In production · road · Tempo / Race day · $160
Plated tempo shoe with Mizuno's aggressive geometry at half the racer price.
Built for tempo, race day, at a target pace of 6:00–8:15 /mi on road.
The midsole is Enerzy, tuned balanced (3/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is above average: the midsole rebounds well without feeling unstable. 35 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 snappy at 4/5 responsiveness.
A nylon (or PEBA-blend) plate adds structure without the harsh stiffness of carbon. You get a firmer, more propulsive toe-off that still flexes at slower paces, which is why nylon-plated shoes double as workout and long-run shoes rather than race-day-only tools.
A 0 mm drop is close to level. That loads the calf and Achilles more than most runners are used to, so ease into it. 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. It is a neutral platform with no built-in correction.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 300 miles from the outsole, about $0.53 per mile at $160.
For the foams and plates Mizuno uses across its line, read the Mizuno brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
243 g / 8.6 oz
32 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
35 mm
1 mm lower than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
0 mm
6 mm lower than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$160
Level with the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
3 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~300 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Mizuno line it is lighter than the brand's median (266 g / 9.4 oz) and sits lower than its median stack (40 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Altra Vanish Carbon 2(2024)
229 g / 8.1 oz · 36 mm · 0 mm drop · Carbon · $260
A zero-drop carbon racer — rare, and the only super shoe with real toe splay.
Adidas Adizero Boston 14(2025)
245 g / 8.6 oz · 38 mm · 6 mm drop · Nylon · $165
Rod-stiffened tempo trainer that likes workouts more than easy days.
Salomon Aero Volt 2
235 g / 8.3 oz · 38 mm · 6 mm drop · Nylon · $180
Plated road tempo shoe with a light, energetic Energy Foam midsole.
Skechers Aero Razor
196 g / 6.9 oz · 36 mm · 4 mm drop · Nylon · $140
Featherlight Hyper Burst Pro trainer reviving the Razor name.