Article by John Tribbia
Craft Pure Path Professional ($190)
Introduction
Craft’s new Pure Path Professional is a technical path operating shoe designed for efficiency and reliability on troublesome terrain. This shoe marks a big replace to Craft’s path footwear, emphasizing improved match, a dynamic operating expertise, and distinctive traction. That includes a nitrogen-infused midsole with PEBAX parts and a revised Vittoria rubber outsole, the Pure Path Professional is meant as a flexible selection for path runners, appropriate for each native trails and difficult mountain races.
Execs:
Light-weight really feel (for a protecting shoe)
Dynamic and responsive midsole
Glorious traction on downhills
Cons:
$190 worth level for the relative versatilityĀ
Stats
Approx. Weight: 10.6 oz/ 300g US9
Stack Peak:Ā 36mm heel /Ā 30mm forefoot, 6mm drop
First Impressions, Match and Higher
John: The Craft Pure Path Professional has a pointy, technical look that clearly alerts its path intentions. The higher is a single-layer seamless mesh designed for light-weight flexibility and sturdiness.Ā
Craft highlights important updates to the higher match, together with a brand new final and adjustments to the heel building. The purpose seems to be attaining wonderful lockdown, which is essential for stability and confidence on uneven and technical trails it’s marketed for.Ā
From my preliminary testing, the brand new supplies contributed to a safe and improved match in comparison with my solely different Craft evaluate of the CTM Carbon Extremely. The concentrate on lockdown and the seamless building gives a snug and safe wrap for the foot.Ā
The match is true to measurement and my barely slender foot within reason safe. The lacing is lengthy so I’ve to tuck the surplus within the decrease laced half.Ā
As well as, there are protecting overlays across the toe field and alongside the edges so as to add sturdiness and safety.
Midsole & Platform
John: The Pure Path Professional’s midsole makes use of Craft’s Cr Foamā¢ Professional, a nitrogen-infused supercritical EVA, enhanced with 15% PEBAX blended into 85% Nitrogen EVA. This mix goals to provide a softer and extra responsive trip than earlier Craft foams, and I skilled a very good power return and fulfilling operating on numerous surfaces. I discovered it most performant on sustained downhills in looser terrain. The stack peak gives adequate cushioning and safety for prolonged distances and uneven terrain, whereas sustaining a fairly broad platform for path stability.
Outsole
John: The Craft Pure Path Professional options an up to date Vittoria rubber outsole with aggressive 5mm lugs and a redesigned tread sample. Testing on numerous terrains, together with mud, rock, clean path, and off-camber grass, demonstrated the Vittoria rubber’s wonderful grip and traction throughout various circumstances. The multi-directional sample incorporates sharp edges engineered for robust buy on smooth floor and sustained grip on laborious surfaces. This emphasis on traction, leveraging Vittoria’s respected rubber compound from their biking tires, suggests dependable grip. The sturdy tread sample additionally bodes properly for good sturdiness on tough terrain.
Experience, Conclusions and Suggestions
John: The Craft Pure Path Professional excels as a technical path shoe, providing a dynamic and succesful expertise. Its nitrogen-infused EVA/PEBAX midsole, paired with a grippy Vittoria outsole, caters to runners needing each safety, stability, and velocity throughout various and difficult terrain. The higher’s design prioritizes a safe lockdown, needed for navigating technical sections. With its 6mm drop and the mixing of PEBAX within the midsole, youāll get a reasonably vigorous and responsive trip given the constructed up nature of the shoe. This shoe stands out as a pleasant choice for runners valuing traction, responsiveness, and a safe match for technical trails and longer distances. Nevertheless, its $190 worth could also be a consideration for some.
Johnās Rating: Ā 8.3 / 10
Experience: 8.0 – As a private choice, I like a lighter and fewer aggressive shoe
Match: 8.5 – Snug and hugging
Worth: 8 – This isnāt a shoe that Iām at all times looking for to put on and really feel just like the $190 for a mud romper is just too steep for me
Fashion: 9 – Itās eye catching
Traction: 9.5 – Actually nice
Rock Safety: 8Ā
Smiles ššš
4 Comparisons
Hoka Torrent 4 (RTR Overview)
John: The Torrent 4 includes a 4mm drop and an up to date EVA midsole with an early-stage MetaRocker. The Pure Path Professional has a 6mm drop and makes use of a extra superior Nitrogen EVA/PEBAX mix, providing a extra responsive and softer trip underfoot. The Torrent 4’s outsole is excessive abrasion rubber, whereas the Pure Path Professional makes use of Vittoria rubber, particularly highlighted for its grip, which could give it an edge in moist/slippery circumstances.Ā
Brooks Catamount 3 (RTR Overview)
John: The Catamount 3 is a speed-oriented path shoe, utilizing Brooks’ DNA Flash (nitrogen-infused TPU/EVA mix) and a SkyVault plate. Each are designed for sooner efforts and different terrain. The Catamount 3 has the next 8mm drop. The Pure Path Professional’s 6mm drop and totally different foam composition ends in a unique trip really feel, much less agency or propulsive than the plated Catamount however extra cushioned total with its increased stack. Outsole rubber and sample additionally differ considerably with the Pure being extra aggressive.
Salomon S/Lab Pulsar 3 (RTR Overview)
John: The Pulsar 3 is a light-weight, low-stack race-focused shoe with a extra aggressive rocker and a stiffer, firmer trip aimed toward effectivity. The Pure Path Professional, with its 36/30mm stack, Nitrogen EVA/PEBAX foam, and 6mm drop, is positioned as a extra cushioned and protecting, albeit heavier (10.5oz vs Pulsar 3’s ~7.4oz), choice able to racing but additionally day by day coaching and longer efforts the place consolation and sturdy safety are wanted. The Pure Path Professional’s outsole can be extra aggressive for various technical circumstances in comparison with the Pulsar’s extra compact lug sample.
Saucony Peregrine (RTR Overview)
John: The Pure Path Professional affords a extra energetic trip with its Cr Foam Professional/PEBAX mix in comparison with the Peregrine’s PWRRUN foam. It additionally gives larger cushioning because of the next stack peak and notably on the forefoot. Whereas each sneakers have 5mm lugs, their rubber compound and sample diverge barely. I discover the Peregrine is healthier in a position to dig into terrain. The Peregrine is lighter and feels extra agile which I personally want for path operating.
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Pure Path Professional accessible at Craft
Tester Profile
John Tribbia (5′ 6″, 130lbs) is a former sponsored mountain/path runner who has run with La Sportiva, Brooks/Fleet Ft, Pearl Izumi, and Salomon. Though he competes much less continuously today, you may nonetheless discover John having fun with the day by day grind of operating on any floor, although his favourite terrain is 30-40% grade climbs. He has gained races akin to America’s Uphill, Imogene Cross Run, and the US Skyrunner Vertical Kilometer Collection; and he is held a number of FKTs on a number of iconic mountains in Boulder, Colorado and Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah. In the event you comply with him on Strava, you will discover he runs at various paces between 5 minutes/mile to 12 minutes/mile earlier than the break of daybreak virtually on daily basis.
SamplesĀ have been supplied at no cost for evaluate functions. RoadTrail Run has affiliate partnerships and should earn fee on merchandise bought by way of buying hyperlinksĀ on this article. These partnerships don’t affect our editorial content material. The opinions herein are solely the authors’.
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