I got the Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3 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, two years ago was 3.15, my fastest half marathon time last year 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
Achieve your running goal of sub 2.5 hour full-marathon and perfect your gait with these shoes loaded with Mizuno’s technology. They’re engineered with cutting-edge features like SMOOTH SPEED ASSIST that helps achieve your ideal gait, plus high-performance MIZUNO ENERZY XP for softness, energy return, and lightness. When you’re running at top speed, the MIZUNO WAVE structure enhances stability without sacrificing softness, and the lightweight G3 sole provides excellent grip.
Let’s find out more about the Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3
Till today I ran about 100 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. This time around I did one easy run in the shoe, just to get a feel. All other runs were intervals or tempo runs, the longest one 16 kilometers.
Fit of the shoe and upper
The shoe fits me a bit too snug for longer runs. If I would use this shoe for a half marathon or marathon, I would suggest to go half a size up, from your normal US running shoe size. With that you would get a bit more space in the toe area.
The upper material itself is very thin, with some reinforcements in the midfoot area, that help with better lockdown. There is just a little bit of padding around the heel. The heel cup itself is flexible. The tongue is not attached to the upper but there are some lace loops on the tongue that help keep it in place.
Personally it worked best for me, when I pushed my heel in the ground and then laced up the shoe. This way I got a good lockdown and my feet were not sliding forward in the shoe. The lockdown itself feels very secure and looking at the hight of this shoe, you need a good lockdown.
As expected from a race day shoe, the breathability is very good. Even while running in warmer temperatures I had no issue with overheating. For a race day shoe the upper itself is quite comfortable.
Midsole and performance 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 Wave Rebellion Pro 3 is a double layer midsole is made of Mizuno’s Enerzy XP foam, with a WAVE PLATE.
When I first took the shoe out of the box, I was a bit sceptic. Looking at the unique setup of this shoe, I was not sure, that as a heel to midfoot striker and far away from sub 2.5 hour marathon pace, I would be able to use the shoe. At the highest point, the stack hight of this shoe is over 60mm. But due to the aggressive cutout at the back, it’s a shoe that has still the legal limit of 40mm, according to world athletics.
This shoe is not made for walking, or running slowly. It felt a bit strange at first, but since I used the Mizuno Wave Rebellion Flash 3 before that, I somehow new what to expect. Or so I thought. It was different because of the hight of the shoe and the even more aggressive setup, not only in the heel but also in the forefoot.
As soon as I ran my first 2 kilometers in the shoe, I knew that this would be my first and only easy run in them. But as soon as I picked up the pace and started running around my half marathon race pace, the story was different.
I was able to hit the ground at the highest point of the shoe and got all the benefits from the midsole foam, the wave plate and the smooth speed assist. I wouldn’t describe it as bouncy, more like a forward propulsion. And this feeling even got better during 3 minute intervals around 5k effort.
Despite the fact, that the Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3 is a very high shoe, actually the highest marathon race shoe, I had no issues with stability. The platform of the shoe is wide enough to provide good stability and you need it while running on 60mm of responsive foam. Tight corners can get a little tricky, but there is no other race shoe, that would handle them better.
Outsole and purpose of the shoe
Except a cutout in the middle, the whole outsole has rubber coverage. Mizuno’s G3 rubber, that really provides excellent grip in dry and wet conditions. I did two of my tempo runs during some light rain on wet roads and turning corners was not an issue.
Every running shoe has a purpose. The Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3 is for sure a race day shoe, that can also be used during tempo runs and short speed sessions. For all other runs, there are other running shoes out there.
How will I use the shoe
To a certain degree I already answered this question. For me, an average runner, this shoe will be an option for some of my tempo runs and some of my short and fast intervals. I know that it would be best to do the warmup in a different shoe and then switch to the Wave Rebellion Pro 3 for the workout and once more after the workout for the cooldown.
But this would be to complicated. Therefore I will even do the warmup and cooldown in this shoe. The feeling is a bit unique but it can be done. On the other hand, I will not use this shoe as my easy run shoe or on my longruns.
Would I recommend the Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3
It’s a unique race day shoe, with a very aggressive setup, made for runner who can run marathons faster than 2.5 hours. These are the runners who will benefit most from the shoe. To some degree it can also be used by other, average runners.
Because of the setup, it’s best for midfoot strikers. I think that it’s not only a marathon race shoe. Would say, that it can be also used in half marathons or even 10k races. Yes, it’s a unique and very special shoe. But it feels fast and light.
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