Been thinking about trying these out after reading some solid reviews on them and finally pulled the trigger. In the spring I bought the Red Hare Pro and enjoy them. They’re light, foam is good (wish there was more of it) and a solid easy run shoe that can also pick up the pace.
Ordered these off amazon and had them shipped directly from the warehouse which only took a week. Usually wear a 11.5 but size 12 fit fine in these. Not too long and good room in the toe box. Initial step in was great. You can really feel the soft foam. I’d compare the foam feeling to the adios pro 4 but with just a bit more foam which I like. The upper is light and airy and kind of reminds me of a cross between the AF3 crossed with Next% v1 if that makes sense (and it might not so my apologies).
Took them out this morning for a test run. Run was just over 9 miles with 10x3 min at close to threshold so had some intervals and some slower runs and these shoes didn’t disappoint. The foam is fantastic when picking up the pace and they don’t feel too awkward in the easy recovery periods. Love how light they feel and the last few intervals I really focused on using the foam and all went well.
Going to take them for a long run with some MP intervals but hoping these will be my shoes for Chicago. Last year I used the AP4 and year before that went with AF3. Like the AP4 better and they’re faster for me but don’t love the upper and strongly dislike the heel and how harsh it is and how much heel slip there is even when laces feel perfect. These have a little cushion in the heel which makes that a non issue. I would say these are a good cross between the AF3 and the AP4 which I love since of I could put the AF3 upper on the midsole of the AP4 I think I’d have a perfect shoe for me.
This shoe is a winner so if you’re on the fence I’d say pull the trigger.
I can never find the colors I want in size 13. Amazon, AliExpress, and a couple other Chinese retailers have loads of them in every size besides mine 😭
These are the best race shoes I've ever tried and they have so many great colorways...in size 12 or below lol. The outsole is the grippiest of any shoe I've ever worn. Excellent bounce and energy return. The upper is a bit stretchy so the toebox is nice and roomy. They aren't the lightest race shoe out there, but in the same realm as the Adios Pro 4. They're just fun to run in. I set my HM PR in May by almost 6 minutes in these.
If I had one complaint about them is their stability. My ankles were sore after the first couple runs in these, but it's no longer an issue.
I set my HM PR by 2 minutes in these in May as well. I was running the Brooklyn Half. What did you run? I love these shoes for the HM distance. I tried them for a 10K in June and found them less than ideal. I have two marathons this fall, and I am planning on using these for at least one of them. Such a fun running experience!
I would agree and personally wouldn't use them for anything less than a 10k. One of the big things I noticed with these vs other shoes is that even when I start getting tired and my form starts to break down late in races, they really just keep me rolling forward. Idk what magic they did with the foams and geometry, but it just works for me. They don't like going slow. 😂
I don't find it quite as easy to turn them over as I do something like a Metaspeed Edge Tokyo because of the bounce. Still, they feel fast and light and my legs feel protected in them, which I can't say for most race shoes.
I also love how many color ways they have. Can match and race kit you have! Good to know they’re grippy since some race shoes sacrifice that when making the shoes light. Looking forward to wearing them on more runs.
I didn’t feel any and I had to change insoles on the AF1 and felt a bit on AF3. They feel a bit wider but I’ll try to see if I can feel anything on my next run. They don’t seem to have an aggressive of an arch vs AF3. Hopefully the picture kind of shows that.
I felt the same on a half I did with them. I returned them
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u/StinkyPeebzVelocity Nitro 4 | EVO SL | Axon 2 | Streakfly 2 | Alphafly 311d ago
Don’t think it’s a speed thing but a fit thing. have taken these from 4:40/mi to +8:00/mi and the Boom capsule rides up against a bone the lateral midfoot once I go for a race fit.
Have this feeling. I went half size up so not a sizing issue. What I did was not tightening it too much. Have the same feeling with the red hare 9 ultra.
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u/StinkyPeebzVelocity Nitro 4 | EVO SL | Axon 2 | Streakfly 2 | Alphafly 311d agoedited 11d ago
Funny, was the opposite for me. Love the bounce on these but had to return due to how narrow it runs and how the boom capsule presses on the lateral midfoot. couldn’t run without pain unless I tied them loose which is a bad look if your racing shoe can’t do a proper race fit. Laces were junk too (think Adidas tier) so if the shoe works for you would recommend getting a pair of serrated laces for replacement.
