Deviate Nitro Elite 4 ReviewPUMA's about 170g. 24g lighter at the previous price

The PUMA Deviate Nitro Elite 4 is 1 pair for people who want speed in full marathon races. The deciding point is about 170g with a 40mm sole and a carbon plate. Released Feb 12, 2026, 8mm drop, official price JPY 29,700, guide 400km.

Is the Elite 4 worth buying: from 194g to 170g, price unchanged

The Deviate Nitro Elite 4 is a buy for people who want lightness in full marathon races. It is 24g lighter than the previous model, and its price at release was the same JPY 29,700.

The previous Elite 3 is a 194g shoe that was introduced at release as "PUMA's lightest race shoe ever." The assumption that race shoes get pricier with each generation does not apply to this pair.

Elite 4 weight and stack? The official numbers

The official page writes that this shoe was rebuilt for "race day, when every second counts." The press release's headline is "race model." The global announcement targets "high-cadence runners."

Colors: 7 on the men's page on the day I checked. The price was shown the same for all 7.

Elite 4 vs Elite 3: what changed from the previous generation

The previous model is the Deviate Nitro Elite 3. It went on sale Jul 19, 2024, and its product page remains on the Japan official site.

Weight: 24g lighter (194 − 170). As a share that is 12.4% (24 ÷ 194). The calculation matches the official page's "about 12% lighter than the previous model."

What did not change: 8mm drop, 400km guide, price. The press release also says the feel on putting the foot in is based on the Elite 3. It is a generation that changed only the lightness and what is inside the sole.

Plate: The carbon-fiber PWRPLATE was made stiffer than before. The press release explains it also has ribs (reinforcing ridges) that disperse force as the foot moves from outside to inside. The aim is to ease the load on the midfoot and raise the efficiency of passing force forward.

Foam: The improved NITROFOAM ELITE runs from heel to toe, sandwiching the plate from above and below. It claims energy return of up to 93%.

Let me convert the 24g gap to a full marathon. Assume a stride of 1.2m, and 42.195km is about 35,163 steps (42,195 ÷ 1.2). 24g × 35,163 steps is about 844kg. Compared with the previous model, the total weight the feet lift is reduced by that much.

HYROX edition, FAST-R and Deviate Nitro 4 compared

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PUMA x HYROX edition: 24g heavier, 100km longer

The press release introduces the HYROX edition as the first shoe designed for HYROX. The explanation is that the sole rubber's lugs are shaped to match the competition floor and movements. Sole thickness, drop, plate and foam were the same notation as the standard.

There are 3 differences. It is about 194g, 24g heavier. The guide is 500km, 100km longer. The width notation is "regular," not "2E equivalent." The weight of about 194g is the same number as the previous Elite 3.

The price gap is JPY 1,100, and for that you get 100km more. Looking only at the added 100km, it is JPY 11 per km (1,100 ÷ 100). The standard's km is about JPY 74, so as a way to buy distance, the HYROX edition is the better deal.

For people who want to be even 1g lighter in the marathon, the standard. For people who use it for HYROX races and the training for them, the HYROX edition. If someone who only enters road races picks the HYROX edition for its durability, they will lift 24g with every step.

FAST-R Nitro Elite 3: same weight, same thickness

The official page calls it "PUMA's ultimate racing footwear." The official page numbers are about 170g, sole 40/32mm and 8mm drop, with not a single one different from the Elite 4.

What differs is the foam return notation (up to 95% versus up to 93%), the guide distance (about 150km and 400km), and the price. The Elite 4's guide distance is about 2.7 times (400 ÷ 150). Per km, the FAST-R is about 3.5 times (256.7 ÷ 74.25).

For people who wear it only for one all-in race a year, the FAST-R. For people who run several races a year and want to break the foot in with training just before, the Elite 4.

Deviate Nitro 4: 80g heavier, double the guide

The training sibling. 80g heavier (250 − 170), the sole 2mm thinner, and the guide double at 800km. The plate is built the opposite way too: where the Elite 4 stiffened it, the Nitro 4 made it supple. The numbers are collected in the Deviate Nitro 4 review.

