NB Zante Pursuit

I dunno, but I am cautiously optimistic about it. The Zante 4 is one of the most unrunnably harsh shoes I have ever tried, and the Beacon is one of the best I have ever worn.

Looks closer to the Zante, but fingers crossed... it LOOKS promising...

It is fairly stiff like a racing flat. The ride is quick and responsive. The new upper is like a slipper.

It would be a good choice for tempo runs or track workouts.

Imagine if a racing flat and a trainer had a baby... and the resulting offspring had the worse features of both parents.

Hard like a flat, but with all the weight of a trainer.

I haven't tried it, but every iteration after the first one has decreased in quality. I want this shoe to be good but I'm not paying full price for it

So you liked it then?

I like them. Did not like v3. I thought v4 was ok.

When I flexed it in my hands I thought it would be too stiff. But it feels good running.

Definitely not an easy/recovery shoe.

Love the slipper-like upper. (Some probably won’t)

theJeff wrote:

The Zante 4 is one of the most unrunnably harsh shoes I have ever tried,

I found a strange interaction between my stride and the Zante 1. I picked up a pair at an outlet store in 2016 (for less than $40), and found it really harsh despite the good reviews. Despite the relatively low 4 mm heel rise, it felt like I was inadvertently catching the heel with every stride.

I slowly put in about 250 miles and put it away. This year, I pulled it out again and gave it another try, as I like to thoroughly use up my shoes eventually, and this time I enjoyed it (excepting the narrow base for my wide feet) though it was the same shoe, only with more miles. I now have over 600 miles in it, and will continue running in it later in the spring when the snow/ice is gone.

The difference is that in 2016, I was running a certain way mostly in Hoka Challenger ATRs. The Challengers, like the Cliftons, have a rocker shape that I really like, and I land midshoe with them, and transition fast. This past year, I've slightly adjusted my form (more lean, though I already had a good forward lean) to be able to use some of my higher heel offset shoes smoothly. That's enough for the Zante 1 to feel completely different for me.

bump

I've never been much of a Zante fan, but my wife swears by them. Loved the 1, loved the 2, hated the 3, didn't bother with the 4. She picked up a pair of the Pursuits, swears its the best shoe she's ever run in, and after five runs in the Pursuit she's already picked up two more pairs to rotate through (and she likes different colors).

In her words: "Comfortable, light, not bouncy, decent firm midsole, but doesn't weigh me down and makes me feel light on my feet. Good road feel, but still smooth. I feel like I can push myself, not just in speed, but distance, and they hold up really well." She's 35, runs 15-20 miles per week, 1:40 half marathon.