Puma Deviate NITRO™ Elite 3

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TL;DR: Fast, durable racer with great grip, but narrow and firm.

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#5 in

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Sentiment score80% positive
96
16
8

Top Pros

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Last updated: May 23, 2026

Reddit Reviews

Reddit IconAlternative_Jello819
2 months ago

Do your upcoming long runs with the last 8-10 miles at8:50min/mi. Make sure you are hitting 40-50mpw at peak. On race day absolutely stick to 8:50min/mile for the first 20 miles- do not go out hot thinking to slow down later, and do not go out slow thinking to magically start hitting negative splits. Shoes won’t shave time, just good old fashion training and strategy. Note I did 3:54:42 with two pee breaks on my first full, and I used the training strat above. Gear wise it was Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3.

Reddit Iconashleykr145
6 months ago

May be a touch too narrow, but 95kg runner here who has the Adidas Adios Pro 3 and Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3. Latter is definitely quicker, but only take them up to HM distance.

4 months ago

I would echo some of the suggestions here. I imagine based on your height and mass you have quite big feet. As a fellow larger human (187cm, 95kg) I use the Deviate Nitro Elites, alphaflys in larger sizes, i am a UK 12 are just absolute units.

Reddit IconAverageJedo
6 months ago

Puma DNE3 or NB SC Elite 5 👍🏻 Ive been using Puma mostly

Reddit Iconbazza010101
3 months ago

Check out the puma deviate nitro elite 3 very stable and such an amazing under rated shoe It's my race day shoes And I love the boston 13s but yeah I hate the evos

about 2 months ago

Have a look at puma deviate nitro elite 3 or 4 Personally I prefer the 3 over the 4

about 2 months ago

The 3 imo is a little more snug than the 4 but I find both of them a great fit personally both are racing fit 

3 months ago

I'm 6'3 87kg and I'm wearing the puma nitro elite 3 Highly recommend them unbelievable shoe and now with the nitro elite 4 out very cheap. Straight out of the box so comfortable and like a sock zero issues with it Also one of the few that can take to 200+ miles I have got the elite 4 but haven't wore them yet Heard great things about the rocket x2 but decided to go for the pumas and zero regrets  Will prob pick up a 2nd pair of elite 3s also for training/racing in future  Also running 1st marathon in May and going for 3.20 or sub 3.20 also shoe is very fast and stable

Reddit IconBig_Boysenberry_6358
6 months ago

Puma R3 - competition Puma DNE3 - speedwork (comp. before R3) 2 x Puma DN3 - Tempo up to 10k-ish pace (got 2 pairs 'cuz double threshold days) Puma velocity - easy <- wouldnt buy again, DN3 - better fast dailytrainer, magmax -better easy shoe IMO Puma Magmax - easy & recovery i use the DN3 / DNE3 as trailshoe, IMO somewhat casual-competative trailrunning gets too fast for normal trailshoes if trails are not technical.

6 months ago

IMO most actual trail "supershoes" are far away in performance from actual supershoes for road. a thing roche for example mentioned in his SWAP podcast aswell. i actually use the puma deviate nitro elite 3 for flatter races. puma's DNE3 race shoe (dont even think about touching trails with the new R3 tho :D) have an above average grippy sole and are still very heelstrike-viable when stuff gets exhausting or slow & are not as agressive due to basically no rocker, which is helpful for longer races.

5 months ago

Puma especially since they now have the top-of-the-list raceshoe aswell at the moment. everything is just 20-30% cheaper then the competition, stuff is durable, grip is good. the only real lack in puma was a high-end supershoe for very fast people, but that has been solved with the r3. magmax is a good max-cushion, velocity is a good dailytrainer, you have the plated dailytrainer with DN3 that is durable for like 600-800km. DNE3 is good enaugh for me for non-technical competative trailracing and shorter races where i dont want to grind away the moneys-worth of my R3's. the only thing missing is a good trailshoe for very technical hiky-type of trails.

