Andy: For our May Monthly Round Up, I have one of my favourites of the past while, the PUMA Deviate Nitro Elite 2. As we have seen prototypes of the newest version of PUMA’s top end race shoes on the feet of marathon winners, I thought it would be a good time to revisit the second version. Now, pushing close to 300 km in the shoe, it has done me as proud as I thought it would. The Deviate Nitro Elite 2 is a shoe which has never really left my rotation. Whenever I am looking for something which is easy to put on and run a fun run with either extra distance or some pace variations, this is it.
Furthermore, It has become a long run special. Sundays are cushioned and comfortable. Whilst the outsole has worn down in my high strike areas, it still has plenty of life in it and the grip has not let me down yet. While it never did become my main race shoe but it has had plenty of service as a tempo and fartlek special. It is a shoe which I would really recommend now to everyone, especially as they can now be picked up for less than the price of most daily trainers. The cheapest I have seen near me is £40! At that kind of price, there really is no reason to not have a pair in your line up.
Alex: Thursday 6:35am.
I am getting my first cup of coffee and start thinking about the shoe I’ll wear for today’s track session. Once a week I pace one of my coached athletes for an early morning track session. For me, it’s mostly aerobic reps but it’s often a great opportunity to test shoes at various paces that are not my track reps paces.
6:49am, I have to be out in less than 10 minutes to make it on time. I jog between 2 to 6 kilometres to get to my local track depending on the route I pick. I don’t need more miles in my training this week so I’ll go for the short route today. This gives me some extra time to get another coffee and answer the most important question of the day: which shoe am I going to wear? My instinct was leaning in favour of the On Cloudflow 4 that I haven’t used in a while now. My legs ask for a touch more cushion. But I still want some forefoot flexibility. ASICS Magic Speed 3? Diadora Frequenza? adidas Adios 8?
I eventually pick the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4. It’s higher than ideal for track work but, “Hey, YOLO!” I’m thinking out loud. After a few kilometres on the track I’m left alone as my partner doesn’t feel good today. I decide to hit the gas pedal and get a couple of faster laps. Maybe more. I end up running 2 kilometres at around 10k pace and faster. The Speed delivered speed. But, god, I still hate that Saucony grip and the slightly wet track doesn’t forgive a single misstep in terms of traction.
8:05 am I’m back home full of endorphins to start my day of work at Meta Endurance. See you in the next monthly roundup!
Silke: Long term reviews for running shoes usually never exceed 100 miles. Most of the shoe reviewers receive so many shoes, they simply cannot run that far in each pair of shoes. But buyers want to know, how long will this shoe last? With Meta Endurance we think you should get to know which shoes really make it. For me, it is time to share my experience in the Rebel v4 with you in my May monthly round up.
Throwback six months to mid-December I received a gift. Of course I could not wait until Christmas before I ran in the new Rebel V4. The first run felt different than I expected from its predecessors but the pop of the Peba based midsole won my heart. Within a fortnight I had collected 70k in this lightweight trainer. What happened to the slightly tamed Rebel V4 in the meantime?
Roughly 450 kilometres later I am still in love with this shoe! It is what I would pick for nearly every run. Daily trainer, tempo run and even gravel routes in the forest, to me the Rebel V4 does it all. This more stable FuelCell line trainer is a long run companion too. Yes, I cannot deny the pop it had for about 100k has dropped a little, there are some creasing lines in the midsole but the rest of the shoe looks still fine.
Still not convinced to try ? Why buy a boring shoe when you can have so much fun on your runs with the Rebel V4.
Tim: From a weather point of view 2024 continues to be a very strange year, at least where I live in the north of France. Until May, I didn’t really have the opportunity to wear a singlet because it was too cold or rainy.
But this finally came to an end a few weeks ago with some sessions with my beloved tops. In less than 3 weeks, I’ve run more than 6 times with a singlet which gives me the opportunity to try some new (Pressio Elite Singlet) but also to wear some of my 2023 favourites. I almost forgot how pleasant it was to run with them and this came to an apotheosis with the Soar Race Vest. So far, I haven’t tested the Graphene version but this iconic singlet from Soar is so far the best top I have ever worn. Really breathable, super light, good fit without any chafing. There is only one drawback, like everything Soar, it’s a bit expensive. But, trust me, you definitely get what you pay for!
Thanks for joining us in our May monthly round up. If there’s anything you’d like to hear about, let us know in the comments!
30 years old
169cm (5’5″) – 57kg (125lbs)
Heel/Midfoot striker – Cadence runner
Moderate pronator
29 years old
183cm (6′) – 68kg (148lbs)
Mid/Forefoot striker – Stride runner
Moderate pronator
