Puma Ignite Running Shoe Review

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The Puma Ignite review revealed a lean, light-weight and performance-ready sneaker.

Puma Ignite running shoes – Performance

I ran in college but a few injuries and surgeries eliminated the activity for me. Once I got my hands on these in the mail, my zest was restored and I got back on that horse. Personally I’m not crazy about the color, but they come in white/blue/green, red/black and gray/black for your other choices. If the purple is good enough for Usain Bolt, it’s good enough for me. Overall they were lightweight, provided adequate cushion and have been consistent enough to keep me on the road.

Puma Ignite running shoes – Outsole

The Puma Ignite running shoes are great. I was always an “Air Pegasus” guy in college and appreciated the nice cushion of the Nike shoe. These don’t (visibly) show that same amount of cushion, but after a couple weeks of testing, I honestly see no difference. I am working on my running technique to shift my strike from the heel to the ball of my foot. That said, I still tend to heel-strike and these shoes offered plenty of cushion regardless of where I landed.

I tend to mix my running from street, concrete, trail and grass. Regardless of what was under my foot, the Puma Ignite running shoes were great. The flats of the roads and (mostly) trails were fine and there was adequate traction on both. On the grass, the shoes were stable in the uneven terrain and offered plenty of traction for sprint accelerations and for slowing down.

Puma Ignite running shoes – Upper

The upper is part of the draw for the Puma Ignites as well. Its no secret this is part of the reason they are so lightweight, but I also found it to be cool and breathable. The mesh allowed my feet to breathe nicely on these warmer Colorado afternoons. As I mention below, this is an area of concern for uneven surfaces, but I also found the toe-box to be a little smaller than desired. I tend to favor a wider area there to allow my toes more room and this eventually lead to a few small blisters between my toes.

When testing these items, I tend to get a little nit-picky, so here’s the nit picky part. The Puma Ignite running shoes are comically light. I say that as a huge compliment. The “upper” part of the shoes are flexible and thin.  These particular shoes fit me like a pair of socks. As mentioned above, perhaps a bit too snug?

Where I noticed a little issue, and this was after 3 weeks of running about 8 – 10 miles per week, was on uneven surfaces. It seemed that if I landed on a clump of dirt or grass that cantered my foot off to one side, I could feel a shift in my foot. I tried to capture this below in the images. You can see in the “after” image, with a little effort (while in my office) I can slide my foot off to the side of the sole. If you are a road-runner, this will likely never be an issue for you. I think we all understand that in order to attain this incredibly light feel, you sacrifice a bit with durability or support.

The only other item I noticed was a little “pinch” in the upper around the bottom of the laces. During the runs it was not noticeable, but when first lacing up and walking around it required a bit of adjustment to the tongue and laces. This could also be a result of the trade-off you have with these mesh, lightweight uppers. A more durable, leather upper would not have the flexibility to cause this issue.

Puma Ignite running shoes – Details

• Weight: 9.6 ounces (size 9)
• Soft, ultra-thin suede tongue for more comfort
• IGNITE Foam midsole for high-rebound cushioning
• Flexibility through forefoot flex grooves
• EverTrack for durability in high-wear areas

Final Thoughts

Overall the Puma Ignite running shoes are just plain great and they have been the impetus for getting me running again. There is enough cushion if you’re a heel-striker and plenty of performance if you run (or aspire to run) like Usain. They are incredibly comfortable and lightweight. Just choose your colors wisely. You can get more information and purchase these great running shoes for yourself at us.puma.com or amazon.com/puma.