In production · trail · Trail / Race day / Tempo · $200
Carbon-plated trail racer with FuelCell bounce and Vibram grip.
Built for trail, race day, tempo, at a target pace of 8:00–11:00 /mi on trail.
The midsole is FuelCell, tuned soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). The foam is highly resilient — it gives energy back rather than swallowing it, which is what makes the shoe feel eager when you push. 36 mm of heel stack is the modern daily-trainer sweet spot — enough foam for long miles without losing contact with the road. Combined, the ride reads as explosive at 5/5 responsiveness.
A full-length carbon plate stiffens the forefoot and works with the foam as a lever: it smooths the transition off the toes and cuts the effort of holding fast paces. It also asks for speed — at easy paces a carbon plate feels stiff and does little for you, and it is the main reason super-shoes wear out sooner than trainers.
A tall 10 mm drop tips weight forward off the heel, which usually suits heel strikers and calves that dislike low-drop shoes. The rocker is aggressive: the sole is curved and stiff enough to tip you into the next stride on its own, which saves the calf on long runs but feels strange when you slow right down. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. Support is light — neutral, with a mildly steady platform.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 250 miles from the outsole, about $0.80 per mile at $200.
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
249 g / 8.8 oz
26 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
36 mm
Level with the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
10 mm
4 mm higher than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$200
40 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
5 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
5 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~250 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 taller than its median stack (36 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Brooks Cascadia Elite
255 g / 9.0 oz · 36 mm · 6 mm drop · Carbon · $275
Brooks' trail race shoe: PEBA DNA Gold, SpeedVault+ plate, Megagrip Elite.
Asics Metafuji Trail 2(2026)
250 g / 8.8 oz · 36 mm · 5 mm drop · Carbon · $250
Asics' carbon trail racer, refined for long mountain efforts.
Nike ACG Ultrafly Trail
269 g / 9.5 oz · 38 mm · 8 mm drop · Carbon · $250
Nike ACG Ultrafly Trail: 38 mm heel stack, 11 mm drop, 278 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Nike Ultrafly Trail
275 g / 9.7 oz · 39 mm · 8 mm drop · Carbon · $260
Carbon-plated trail racer with Vibram Megagrip and ZoomX cushioning.