Price: $120
Weight: 4.6 oz (M) 4.25 oz (W)
Type: Track Spike
The Right Shoe For: For strong racers going the longest distances on the track
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New Balance took cues from its stable of elite runners like world champion steeplechaser Emma Coburn when it redesigned its top-of-the-line distance spike. Built on a new last, the shape is more curved and the forefoot more snug. The full-length spike plate is also thicker, with more aggressive teeth from heel to toe, gripping and propelling at every contact point. The shoe’s thin, flexible engineered mesh upper wraps your feet closely but provides little support, particularly around the molded, stretchy heel, which many testers found slipped. The ride is also more finicky than last year’s model, with some praising the shoe’s smooth flex and pop, and others reporting the sole moved strangely underfoot due to the narrow and curved shape. For those whom it fits, this is an elite-level spike for runners with strong feet who want to grab the track and go in races up to the 10,000 meters.
Midsole
A thin layer of RevLite foam, New Balance’s lightest, most responsive EVA, cushions the length of the shoe. A removable foam sockliner adds more cush directly underfoot, particularly in the heel. Testers unanimously praised the “perfect” balance between protection and track feel, as well as the shoe’s flexibility.
Outsole
New Balance collected athletes’ biomechanical data using a force plate, in-shoe sensors, and a motion-capture system to inform the design of the sculpted Pebax plate, aiming to optimize landing, grip, flex, and propulsion. This highly-tuned ride either falls just right or seems a bit off. Unique among the distance spikes, the plate covers the full outsole in a honeycombed pattern with variable-sized thickness and teeth. Up front, the four spike pins appear almost unnecessary in the forest of teeth.
Upper
The airy mesh upper has been engineered with highly-breathable zones in the forefoot, and tighter, more supportive zones around the heel and instep. Thin film overlays—a few more than last year—reinforce the midfoot security. The collar is deeply molded, wrapping the sides and back of the heel with a lightly-padded, stretchy synthetic. While the initial feel is comfortable, this design caused the majority of tester’s negative comments, many of them complaining of slippage and lack of rearfoot control.
