Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 Review – Lightweight Speed With a Firmer Edge
- FORDY RUNS
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
The Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 was one of my standout race-day shoes of 2025. I ran some genuinely great races in it, so expectations for the fourth version were always going to be high. After spending time with the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4, I can safely say Puma hasn’t played it safe here—they’ve refined, stripped back, and sharpened the shoe in some meaningful ways. Below is how the Elite 4 stacks up: what’s new, how it rides, and where it fits in my current race-day rotation.
Release Info, Price & Positioning
The Deviate Nitro Elite 4 launches February 12th and will retail for £210, available via sportshoes.com. In Puma’s race lineup, it sits below the Fast-R 3, offering a slightly less aggressive—but still very fast—option for race day.
Think of it as the more versatile sibling: still plated, still legal, still quick, but a touch more controlled.
Stats & Key Features
Weight: 184g (UK 9.5)
Stack height: 40mm heel / 32mm forefoot
Drop: 8mm
Plate: Full-length carbon Puma Power Plate
Midsole: Dual-density aliphatic TPU Nitro foam
Upper: Ultraweave monomesh
Outsole: PumaGrip (with strategic cut-outs)
The headline change here is weight. Puma has shaved roughly 20 grams off compared to version 3, and you feel it immediately. This is a seriously light race shoe.
What’s New?
Midsole & Plate - The Elite 4 uses a dual-foam setup:
A softer Nitro foam layer on top for comfort and energy return
A slightly firmer layer beneath the plate for stability and snap
The carbon plate has been stiffened slightly compared to version 3, but the overall setup remains less aggressive than the Fast-R 3. The result is a ride that feels fast and responsive without tipping into “too much shoe.”
Upper
The new Ultraweave monomesh upper is lighter, more breathable, and has a bit more give than before. Lockdown is excellent thanks to Puma’s sawtooth laces, although the tongue is not gusseted—a clear weight-saving choice. Padding is minimal but sufficient for racing.
Outsole
PumaGrip is still outstanding where it’s present—but it’s missing in a key section of the forefoot. This has clearly been done to save weight, and while it hasn’t been an issue yet (tested on treadmill and tarmac), it could become a durability concern for runners who scuff or collapse late in races.
Fit & Width
This shoe is built on the same last as the Elite 3.
If Elite 3 felt too narrow, this will too
If you were borderline, you might get away with it thanks to the more forgiving upper
Overall, it fits me perfectly, but it remains a shoe best suited to narrow to average-width feet.
Ride & Performance
This is where the Elite 4 really shines.
It feels closer to the Fast-R 3 than the Elite 3 ever did, which is a big compliment. The shoe is:
Extremely light
Fast feeling
Snappy underfoot
Firmer than expected—but intentionally so
That firmer ride is something I personally love, especially for racing. Turnover feels effortless, and the shoe absolutely eats up 6:00–6:10 per mile pace during faster sessions. In marathon training, it’s handled speed work with ease. This is not a shoe for easy pace. It rewards intent. When you lace it up, it wants you to run hard.
Race Distance Sweet Spot
For me, this shoe screams half marathon.
Light enough to feel aggressive
Stable enough to hold form over 13.1 miles
Firmer ride that suits sustained effort
I’ve historically loved the Elite series for half marathons, and while the Fast-R 3 slightly edged it last year, the Elite 4 may claw that spot back—especially as the Fast-R can cause some rubbing for me over longer distances.
I’ll be racing in these soon, including potentially the Bath Half, and possibly a 10K as well. Full race feedback will follow.
Verdict (So Far)
The Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 is:
Lighter than ever
Faster feeling than version 3
Firmer, more race-focused
Less aggressive than the Fast-R 3, but more versatile
