Our Thoughts on the Puma Fast-R 3 After 100 Miles And 3 PRs
The Puma Fast-R 3 is arguably the fastest road racing shoe ever. The ATPU foam construction with the stiff carbon-fiber plate and aggressive geometry, feels perfectly executed. There’s a noticeable speed assistance that makes it so superior to all of the other racers on the market. Here we will provide an overview of the Puma Fast-R 3 and let you know our thoughts on the ride, comfort, performance, and durability after 100 miles, as well as provide some thoughts on who should try this shoe.
Puma earned a top spot on our list of best running shoe brands and had multiple shoes on our best of lists in 2025. The Fast-R 3 consistently landed as one of our top 5 racers every month after its launch and it is one of our favorites, if not our favorite, race shoes of all time. We have 200 miles across several pairs of Fast-R 3s, but we got one pair up to 100 miles in order to test out the durability and the ability of the race foam to hold up for multiple races and training. Below we share five reasons why the Fast-R 3 quickly became our favorite race shoe as well as provide some thoughts on who might like this shoe and who might not.
Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3
What Makes the Fast-R 3 So Special
Foam and Geometry
Puma’s ATPU foam is very bouncy and responsive with an aggressive geometry and the stiff, protruding carbon-fiber plate. It’s also incredibly lightweight with any extra materials being cut away.
Speed Assistance
What makes the Fast-R 3 so special is that it forces you up onto your forefoot, which is exactly where you need to be to perfectly access the trampoline effect of the foam at the front on the landing zone. It has even been tested in an independent lab to increase speed efficiency by 3.5% on average, which is significant over a half or full marathon distance.
Race Versatility
Last year we ran all of our races in the Fast-R 3, including a 5k PR, a half marathon PR (1:12), and a marathon PR (2:32). It is so lightweight and efficient at all racing paces, which is not something you can say about most race shoes.
Comfort
The upper is very light and minimalistic, but has a dialed-in fit with a perfect amount of padding in the heel. While it is not the most comfortable racer of all time, it does meet the criteria of disappearing on foot when you are running hard. It fits true to size and doesn’t seem to cause any rubbing or hot spots and there is plenty of room in the forefoot with plenty of volume.
Durability
At 100 miles, the exposed foam on the outsole is holding up well with some slight rubbing and foam fraying. The rubber is holding up well for us, although some people have reported a dead spot or a flat spot on the forefoot after high mileage use. The foam feels like it is holding up well with good bounce and return even after 100 miles.
Drawbacks of the Fast-R 3
Our main concern about the Fast-R 3 is that it can be a little too aggressive for steadier miles and longer runs. At some slower paces, it can have a choppier feel if you are a heel striker during more relaxed paces, due to the de-coupled forefoot and heel.
For Yowana's full video 100-mile review of the Fast-R 3, check out the Supwell YouTube channel:
For more 100+ mile reviews, check out these articles:
- 100 Mile Review of the R.A.D UFO
- 100 Mile Review of the Adidas Evo SL
- 200 Mile Review of the ASICS Megablast
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