One more: a color variant made with SAYSKY is on the Japan official site. It was noted differently from the standard, with a weight of "170g (28cm)" and a guide distance of "800km."

What I like

About 170g with a 40mm sole and a carbon plate. In the article lining up 10 carbon thick-sole shoes, it was the 2nd lightest of the 8 shoes with known weights. By the World Athletics rule I read there, the road shoe sole limit is 40mm. It stacks the sole right up to the limit, and still this weight.

There is no markup for lightness. It is 24g lighter at the same price as before. Compared with the older-brother Deviate Nitro 4, the price gap to shed 80g is JPY 7,700, about JPY 96 per gram (7,700 ÷ 80).

The same weight as the FAST-R, with a guide about 2.7 times. Weight, thickness and drop line up with the top shoe. And on top of that, 400km. Among race shoes, it is on the side that lets you use the distance.

Width is 2E equivalent, with rubber over the full sole. Though a light race shoe, it writes the foot width that decides comfort as "2E equivalent." The sole rubber is full coverage and grips on various surfaces.

Things to watch

The guide is 400km. Among PUMA's 4 new 2026 shoes, this one is half. Someone who runs 30km a week and wears it every day reaches it in about 13 weeks (400 ÷ 30).

About JPY 74 per km. It is about 2.7 times the Deviate Nitro 4's (74.25 ÷ 27.5). It is not a price for piling up distance in training.

The target is stated. The global announcement writes it is a shoe for high-cadence runners. In the official text I read, there was no explanation aimed at people who run by stride length.

Easy to mix up with the HYROX edition. In stores, the standard and the HYROX edition line up under the same "Elite 4" name. The weight differs by 24g and the width notation differs too. It is a shoe to buy after checking whether HYROX is in the product name.

Who is it for?

• Good fit: Someone who runs the full marathon at a high cadence and wears it only on race day and a few times at the finish of training. Someone who wants a 2E-equivalent width even in a race shoe. Someone who wants to get lighter with the feel of the Elite 3.

For a daily pair, the Deviate Nitro 4; if HYROX is the main thing, the HYROX edition fits better. If your Elite 3 is under 400km, wearing it out first is still in time (a gap of 24g).

For people who want to line it up with other makers' shoes by pace, I chose it as the Sub-3 race shoe in the article on shoes by target time.

Price and where to buy

The 400km guide is about 9.5 full marathons (400 ÷ 42.195 = 9.48). If you wear it for two 20km runs before a race to break it in, that is about 82.2km per race (42.195 + 40). With that use, you reach the guide in a little under 5 races (400 ÷ 82.2 = 4.9).

The previous Elite 3 showed out of stock in every color on the official site, still with a markdown. For people who take price over the 24g difference, what remains in stores is the option. The weight is about 194g, the same as the HYROX edition of the Elite 4, so in the order of lightness, the standard Elite 4 is a step ahead.

FAQ

How does the Deviate Nitro Elite 4 fit?

Width is "2E equivalent," with the same notation on both the men's and women's pages. The toe is a "rounded" shape. The HYROX edition and SAYSKY edition are noted "regular." The official online store accepts size exchanges within 14 days of arrival.

Can the Elite 4 be worn for training?

You can, but a different shoe is better value as the training workhorse. The sole rubber is built to be used "on race day, of course, and even in training." But the guide is 400km. Leaving the training workhorse to the 800km Deviate Nitro 4 drops the cost per km from about JPY 74 to about JPY 28.

When was the Elite 4 released?

In Japan, Feb 12, 2026 (PUMA Japan's announcement). In the global announcement, Dec 2 was a limited-quantity release, and the worldwide general release is 26 2.

How do the Elite 4 and the HYROX edition differ?

The HYROX edition is 24g heavier with a guide 100km longer. About 194g, 500km, JPY 30,800, with the sole rubber's lugs matched to HYROX floors and movements. The standard for road marathons, the HYROX edition for HYROX.

Gear in this article

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PUMA Deviate Nitro Elite 4

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