I got the New Balance SC Elite v4 for the purpose of review directly from New Balance. However, they have no control over this review. I will try to give my honest opinion on 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 from last year is 3.15 and my fastest half marathon last year 1.34. I’m a heel to mid foot striker, 186 cm high and 72 kilograms. Till now I ran in a few different carbon plated shoes. But this will not be a comparison with other carbon plated shoes. I will do my best to write just about the New Balance SC Elite v4.
What does New Balance stand for
According to New Balance, their goals is to help us achieve our goals:
“At New Balance, our job is to aid athletes in their pursuits, whether that means helping professional athletes set records and win medals, or propelling everyday athletes to achieve a new PR, run their first 5K or just to live a more healthy and active lifestyle.
Our products are the perfect blend of function and fashion, giving you the performance technology you need and the style you want. Our associates around the world bring these goals to life with their high-level skills and creativity. While we offer the best product on the market, we’re also equally committed to giving back. So while we look to succeed, we believe in ensuring others have the same opportunity.”
Let’s find out more about the New Balance SC Elite v4
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 a long run. But since this is a racing shoe I did two tempo runs in them at current marathon effort, a long run with a longer segment at marathon effort and a segment at half marathon effort and three faster track workouts around 5k and 10k effort.
Fit of the shoe
The shoe for me fits true to size. But for a marathon I would go half a size up in the shoe. I found that my big toe has not enough space in the front of the shoe. It was perfectly fine on my 20k run. Have to take the shoe at least on a 30k or 32k run to see, how it will be. The upper, called Fantomfit hugs the foot nicely and there is no problem with the lockdown. I have normal wide feet but I think that even runners with wider feet will have no problem with the shoe.
The toe box is quite roomy for a marathon race shoe and has enough volume that the feel is comfortable. The heal cup was a bit tricky at first. It has little padding and is quite stout. I could not feel any heel slippage but the achilles was a bit red after my first two runs. Solved it with slightly thicker socks. I think you need to find the perfect sock to use with the shoe, maybe slightly thicker or with some sort of padding in the achilles area.
The tongue is not gusseted and very thin, with no extra padding in the upper part. Some find this not the best option because of the lace pressure on the top of the feet. I found that the tongue once in place was not sliding around and I tie my laces to the outside part so there is not much pressure on my feet.
All in all I would say that the fit is very comfortable for a race shoe but it maybe takes a few runs to get used to it. Have this in mind. I would recommend to use the shoe at least on four or five runs before race day. The upper is modern, thin and it provides very good breathability. I have not used the shoe in rain so far so I can’t really say, how the upper is performing in rain.
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 New Balance Elite v4 is a PEBA based FuelCell. The drop is 4mm, witch is lower compared to many other carbon racing shoes. Therefore a lot of foam is also in the front of the shoe. But as I said before, I don’t want this to be a comparison with other carbon plated shoes. From the first step on I could feel, that I was landing more mid foot than heel. Even the first few kilometers, when I was running at easy pace it felt good. But it’s a race shoe and when I picked up the pace I could feel, what the shoe is really about.
The faster the pace, the more I got back from the midsole. It is a shoe who is not as aggressive as I thought it would be and I was able to run the way I wanted. The shoe was not in control, I was. The transition is smooth and fast. From all the foam in the forefoot area combined with the carbon plate I felt a lot of energy in the toe off phase. The shoe has a wide platform and is very stable at different paces. But I would say, that for shorter races a shoe with a more aggressive rocker, would be a better choice. The New Balance SC Elite v4 is best for half marathons and marathons.
For my running style the foam has the right firmness and after my long run with faster segments I felt, that the shoe was performing great at marathon and half marathon pace. The shoe has not worked against my stride and there is enough cushioning to protect your from the pounding. I think it will be a good option even on those last 10 kilometers of a marathon, when the form may drop and when the legs get heavy.
There is enough rubber on the outsole to protect the midsole foam and to provide grip. While the forefoot has quite a lot of rubber, there is less in the heel. After the runs I did so far in the shoe there are no signs of use on the outsole. The grip is best described as sticky, even on wet roads. No slippage at all.
How will I use the shoe
I think that somehow I already answered this question. The shoe is build as a marathon racing shoe and I will use the New Balance SC Elite v4 as my marathon race shoe for Valencia marathon later this year. But first I will run in the shoe two spring half marathons.
I think, that the midsole and outsole will last for quite a while and that after my spring half marathons, there will be enough life in the shoe to use it as my training shoe at marathon pace or faster runs. As for training, the shoe is best when doing tempo runs and long runs with marathon or half marathon pace. For faster, shorter reps there are other options but if you want to get used to the shoe for race day, the New Balance SC Elite v4 is a good option even for this runs.
Would I recommend the New Balance SC Elite v4
It’s a modern carbon plated super shoe with a lot of cushioning not only in the heel but also in the mid and fore foot area. The shoe is just aggressive enough and for me personally it works. If you are a heel to mid foot striker, I think that the New Balance SC Elite v4 is a great shoe to consider. There is enough protection under the heel that will help you in the later stages of a marathon.
It’s stable because of it’s wide platform, the shoe feels great at all sort of paces and it provides enough protection. Everything we runners need from a race day shoe. It is a shoe you need to consider.
If you want to find out how I found the “training brother” of this shoe, read the review of the New Balance Rebel v4
And here you can find the comparison between the SC Elite v4 and the Rebel v4
I am an ambassador with Top4Running, the number one online store for runners in Europe. If you want to buy a pair of New Balance SC Elite v4 running shoes (or any other running shoes), please use this link to support the Run and Smile community.
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Photo: Žan Tabak
