Race

Mizuno Hyperwarp Elite

The flagship of Mizuno's new race line — a 3D carbon plate in ENERZY XP at a startling 170 g.

The Hyperwarp Elite leads the race line that replaced Mizuno's Wave Rebellion Pro series: the brand's lightest-ever ENERZY XP midsole around the SMOOTH SPEED PLATE, a 3D-shaped carbon plate supporting midfoot to heel and assisting forefoot running, under a monofilament woven upper. At 170 g in a size 9 it is one of the lightest super shoes on sale.

It suits you if you race off your forefoot and want the aggressive end of the category — a sub-six-ounce marathon racer built for exactly that geometry.

It is not forgiving: the 3.5 mm drop Mizuno prints (a decimal, hence absent from the specs here) and the forefoot-first design punish heel striking, and at $275 with race foam this fragile, its kilometres are a budget. The Hyperwarp Pro below it is the runnable one.