I got the Mizuno Hyperwarp Pro for the purpose of testing and review from Mizuno Germany. However, I haven’t got any suggestions what I should write about and Mizuno doesn’t have control over this review. As always I will try to give my honest opinion of the shoe.
Before I will write about the shoe a few facts about me, that are important for the review. I’m mostly a half marathon and marathon runner. My best marathon time is 3.15, my fastest half marathon time 1.31. This year I ran a 3.25 marathon and my fastest half marathon this year was 1.37. I’m a heel to mid foot striker, 186 cm high and 72 kilograms.
My current easy run pace is between 5.40 and 6.00 min/km, my longrun pace between 5.20 and 5.40 min/km, my tempo pace between 4.40 and 4.50 min/km and I run some faster 1 kilometer repeats at 4.10 min/k pace. So now you know at what paces I tested the shoe.
What does Mizuno say about this shoe
Honoring the Rebellion series, the Hyperwarp Pro retains key features of the racing lineup that sparked interest across the world from late 2022. Incredibly versatile to runners of varying abilities, the Pro will suit elites that loved the Rebellion Series and competitive and regular runners seeking a high-performance racing or fast-training shoe.
The Pro uses the same MIZUNO ENERZY XP midsole properties as the Rebellion Pro 3 and is incredibly responsive. Utilizing the Rebellion series SMOOTH SPEED ASSIST technology, the Pro’s 5-degree rearfoot angle provides the runner with smooth, efficient transition from rearfoot to toe-off.
Let’s find out more about the Mizuno Hyperwarp Pro
Till today I ran more than 70 kilometers in the shoe. Before I write a shoe review, I normally do quite some runs in the shoes, from easy recovery runs up to tempo runs, intervals and one or two long runs. I used the Mizuno Hyperwarp Pro on two easy runs, two longruns with segments around marathon pace, two tempo runs and one interval sessions with 3 minute repeats at faster paces.
Fit of the shoe and upper
The shoe fits a bit short with not much volume in the toe box. It worked for my shorter runs, even during two 16 kilometer longruns and I would be confident to take it up to the half marathon distance. However, if you are looking for a marathon shoe, I suggest you go half a size up.
Going up you will get a bit more room in the toe area and it will be more comfortable for those longer runs, even marathon races or beyond. If you go half a size up, I don’t think it will impact the lockdown.
The upper itself is a modern race day upper, thin and very breathable. There is a little bit of structure in the toe area and just the right amount of padding along the heel collar. The heel cup doesn’t have much structure but it holds the foot nicely.
The tongue is not attached to the upper, but there are two lace loops on the tongue that help keep it in place. And the laces are perforated and stay in place. There’s no chance they will come undone during your runs.
Something to consider
I’m used to do double knots on all my running shoes and so I did also in the Hyperwarp Pro. The first time just as tight as with normal laces and I needed about 15 minutes after the run to untie one of the shoes. Just so you know.
Once tied up the upper feels very comfortable for a race shoe. While running I never thought about the upper or the lockdown. I had no heel slippage, hotspots or blisters.
I have normal wide feet. But I don’t know, how this shoe would work for someone with wider feet. To be completely honest, I don’t think, there’s a single super shoe out there, that is designed for runners with wide feet. Therefore I would suggest to try it out before buying.
Midsole of the shoe
First a bit about the midsole. For a lot of runner the most important part of a running shoe. The Midsole of the Mizuno Hyperwarp Pro is a double layer midsole made of Mizuno’s Enerzy XP foam, with a carbon infused wave plate between the two layers of the foam.
It’s the same foam Mizuno used in the Rebellion Pro 3 race shoe and as the upper layer in the Rebellion Flash 3. I don’t want this to be a comparison between these shoes, but you can look at the Hyperwarp Pro as a successor of the Rebellion Pro 3. From all the shoes in the Hyperwarp series, the Pro is the only shoe, that also uses Mizuno’s Smooth Speed Assist.
There is no need to brake the shoe in. It works great straight out of the box. There is still a slight cut in the heel and just walking around I could feel all the foam in the midfoot area. But it felt very stable.
The midsole is wider at the bottom, has no cutouts and therefore the ride feels very stable at various paces. First thing I noticed was, that the shoe itself wants you to strike the ground more midfoot. I also felt, that my cadance was a bit higher.
Performance of the Mizuno Hypwerwarp Pro
I would say that the ride itself is very smooth. Even if you land on your heel, the transition to toe off feels fast. What I really like about this shoe is, that you as a runner are in control of the shoe, not the other way around. A lot of super shoes these days need to be run in a specific way, otherwise they don’t work as they should. This is not the case with the Mizuno Hyperwarp Pro.
The foam itself is not super soft. Therefore you don’t sink into the foam and get bounce back. It’s more of a fast forward propulsion, that I felt during my runs. And the shoe really comes to life when running at faster paces. The more force you put into the shoe, the more you get back from the shoe.
While running at marathon pace it felt smooth and very controlled. Once I was at target pace, it felt like I was cruising. Same while running at half marathon and 10k pace. For shorter and faster reps, I would however prefer a little more bounce from the midsole or maybe a slightly more aggressive setup.
That’s where the other two shoes from the Hyperwarp Series come into play, the Elite and the Pure. The Pure with a complete new midsole material and the Elite with a dual layer midsole, where the upper layer is made from the new midsole material. The new material is softer and provides a bit more bounce, according to Mizuno’s Specs. I will also test the Hyperwarp Elite in the near future and let you know.
Outsole of the shoe
The outsole is made of Mizuno’s G3 material and provides really great grip. The last few days temperatures where low and on some parts there was even a little bit of ice on the roads where I ran. Despite that, I had absolutely no issue with grip. And because of the wide platform, there is no sliding while running through tight corners.
Today, after 70 kilometers in the shoe, there is no visible wear on the outsole and the midsole performs the same as on my first run. I think, that both, the midsole and the outsole will last quite a long time and that this shoe has many more kilometers of life.
How will I use the shoe
To a certain degree I already answered this question. In a week I will start my next marathon training block. The Mizuno Hyperwarp Pro will be my go to shoe for treshold sessions, marathon tempo sessions and even some longrun sessions, as long as they will be not longer than 20-25 kilometers.
Since this is a race shoe, I will not use it on my recovery and easy runs. And for track workouts at fast paces. Well, I will at least try them out once. But I think, that I will use the Rebellion Flash 3 for those sessions. Somehow this shoe works great for my faster intervals.
Would I recommend the Mizuno Hyperwarp Pro
It’s a modern Super Shoe, designed for a variety of runners and a super shoe, that can be also used at slower paces. I had no issues running in the shoe about 1 min/km slower than my current marathon pace.
Therefore this shoe is quite versatile and since I think, that it will last, the Mizuno Hyperwarp Pro is a great option to consider, if you are looking for one shoe to do your faster training in, as well as your race day shoe.
I personally think, that because of the firmer midsole and the wide platform, this shoe is a great option for runners, that weight a bit more and runners who have stability issues. I’m not saying, that the Mizuno Hyperwarp Pro is a stability shoe. Actually non of the super shoes today is a stability shoe. But if I would need to recommend a super shoe to someone with stability issues, it would be this one.
Make sure to try it out first. Could be, that you need to go half a size up because of the length and the low toe box. Other than that, it’s a shoe I would recommend.
I am an ambassador with Top4Running, the number one online store for runners in Europe. If you want to buy a pair of Mizuno Hyperwarp Pro running shoes (or any other Mizuno running shoes), please use this link to support the Run and Smile community.
Use the code: Roman for an additional 5% discount on most Mizuno items in the store.
