As a keen runner who loves to race, I consider myself very lucky that my job involves testing the best carbon plate running shoes. These are the most exciting running shoes on the market, packing in the latest and most impressive tech to deliver as fast a ride as possible.
This year I’ve already tried 17 new carbon plate running shoes, as well as continuing to test many more that came out last year. In fact, going back to the original super-shoe — the Nike Vaporfly 4% — I’ve tried almost every carbon racer released by the major brands, and they are only getting quicker as time goes on.
It’s getting harder for super-shoes to stand out, such is the high level of performance you get from every brand these days, but one shoe has stood out for me in 2025, and that’s the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3.
I’ve found the Puma Fast-R 3 to deliver an extremely fast and efficient ride in all my testing, which included running the London Marathon in the shoe, and I’m not the only one — there’s even scientific research backing up the idea that it outperforms other top racers.
The most efficient racing shoe?
When the Puma Fast-R 3 launched, Puma also publicized a study undertaken by researchers at the University of Massachusetts which found that it improved running economy more than other leading super-shoes, with the Nike Alphafly 3 and Adidas Adizero Pro Evo 1 both included in the testing.
Running economy is a measure of how much energy you are using to run at a certain pace. If you improve your running economy, then running at your goal race pace will cost you less energy, so you are more likely to be able to maintain that pace for the target distance.
It’s a key benefit of carbon plate shoes in general, so the research certainly increased the hype around the Fast-R 3 at launch. It should be noted the study was small and funded by Puma, and running on a treadmill in a lab for testing doesn’t always translate to real-world performance, but the results were clear that the Puma was the most economical shoe, and I couldn’t wait to test it myself.
Running a marathon in the Puma Fast-R 3
I got the Fast-R 3 a week before the London Marathon and used it for a 15:53 parkrun that weekend as well as a 10-mile run where I ran entirely to feel and heart rate. When I finished that 10-miler, I found the pace I was running at was substantially quicker than I had felt like I was running, and I decided to use the Fast-R 3 for the London Marathon as a result.
It was a hot day in London and I did fall off my target pace in the second half of the race, but still ran 2:26 — my second-fastest marathon overall and my fastest time at the London Marathon, which I’ve run eight times.
The Fast-R 3 is incredibly light, but still has enough responsive foam underfoot to deliver a lot of energy return and enough comfort for the marathon. The sharp rocker and extended carbon plate also helps roll you onto your forefoot and kept me ticking over even as I tired in the later stages of the race.
It’s not just a marathon racer either; it’s great for any distance. I’ve run my 5-mile PR in the Puma Fast-R 3, as well as a lot of short reps during training.
Better than the rest?
There are a lot of excellent carbon plate running shoes these days and which is the best for you might well depend on your running style and personal preferences. The Fast-R 3 might be too aggressive and unstable for some runners, who could get on better with a more comfortable carbon shoe like the Hoka Rocket X3, for example.
For my money, however, it’s as good as it gets right now, with the Asics Metaspeed Sky Tokyo being the closest competitor. I’ve yet to race a marathon in the Asics, which could steal back my affections since the previous model, the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris, was my favorite racer last year.
You might have to keep a sharp eye out to get the Puma though, since it usually sells out quickly when stock is made available — new drops are expected in August, September and October.
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