Puma’s weirdest running shoe yet might be its most innovative

Since the launch of the first carbon-plated shoes, footwear giants have tried to catch the eye with increasingly outrageous, weird designs. But Puma may have won the weird race with the FAST-RB NITRO Elite 2.

My initial thought when I first saw the FAST-RB NITRO™ Elite 2 was that it was part of an outrageous Halloween costume.

“What are you dressed as?”

“The future of running. Also a springboard. Also €350 (about R7500) poorer.”

But once you get past the visual shock – and yes, you will get stares at your local parkrun – there’s some genuinely fascinating engineering at play here.

What makes them look so bizarre

The carbon PWRPLATE doesn’t end under the forefoot like conventional carbon plate shoes. It extends beyond the toe. Literally sticks out. This creates a genuine lever and springboard effect – the plate loads as your foot rolls forward and releases at toe-off like a diving board snapping back.

Puma’s own language: “two fused carbon-fibre plates forming a springboard structure.” Combined with a 40mm heel stack of NITROFOAM Elite foam, the energy return is dramatic at faster paces. According to Puma, internal studies have shown increased levels of running economy that make this the most efficient shoe in their entire road running line-up.

The tech behind the madness

Global sports brand Puma has entered what they’re calling “the next chapter of rule-breaking innovation” with the FAST-RB NITRO Elite 2. Developed in Puma’s NITRO Lab, the shoe represents two years of innovation, lab testing and collaboration with athletes.

The NITROFOAM ELITE cushioning is designed to deliver greater energy return, and the refined geometry creates a smoother, more responsive ride. The reworked ULTRAWEAVE upper delivers lightweight breathability and a secure lockdown fit, whilst the PUMAGRIP outsole provides multi-surface traction.

Romain Girard, VP of Innovation at Puma, said: “With the FAST-RB 2, we set out to take rule-breaking to the next level. By simplifying the design and giving our NITROFOAM technology more room to perform, we’ve created a shoe that delivers the highest energy return we’ve ever recorded in our testing, within an incredibly lightweight package.”

At 250g for a UK size 8 (206g for UK 4.5) with an 8mm drop, the specs are certainly impressive on paper.

The elephant (or rather, the diving board) in the room

Here’s where things get interesting. Buried in Puma’s own official announcement is a rather significant detail: “Not race legal.”

The extended carbon plate beyond the toe violates World Athletics and IAAF regulations for sanctioned races. Puma has literally created a R7500, 320km lifespan shoe that you cannot use in the races it’s designed for.

Now, to be fair, plenty of running shoes don’t strictly follow all the rules. Stack height regulations, for instance, are routinely stretched to their limits. But recreational runners use these shoes all the time because, let’s be honest, if you’re starting in Group H at your local marathon, World Athletics isn’t exactly scrutinising your footwear choices.

This is different, though. The FAST-RB NITRO™ Elite 2 isn’t a shoe for the back-of-the-pack crowd. With that price tag and those performance specs, these are clearly aimed at serious runners chasing PBs and podium finishes – exactly the people who might actually want to use them in sanctioned races.

So what are they actually for?

In essence, Puma has created the most expensive speed training shoe ever made. Think of them as your secret weapon for tempo runs, interval sessions and track workouts. A conversation starter that happens to deliver exceptional energy return. A lab experiment you can buy.

And honestly? We’re here for it.

The running shoe arms race since 2016 has been genuinely spectacular to watch. Nike broke the ceiling with the Vaporfly and every brand has been throwing engineering PhDs at the problem ever since. This kind of boundary-pushing innovation – even when it results in a shoe that looks like it’s attempting to leave your foot mid-stride – is where the greatest technological breakthroughs happen.

Today’s race-illegal experiment often becomes tomorrow’s legal performance standard. The innovations tested in these shoes will likely filter down into future models that do comply with regulations. And in the meantime, you get to run faster in training whilst looking absolutely mental doing it.

The FAST-RB NITRO Elite 2 launched on 28 October 2026, with limited pairs available worldwide on PUMA.com, in select Puma stores and at select retailers across the USA, UK, Central Europe, the Nordics, Latin America, Thailand, Japan, China and Australia.

Tech specs

• Price: €350
• Weight: 250g (UK 8) / 206g (UK 4.5)
• Drop: 8mm
• Product lifespan: 320km
• Race legal: No

ALL THAT says

Whether you need them is debatable. Whether you want to experience the cutting edge of running shoe technology whilst confusing everyone at your local race? That’s an entirely different question.

This article is not sponsored. All views are those of the editorial team.