Under Armour Flow Velociti Elite Review: Shoes Made for Fast and Fun Racing

While you line up firstly of any race—whether it’s a small neighborhood event or a World Marathon Major—likelihood is, you’ll see “super shoes” on a complete bunch of feet. These carbon-plated, cushioned trainers assist you pick up the pace by boosting energy return, they usually simply make racing a complete lot of fun.

Most running shoe brands now have their very own version of them, and once I learned Under Armour was entering the fray with its recent Flow Velociti Elite, I used to be desperate to give them a try. I tested out a sample pair for SELF’s 2023 Sneaker Awards—and ended up having fun with them a lot that I laced them up for the primary 10K I’ve raced in several years. Listed here are my thoughts on the shoe.

Who it’s for

The Flow Velociti Elite is a racing shoe, made specifically for runners who wish to push the pace at longer distances, like half marathons or marathons. Mainly, in case you’re on the lookout for a PR, you’d gravitate to this type of shoe.

Out of the box

I even have to confess: After I opened up the box and took out these shoes, my first thought was skepticism. The shoes looked so pretty that I used to be afraid they were going to be more about appearance than function. They’re an attractive seafoam green color (with popping lime accents) with an almost dainty, see-through mesh upper that appears very cool. Appearance-wise, they looked more like a conventional running shoe—they lacked the super high stack height and futuristic details of other super shoes I’ve tried. Plus, they felt super light (weighing 7.5 ounces).

Fit and Feel

I attempted these in my normal street-shoe size, they usually fit positive. Normally I go up half a size in trainers (to permit for movement and slight swelling with activity), but I still had somewhat extra room at the highest, so these might run a bit big. The shoe also has a streamlined, svelte look and runs a bit narrow within the toe box. While I used to be okay with my normal shoe size, I believe a half size up could have also worked too (especially for runs longer than an hour).

The shoe laces up securely (no heel slippage!) and the padded tongue and heel add somewhat extra TLC. For super shoes, they didn’t feel overly cushiony—they’re definitely more of a firm support—but they sure did feel light. It got me excited to take them out for a quick run and put their speed chops to the test.