The Sweet Spot

PUMA Velocity NITROM 3 finds its niche: a daily trainer to get you ready for race day.

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The lure of the carbon-fibre-blade inserts that make the super-shoes of our era such an exciting prospect comes with a caveat. Too much stiff, resistant material underfoot increases the risk of injury to your feet.

Elite athletes and PB-chasers are starting to change their training strategies to avoid injury, by mixing up their shoe choices. The new formula is to use a simpler, blade-less shoe during training, to put less strain on the back line of the leg; and then reap the (now undisputed) energy-return benefits of the carbon-fibre plates in your super-shoes on race day.

TODD FALKER ON PLATES

It's an enticing prospect, knowing that a shoe can make you faster. But when the price to pay is a potential increase in injuries, you need an alternative training strategy.

Todd Falker is the product manager who oversees the design and creativity for PUMA's running-shoe offerings. He works out of Boston, USA, but runs ultramarathons all over the world -including Comrades, in 2023! He uses insights from PUMA-backed athletes and as much other feedback as he can get to design shoes that target specific needs; and he's excited about PUMA's latest offering, the Velocity NITRO™ 3.