video review of the Runsifly Flare Elite, check out the Supwell YouTube channel:

The Geometry

The geometry of the Flare Elite delivers a very smooth ride. The significant forefoot rocker easily rolls you through your stride and up onto the forefoot. Unlike many racers that really reward you for landing on a particular part of the midsole, something we call the “bounce spot,” you can land anywhere in the Flare Elite and get a nice smooth transition through the toe-off. Without any gimmicky cut-outs or an aggressive heel bevel, the shoe provides good stability and comfort no matter whether you are a forefoot, midfoot, or heel striker, or whether you are feeling strong in the beginning of a race or workout, or like your form is degrading later into a race. The generous amount of soft and bouncy foam in the heel also makes the Flare Elite a fantastic long run shoe for extended time on feet.

The Upper

We wish every racer had a lightweight, breathable, comfortable and dialed upper like you get in the Runsifly Flare Elite. The almost transparent upper material has a lot of tiny perforations to allow for good air movement. The heel has just enough structure to feel secure with little pillows that wrap around your Achilles to provide comfort and to prevent heel slipping. The tongue is very lightly padded and built into the upper, much like you see in the Alphafly 3 or Saucony Endorphin Elite 3. There is ample room, both in volume and width, in the forefoot and midfoot but you can also get a really nice lockdown with the saw tooth laces for a perfectly dialed race-day fit. We also really like that there is not much, if any, toe cap or overlays, which can cause your toes to feel beat up in other shoes with aggressive forefoot rockers. The upper on the Flare Elite is a perfect example of the absence of anything bothersome.

The Outsole

The light CPU outsole provides plenty of coverage on the outsole to instill confidence on wet or slick roads without adding too much weight. It also seems to be protecting the foam against unnecessary wear and has been very durable with no signs of wear.

The Price

At $200, the Runsifly Flare Elite is significantly undercutting its competition in the crowded and competitive marathon racer category where carbon-plated racers are ranging anywhere from $240 to $300 for mainstream shoes, all the way up to $500 for the most expensive models. But, at $200, it is also less expensive than many of our favorite super trainers, such as the ASICS Superblast 3 ($210), On Lightspray Cloudmonster 3 Hyper ($280), ASICS Megablast ($225), the R.A.D UFO ($200), and the Adidas Hyperboost Edge ($200), just to name a few. 

Summary

The Runsifly Flare Elite has been long run tested and demon-time certified by Yowana and the Supwell team. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to try this new Chinese racer that is lighter than your current racer and cheaper than your favorite super trainer. Order yours now at www.hobbyjogger.com.

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