The Best Carbon Fiber Running Shoes (2024) run faster and further

So you want a pair of Best Carbon Fiber Running Shoes that will help you set a personal record in your next marathon? Even though no shoe can replace training hard and eating well, shoe companies have been adding carbon fibre plates to their race day running shoes in recent years to improve the energy return while running.

The carbon fibre plate is paired with soft, responsive foam and is made so that it curves down under the ball of the foot from the arch. It’s said that this gives runners a boost when they start to run, which makes them run faster.

Nike was one of the first companies to make running shoes with carbon fibre plates, but now almost all of the best running shoe companies have tried carbon. Carbon shoes, on the other hand, don’t last as long, and if you don’t plan to race, you should look at the best running shoes for daily miles.

Best Carbon Fiber Running Shoes Comparison Table

Nike Vaporfly Next% 2

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So you want a pair of Best Carbon Fiber Running Shoes that will help you set a personal record in your next marathon? Even though no shoe can replace training hard and eating well, shoe companies have been adding carbon fibre plates to their race day running shoes in recent years to improve the energy return while running.

The carbon fibre plate is paired with soft, responsive foam and is made so that it curves down under the ball of the foot from the arch. It’s said that this gives runners a boost when they start to run, which makes them run faster. Nike was one of the first companies to make running shoes with carbon fibre plates, but now almost all of the best running shoe companies have tried carbon.

Saucony Endorphin Pro 3

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The Saucony Endorphin Pro 3 is a big step up from the Endorphin Pro 2, and we think it’s the best Endorphin Pro shoe so far. Saucony’s most famous Best Carbon Fiber Running Shoes road racing shoe, the Endorphin Pro 3, has been completely changed for the Endorphin Pro 3. The brand changed the upper and put more PWRRUN PB foam under the foot to make the shoe ride completely different. It’s now very fast and soft at the same time.

The stack height has gone up to 39.9mm, which is just within the rules of World Athletics and is the same as the Nike ZoomX Alphafly Next 2. Saucony added more PWRRUN PB foam to the shoe’s midsole to make it feel much softer than it did in earlier models. So, it’s not too soft, but it’s nice and effective, and you can move quickly when you need to in this shoe. The upper has also been changed to be more like mesh.

Alphafly 2

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This might be the most famous shoe on our list. Kipchoge wore a test version of these shoes when he ran the first sub-two-hour marathon in history in October 2019. When you run, this shoe helps you move forward, and you feel it more the faster you run. It’s a fast-moving shoe that wants to show you what it can do. For the latest version, a thin layer of ZoomX foam has been added under the forefoot air pods, and padded heel pods have been added to the back.

There is also a base made of a more durable but thinner rubber. By making these changes, the shoe will be more flexible when the forefoot hits the ground, which will improve the return of energy. The back part of the chassis has also been changed, making the car more stable. The foam wraps higher and the midsole is a little bit bigger. The problem with the new type of shoes with really thick soles (this is just under the 40mm limit set by World Athletics), is that they can be hard to keep your balance in, especially when turning turns.

Vaporfly 3

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Eliud Kipchoge may have worn the even better Alphafly to break the two-hour mark, but if you look at the top runners in any big marathon, you’ll see that many of them wear the Vaporfly. And luckily, the third version feels just as fast and lively as the first two. Nike has changed the Vaporfly from the bottom up to make it the lightest it has ever been. The shape of the insole was one way to try to lose weight.

The ZoomX foam is still the best at returning energy, but a cutout on the edge where your foot doesn’t need support and a small channel under the midfoot cut down on the amount of material. The big, flat piece of rubber under the forefoot is also gone. In its place is a web of diamond-shaped lugs, like a waffle sole turned 45 degrees and with holes. Our testers said the shoes felt stable when it was dry, and the new design got rid of the loud, slapping feeling that most new super shoes have.

adidas adizero Adios Pro 3

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The adidas adizero Adios Pro 3 is close on the heels of the Vaporfly Next. In a world where carbon-fiber plates are king, adidas is like that one cool friend who can pull off wearing a beanie in the summer. The Adios Pro 3 doesn’t have a carbon-fiber plate like most running shoes. Instead, it has carbon-fiber tubes, called ENERGYRODS 2.0, that go all the way through the shoe to stabilise the highly cushioned and sensitive LightstrikePRO foam and allow the foot to move more naturally.

The ENERGYRODS 2.0 were also liked by our staff because they improved efficiency throughout the gait cycle and had a springy snap when the foot hit the ground. Also, they liked how the LightstrikePRO foam protected and cushioned their feet and how easy it was to keep up a marathon pace in them.

Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite

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The Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite is a super shoe with a design that is one-of-a-kind that works extraordinarily well in competitions up to a distance of a half marathon, as well as in interval training and short threshold runs. The shoe’s name comes from the fact that it is the elite version of the Puma Fast-R Nitro.

It has an aggressive sole design, which makes it easier to make quick transitions from the heel to the toe, but the heel is made of firm EVA, which causes transitions to appear unconnected when moving at slower speeds. When utilised in brief bursts of speed, the Fast-R Nitro Elite does feel faster than the Deviate Nitro Elite 2, despite the fact that the Fast-R Nitro Elite is not as versatile or as durable as the Deviate Nitro Elite 2.

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