Discontinued · road · Race day · $130
Japan-built racing flat with a razor-thin, aggressive ride.
Built for race day, at a target pace of 5:15–6:45 /mi on road.
This model is no longer in production. The closest shoe you can buy today is New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Pacer v3.
New Balance tuned this midsole firm (2/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is above average: the midsole rebounds well without feeling unstable. 22 mm of heel stack keeps you low and connected, with more ground feel than most current trainers. Combined, the ride reads as snappy at 4/5 responsiveness.
There is no plate here. The midsole does all the work, so the shoe flexes naturally and stays versatile across paces — easier on the feet day to day, but without the snap of a plated shoe when you want to roll.
A 8 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The geometry is fairly traditional and flat, so the shoe follows your foot rather than steering it. Forefoot flex is middle of the road. Support is light — neutral, with a mildly steady platform.
The toe-box is narrow and performance-oriented; wide-footed runners should try before buying. It runs small; most runners size up a half. Expect roughly 200 miles from the outsole, about $0.65 per mile at $130.
For the foams and plates New Balance uses across its line, read the New Balance brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
185 g / 6.5 oz
90 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
22 mm
14 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
8 mm
2 mm higher than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$130
30 cheaper than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
2 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~200 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the New Balance line it is lighter than the brand's median (278 g / 9.8 oz) and sits lower than its median stack (36 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Adidas Adizero RC 5
210 g / 7.4 oz · 28 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $90
Lightweight, firm budget racer for track work and 5Ks.
Brooks Hyperion 2(2024)
201 g / 7.1 oz · 32 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $140
Light, firm and fast — a plateless racer for shorter distances.
Asics Hyper Speed 4
210 g / 7.4 oz · 32 mm · 7 mm drop · — · $100
Budget racer: light, simple and fast enough for 5Ks on a dime.
Adidas Adizero Adios 9
176 g / 6.2 oz · 28 mm · 7 mm drop · — · $140
Adidas Adizero Adios 9: 28 mm heel stack, 7 mm drop, 176 g — specs from independent lab testing.