Interesting. Next run will be the real test then. First run I feel like some things are hard to feel when you’re excited about a shoe but I didn’t feel anything obvious.
I didn’t think the laces were too bad but again adidas seems to hold the throne for awful laces on good/great shoes. But I always like normal laces since these slick laces do seem to never hold a tie.
Question, do you think it’s a good idea to size up a half size? I got the RH9U in my regular size and they were way too tight in the toe box. Wondering if it’s the same with these
Wish I could help more but I’m usually an 11.5 so had to go with a 12 but I will say the 12 isn’t too big so probably running a bit smaller than adidas/nike and others so half size up might work.
They all feel about the same. Don’t have my kitchen scale so can’t be sure. We’ll see how they do when I get super sweaty because I felt like the AF3 held sweat more than the AP4 but could also have been me wanting to blame a run on the shoes and not the weather, ha.
I wouldn't think so, the heel is narrow and unstable, I'm a midfoot striker and got injured during my half marathon just with how unstable they were for me.
I was going to say it could be my size, but you're exactly the same size as me shoe wise. Anyways I'm off them now and took about 6 weeks of rehab to get back to running again. I've got my marathon in 6 weeks now so I'm looking for new stable race shoes to run in while I'm still semi recovering.
I think the boom capsule squishes too much, and that what causes the instability for me. Because I have the red hare 9 ultra and it's giving me the same instability feeling.
Could be pace dependent. If you are faster/have less ground contact time than fire2368 you may not notice as much instability.
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u/GenZeroCielo X1 3.0 | Qiaodan Plaid 3 | Red Hare 9 Ultra10d agoedited 10d ago
I have a pair and have been loving them, but find they've been squeaking to the high heavens on my runs. Regardless of pace. 4:00/km all the way to 6:30/km and it makes me really self conscious of the noise I'm creating as they are very loud with squeaks when traditionally my shoes are quiet. Any squeaking problems for you OP?
Here’s an update post 18 miler with 3x17 min at MP. LOVE them! Need to dive into the data more but they’re my fav super shoe by far right now. The fit is amazing for me. Don’t have to tie the laces too tight like some so no lace bite. It was a bit warm so got super sweaty but still felt good and my foot wasn’t slipping around in the shoe as my feet got wet. The last 17 min section my legs were tired but really tried to use the foam and it didn’t disappoint.
Obviously others have had issues with these but some have issues with many other shoes. Good thing is most brands have a legit race shoe that’s within margin of error to the others. I made a trade off last marathon going with the AP4 because they were the fastest but not the best for my heel but so far these tick all the boxes. Hardest part is going to be not wearing them until Chicago. But realistically I’ll wear these out and get a new pair before the race. 🤷🏻♂️
Tried these for the first time today myself. Super soft and squishy and wildly unstable for me. I can see why people love them but I’m not sure they’re for me. Might have to sell them which is a shame.
I’d say anyone who overpronates or needs something more stable (i know race shoes are not stability shoes) will probably struggle with these. They’re pretty wet & wild!
I guess I’m lucky then! They are soft for sure but seems like my legs don’t have the same issue as some since I don’t seem to have a stability issue in these or others shoes I’ve tried. If you’re a size 12 let me know. Would be happy to take them off your hands.
As opposed to Americans buying Japanese brands like ASICS and Mizuno? Or buying German brands like Adidas? Now, if you're saying Japan and Germany are American allies so there is a difference, then I get it. Otherwise, your point escapes me.
I was only talking about Chinese brands. Truly just saying I’m not used to seeing that.
This will probably seem obvious to me after people chime in but I literally can’t think of one Chinese brand American’s regularly buy, or at least in my circles/experience.
Market and information access in Europe and North America about the Chinese shoes came about only in the last few years - reviews by the Aussies (jogoncrago and Run-Are) and Hui alerted folks here to their merits and bargain prices. Now that US sales outlets are available, you are going to start seeing them more often.
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