You know that feeling when you slip on a pair of running shoes, and suddenly, you’re convinced you could outrun a greyhound? Yeah, that’s the New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trainer v3. A name that takes as long to say as it does for me catch my breath after running for a bus but, with a name like that, one would hope it comes with some serious tech – and it does.
Now, I am a proud owner of the *takes a deep breath* FuelCell SuperComp Elitev4 and have trained in them once and raced in them once. I broke a 2-year-old PB in these shoes and will only be using them for races going forward, they’re incredible.
So what made me try these, tiered down, v3 trainers? Well, I’ve never really seen carbon shoes designed for training, instead of racing. Although these shoes are 100% capable of racing in, and racing fast for that matter, I get where New Balance are positioning these. There is a big stigma in the running community for wearing carbon shoes for anything other than a race but in reality, we all need to practice our race day wheels and, let’s be honest, a full length Energy Arc carbon plate doesn’t half make those tempo runs all that bit breezier and those technical long runs just that little bit less soul-destroying.
With only a £30 price difference between the Elite v4 and the Trainer v3, why would anyone choose the Trainer model? I’d say if you’re racking up miles in training and want something cushioned but bouncy, the Trainer v3 is your guy. Big slabs of FuelCell foam, a carbon plate for a little extra pep, and a snug mesh upper to keep things breezy. It’s got all the bounce without being too wild, making those longer tempo runs feel a bit less like hard work. It’s an elite work horse of a shoe.
On the flip side, if race day is calling, the Elite v4 is built for silly speed. Lighter, snappier, and with an even more aggressive carbon plate setup, this one’s about going fast. Bottom line? Trainer v3 for training, Elite v4 for racing. Or just get both and call it a rotation.
