Runner's Words

Regular readers of this blog have probably picked up on my passion for running shoes. It’s genuinely one of the things that helps to keep me motivated at times and some of my favourite runs ever are the ones where I crack a new pair out the box and let rip.

I’ve come a long way since my first ever pair, those £20, off-the-shelf Pumas from TK Maxx that I used for every single run until they literally fell apart. Now I have a range of specific tools for specific jobs. Different brands, shapes, styles and (most importantly) colours, and so I thought I’d take the time to share with you some of the shoes I’ve enjoyed the most throughout 2023, one of my better years of running.

Because it can often take a while to get around to putting enough miles onto a shoe to form a proper judgement, as well as the fact I almost exclusively shop in the sales, it’s very rare I’m able to review a shoe around its release date. I’m not a professional wear tester, I’m not a dedicated shoe reviewer, I don’t get sent anything to test or review. I just like to buy shoes and run in them, then tell everyone about things I’ve enjoyed and that work for me.

As such, the below are not by any means the absolute latest and greatest, but they are certainly my favourite shoes from the last twelve months. So without further ado, I give you my running shoes of 2023.

Reebok Floatride Energy X

These were a lovely surprise. When I first heard Reebok were making a carbon-plated race shoe my interest was very much piqued as someone who was already a fan of the brand. A nice big slab of Floatride Energy foam which I’d loved so much in those FFE2s paired with a carbon plate in the forefoot to give a bit of extra spring, it sounded like a very intriguing proposition indeed.

When I got my hands on a pair and busted them out at the start of my training bloc for the 2023 Boston Marathon, I quickly discovered that they weren’t quite what I’d been hoping for. Floatride Energy is a wonderfully versatile midsole but it’s definitely a step below some of the best out there in terms of energy return and weight. I’d also be lying if I said I could feel I was getting much from the carbon plate, certainly nowhere near what you feel from some of the more aggressive, full-length ones anyway.

As soon as I’d realigned my expectations a little though I fell in love with them, putting around 400 miles across a couple of pairs as they came to form the backbone of almost all of my long runs in 2023. They’re not necessarily a raceday option, although I did use a pair for Boston where I wasn’t looking to run flat out. They are however absolutely perfect for just dialling into a slightly uptempo pace and cruising along, watching the miles fall away one by one.

The Energy X are essentially a more cushioned, more “fun” version of those beloved FFE2s and an ideal training partner to some of the racier options out there, soaking up the miles on the weekend long run in preparation for the race itself. The ultimate cruiser, and in the end it turns out a solid raceday option after all, spot on for a “just finish” event where the time is of secondary importance to simply getting the job done.

I would genuinely love to see what Reebok could do if they ever did something along these lines with their Pebax Floatride foam and a full-length carbon plate though. Your move, Reebok.

Adidas Prime X Strung (V1)

The hype around these is real, but for me it certainly wasn’t love at first sight. Or, I should say, love at first run. The amount of praise I was seeing on various forums and Facebook groups was overwhelming at times and surely no shoe could live up to that?

When I finally got my hands on a pair the first outing felt pretty underwhelming. The race-illegal stack height was forcing me to think about every single step and I felt a few little aches and pains in my lower legs as I went on, constantly trying to focus on keeping my form and shape lest I end up rolling off the top of them and damaging myself. On top of all that they didn’t quite have the “trampoline” effect I was expecting and overall it all felt like quite a lot of effort for not a huge amount of gain. I got back from that first run somewhat nonplussed, wondering what I was missing.

A week or two later I tried again and this time they clicked, beautifully. I’ve never looked back. There really is nothing else quite like them, even my beloved Alphafly V1s now feel a little muted by comparison. The energy return is ridiculous, that HUGE, thicc layer of Lightstrike Pro singing in perfect tandem with the energy rods giving one of the most downright fun rides I’ve ever experienced. My legs have never felt fresher at the end of the weekend long run.

The icing on the cake is the super-grippy Continental rubber outsole, holding things steady on the turns – pretty useful with a 50mm slab of foam between you and the road – and also giving a really nice bite when you suddenly decide to step up the pace. My only complaint is now that they’ve ruined how I feel about all my other shoes a little bit, but it’s a small price to pay for such a high level of comfort, and most importantly, FUN.

Plus they look amazing, right? And that’s the main thing, after all.