Reddit Iconbilly-joseph
4 months ago

Interesting. Currently use the Mega for everything apart from interval and race days, for them I use Puma DNE3, mainly because I find them more stable than Edge, Paris and even Pro 4s. Magic speeds might be worth a try then. Also using Megas for Easy days but thinking I might get a slower shoe, was thinking mag max or hold out and see what the SB3 will be like

5 months ago

Similar goals, my pairing is MB and Puma DNE3

4 months ago

I used the kayano to come back from over pronation injury, IT band. I got custom insoles so I could pick a better shoe, currently have them in the megablast. I tried the GT2000 but didn’t like it, to firm. I would add that the Puma deviate elite 3 did not aggravate me (without insoles) and is very stable if your looking for a faster shoe. I haven’t tried the non plated version but could be worth a go

5 months ago

Puma Deviate Elite 3 (although wait for the 4) is easily the most stable shoe I’ve had (compared to AF3, ASICS Paris and Edge, AP4)

about 1 month ago

Puma deviate elite 3/4 are surprisingly stable. I know you didn’t ask but the Megablast pretty much fits your needs

6 months ago

I have had numerous over pronation issues and been through a lot of shoes, got custom insoles for my daily’s. However, I found the Puma DE3 very stable, without the custom insoles, and can run all day in them. The AP4 are probably next best

Reddit IconBring-Your-Dinner
2 months ago

Totally concur with this. Bought into the SB1 hype but won’t be duped by another overpriced ASICS super trainer again. I found them clunky, overly firm/stiff and poorly fitting, despite giving them a decent crack and over 200kms to “break in”. A discounted racing shoe, especially one with the durability of the DNE3, beats any of these expensive super trainers hands down IMHO.

Reddit Iconcasualjoe914
9 months ago

It's really specific to the person. I've been loving my Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3s at all distances. I also really like Vaporflys for shorter stuff but my Achilles don't love them for HM/FM and I haven't been in Alphaflys yet. AP4 is a great shoe, Endorphin Pro 3/4 if you need a little more stability. I've been meaning to try the Edge Sky but haven't gotten around to it yet. For reference, I'm 5'9" 155lbs.

3 months ago

I mean, the shoes may have contributed to how you felt after the first marathon but it sounds like you didn't actually let yourself recover from that first one. And as much as we all hype different shoes, the difference in performance is going to be negligible, it's more important to find a pair that is comfortable and works well with your mechanics. I love my Deviate Nitro Elite 3s for what it's worth, but I don't know how durable they'll end up being. My most durable super shoe has been the New Balance SC Elite v4 (still going strong after 250 miles) but I use them as a super trainer not a race day shoe as they're pretty heavy.

21 days ago

20 min 5k at 190lbs is already plenty fast, don't let us lighter runners warp your view. Your cardio needs to be in far better shape than someone running the same time who is 40-50lbs lighter. That said, are you looking specifically for race shoes/speed shoes? Getting a super shoe just for long runs (unless it's the SC Elite v4) is kind of a waste, there's other shoes that don't degrade as fast for that kind of work. For races, you're going to feel the benefits of race foam at any weight, it's more about finding the right shoe and the SC Elite v5 has typically been good for heavier runners. I think the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite v3 (rides much different than the non-elite, which I personally didn't like) could also work. I've heard the v4 isn't as good.

10 months ago

DN3 has a full plate, I don't think it's really ideal to do every run in them because of lack of toe flexion.  Evo SL only has a mid foot shank so that should be fine. Neo Zen another option.

11 months ago

Really need more info to make a better recommendation. What kind of time are you targeting? How high effort is the race going to be for you (i.e., full effort race vs. just looking to finish)? How much are you running now/how much experience do you have? Do you have a preference on shoe stiffness? For example, I love the Neo Vista but I'd never race in them nor would I do any race pace miles in them. They're too soft and unstable for that for me. They're more a daily/long run/recovery shoe for me. But if you're less concerned with maxing out pace and more concerned with finishing runs/races with your feet feeling fresh they could be a good option. The Deviate Nitro 3 is a totally different feel from the Neo Vista (very stiff/firm and also narrow in the midsole). I unfortunately found the complaints about the narrow midsole rang true as they ended up giving me foot pain even after trying some different lacing techniques and inserts. I didn't like their flavor of stiff either and I didn't find them particularly special at any pace in the 60 miles I put on them before giving up. That said, others have had completely different experiences so they could be worth a shot if you're shooting for something firm. I haven't personally run in the Superblast 2 but my friend who has an insane running shoe collection (and is a 2:50 marathon guy) rates them as his favorite daily which means they should be able to comfortably handle all your use cases.  No experience with the ZF6 but maybe also look at the Saucony Endorphin Speed 4. I'd describe it as a friendlier Deviate Nitro 3. Both the Speed and Deviate Nitro are more geared for speed work while the Neo Vista and Superblast would be more geared for your long runs/daily training. If you're newer to running and want 1 shoe to do it all I'd probably go Superblast but it comes down to preferences.

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