New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5 Reviews

Their first race shoe is amazing: fastest and lightest of their plated shoes, true to size and available in 2E.

They call the v5 incredible and it became their go-to for everything from mile repeats to marathon pace. They would race in it but have already picked other shoes.

They use the Elite v5 for most long runs, marathon-pace work and many workouts, finding it disappears on the foot with effortless turnover and legs-saving cushioning, working as a supertrainer and race shoe.

They say the v5 is quite different from the v4, being more aggressive and actually good for racing, while the v4 was a great long run shoe.

They found a pair at a discount and call the v5 a very good shoe that is comfortable, light, fast and reasonably stable for a racer, and an excellent trainer.

Scores 7.6: a compact, almost minimalist racer despite the 40 mm stack, and a super shoe for everyone (midsole 8). The weight saving compromises stability for runners who aren't perfectly neutral or who overpronate even slightly. Solidly built: wear suggests 350+ km of racing. €280 is steep (value 6).

A citizen runner who chose it as his race shoe for the season. In his marathon he felt strong propulsion, running about 20 s/km faster than his usual feel. It is light at 207 g (27 cm) versus 243 g for v4.

In his comparison for sub-3.5 to sub-3.15 runners, the Elite v4/v5 led to real race results (3:16 in v5). The Endorphin Elite 2 caused sesamoid pain and a fade. He values staying pain-free to the late stages over spec sheets.

Bought 10 days before Beppu-Oita. It held sub-3:15 pace to 35 km despite cramps and he set a PB with a minimal fade. The sole bounces moderately and the plate gives back what you put in: no standout trait, which is its strength. Lace tension made a big difference.

'An ally of the citizen runner': it handles any foot strike and a wide range of race paces, it is easy to use even at sub-3, and the grip doesn't slip. It is cheap on sale. It went from a rolling to a push-off shoe, it is very narrow, and he felt no Energy Arc benefit.