Puma Liberate Nitro (V1)

Certainly not a 2023 shoe, in fact V2 came out in the Spring. But for me 2023 was the year of the Liberate Nitro V1. It took me a while to discover them, but as soon as I’d taken them for their very first run I immediately bought a second pair for fear of the supply drying up. The Puma Liberate Nitro are my shoe of the year, and possibly one of my favourite shoes ever.

So why exactly is this relatively basic, stripped-back, low-slung, £38 trainer my best of 2023? Well, for a start, it’s the lightest shoe in my entire collection, my size UK 8s coming in at a measly 6.5 ounces – a shade under the Vaporfly Next% and a full half an ounce lighter than the Deviate Elites, Puma’s own pro-level racer. The only shoe I’ve ever owned that weigh less than these were my ASICS DS-Racer 10s from half a decade ago and they had nowhere near the comfort or versatility on offer here with the Liberate Nitro.

Then there’s the ride. I’d quite enjoyed my first experience of Puma’s Nitro midsole in the Velocity, although with those I felt it just a little bit muted – especially as a heel-striker – thanks to the slightly firmer wedge towards the rear. Here, all you get is a single layer of that lovely nitrogen-injected foam. And it’s absolutely delicious, and ridiculously adaptable to boot.

The Puma Liberate Nitro can do a little bit of everything in my opinion, the most versatile shoe in my collection, bar none. I’d already expected them to be great at the faster stuff thanks to their puny weight and I was proved right straight from the off, absolutely nailing some early interval sessions in the buildup to Boston and then a running my fifth-fastest 5k ever the very first time I took them racing. In the last month alone I’ve set PBs over the mile and the kilometre in them, and yet they feel great on the slower days too, or on my warm up / cool down jogs to and from my local parkrun. Like I say, they can do a bit of everything.

Finally there’s the PUMAGRIP outsole. I was already a fan from the Velocity, but now I’m an evangelist. There isn’t really anything else I’ve tried that can match the way it bites into whatever surface you’re sailing over, and despite running through deep snow, over sheets of ice and through forest trails and shin-deep mountain streams with wet, mossy rocks, they’ve never missed a beat. I never thought a £38 lightweight trainer from Puma would become my favourite trail shoe but here we are. They’re now the shoe I always take with me on holidays or work trips, taking up hardly any weight or space in my bag and knowing full well that whatever I decide to do on a any given day they’ll be up to the job.

The Puma Liberate Nitro have been an absolute revelation and – despite coming out in 2021 – are my running shoe of 2023. If V2 are half as good as these then I can’t wait to award them the 2025 award in a couple of years time.

2023 farewells
I welcomed a whole load of new shoes into my rotation last year, especially in the early weeks as I built up to Boston. Inevitably that meant quite a few older pairs shuffled off to live on the farm, so honourable mentions must go to the best of them:

• Nike Zoom Fly 3: a divisive shoe and no mistake, but it’s always worked great for me. I’m probably in the minority in that I preferred it to its predecessor, the Zoom Fly Flyknit, and they’ve served me well over the last couple of years, especially all those early morning marathon-paced tempo runs before work as I built up to that sub-three back in 2021. A mainstay of many a weekday tempo run throughout 2023, including an unexpected sub-40 10k one lunchtime in between workday meetings, and overall just a really nice shoe to just lock in and cruise along. They will be missed. Not by everyone, but certainly by me.
• Reebok Panthea: another home run from Reebok, one of my favourite running brands in recent times. A lighter, snappier option alongside the Floatride Energy range and a shoe that could kind of do a little bit of everything. I ended up finishing off the year running almost every run in December in these. It’s a real shame Reebok never truly replaced them, or haven’t used the Pebax Floatride foam in these in anything else of note in recent times.
• ASICS DS-Racer 10: I didn’t actually realise I still had these kicking around until the middle of the year when I unexpectedly found them lurking at the back of my wardrobe. They hold a special place in my heart having taken me to what was my previous marathon PB back in 2016 so I thought it would be worth taking them out for a quick spin for old times sake before recycling them but I’ll be honest – it wasn’t the best run I’ve ever had. Maybe I’ve been spoiled these days with all the high stacks, carbon plates and fancy foams, maybe the midsole in these had just degraded a bit having been sat at the back of a cupboard for nearly eight years since battering them over a marathon, but whatever it was they just felt a bit shit. Hard, flat, dull and lifeless. Still, it was the perfect shoe for what I needed back in 2016 and still worth a mention here as one of the shoes that really helped me achieve something at one point in my life. They got me into the London Marathon after over a decade of trying and I’ll be forever grateful for that alone.