Puma

Deviate NITRO™ Elite 3

Puma Deviate NITRO™ Elite 3

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TL;DR: Fast race shoe, durable, but narrow and causes soreness.

Overall

#8 in

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Sentiment score85% positive
85
9
6

Top Pros

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Last updated: Jul 2, 2026

Reddit Reviews

Reddit IconAlternative_Jello819
4 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
7 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.

6 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 Iconbazza010101
4 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

3 months ago

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

3 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 

4 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

3 months ago

I'm 88kg and 191cm I disagree with your carbon statements I think they will help alot I wear the puma deviate nitro elite 3 and elite 4 I'd recommend highly the 3's very cheap, alot of mileage for a carbon, so comfortable and fast, very fast  My carbons are way more comfortable that the 2 daily shoes below. The foam is amazing it's the real winner not the carbon plate I wear clifton 9s, sb2 for daily runs and it's night and day between them and carbons

Reddit IconBig_Boysenberry_6358
7 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.

8 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.

7 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
6 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

6 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)

2 months ago

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

5 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

7 months ago

Similar goals, my pairing is MB and Puma DNE3

22 days ago

I have a lot, and by far the most stable is the Puma deviate elite

8 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
4 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.

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