Customer Reviews New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Pacer

I’ve been through 20+ pairs of shoes over the last six months trying to find something that works for me after being out of running for 10 years. I found the SuperComp Trainers which have been excellent for longer training runs. I have a 5k coming up this weekend and wanted something lighter and thought the SuperComp Pacer would be similar and fit the bill - they simply didn’t work for me. For transparency, I’m heavy and slow - 250lbs and roughly 10 min/mile. When I slipped these on, they fit a bit tight, but they’re racing shoes, so they should be snug, right? They have good lockdown and seemed comfortable walking around the house, so I decided to take them out for a 5k run to see how they felt. I started at what I thought was a quick pace, and didn’t notice the carbon plate at all. As in, it didn’t feel like a plated shoe. Just felt like a lightweight shoe with nothing extra, unlike the SC Trainer where you can really feel it propel you forward. I purposely didn’t check my pace until mile 1 was complete. Judging from my perceived effort, i expected to be sub-9 min/mile, and when I looked at my watch, I was at 9:35 - disappointing. I finished a full minute slower than I had a week earlier running in the SC Trainer where I didn’t feel like I was pushing nearly as hard. About halfway through the run, the right shoe started making a strange noise. I inspected them after I took it off, and it flexed significantly more than the left shoe and was crunching like the plate had cracked or broken. Furthermore, my knees felt battered and my feet felt like the soles had been beaten with a pipe. I definitely can’t recommend these shoes - at least not for someone heavy. I replaced these with a pair of Saucony Endorphin Pro 2s that I got on killer discount (since the 3s are out) and set 1k, 1 mile, and 2 mile PRs straight out of the box with less perceived effort.

The fit is good, although with thicker socks they are tight. I use them for walking as I don't like ridiculous stack height shoes. So yes, I have a carbon plate for walking shoes.

I loved the look of this shoe. BUT, couldn’t believe the toe box was made of a paper thin fabric that my big toe would have punched up and through within one or two walks…couldn’t get past that to appreciate anything else…

The material is very flimsy. First pair of New Balance that I have been disappointed with.