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🚀 Launched June 4, 2026 · $150 globally · ₹14,999 in India · Now available on PUMA India
There is a category of running shoe that did not really exist three years ago. No carbon plate. No eye-watering race-day price tag. Just a thick slab of premium superfoam that gives you most of the energy return of a plated shoe — with a more forgiving, natural ride under your feet. The Adidas Evo SL sparked the conversation. The ASICS Superblast made it mainstream. And now PUMA has entered with its clearest answer yet: the Deviate Pure Nitro.
It launched globally on June 4, 2026, at $150. Anurag Rana, FatMarathoner, explains what it is, who it’s for, and whether Indian runners should be paying attention to it.
What exactly is the PUMA Deviate Pure Nitro?
The Deviate Pure Nitro is the newest member of PUMA’s Deviate running family — but it takes a deliberately different path from its siblings. The Deviate Nitro 4, which you may have seen at running stores in India, is built around PUMA’s PWRPLATE carbon-fibre plate for a stiff, snappy ride. The Pure Nitro strips that plate out entirely.
What remains is a full-length midsole of 100% PEBA NITROFOAM — the same material used at the core of PUMA’s highest-end race shoes, now running the full length of a shoe designed for daily training. The result is a shoe that is 30 grams lighter than the Deviate Nitro 4, significantly more flexible through the transition, and tuned for a wider range of runners and paces rather than pure race-day performance.
PUMA’s VP of Innovation Romain Girard described the intent clearly at launch: the goal was to make speed more accessible while keeping the DNA of the Deviate franchise intact. At 220 grams and $150, the shoe is unambiguously positioned against the Adidas Evo SL and ASICS Superblast 3 — two shoes that have dominated this growing category.
Why the plateless super trainer category matters for Indian runners
Most Indian runners have two types of shoes: a cushioned daily trainer for easy miles, and a carbon-plated race shoe for race day. The problem is that carbon-plated shoes — the Nike Alphafly, the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro, the ASICS Metaspeed Sky — are expensive (₹20,000 to ₹35,000+), rigid, and not designed for regular training. They work best when saved for race day or very specific fast sessions.
The plateless super trainer fills the gap. It gives you a foam that is genuinely springy and fast-feeling — made from PEBA, the same material used in elite racing shoes — without the plate’s stiffness locking your foot into a single motion pattern. You can wear it on an easy 10K, a tempo session, a long run, and a time trial in the same week. It is significantly more versatile than a plated shoe and meaningfully more responsive than a standard daily trainer.
For Indian runners who cover 50–80km per week across a mix of training paces, this type of shoe is arguably more useful than a full race shoe. The PUMA Deviate Pure Nitro is now competing directly in this bracket.
How does it compare to the Adidas Evo SL and ASICS Superblast 3?
| Shoe | Price (USD) | Weight (Men’s) | Stack | Foam | Plate | Ride character |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PUMA Deviate Pure Nitro | $150 | 220g | 38 / 30mm | 100% PEBA NitroFoam | None | Soft, stable, versatile |
| Adidas Evo SL | $160 | ~215g | 39 / 31mm | LightStrike Ultra (PEBA) | None | Soft, plush, max cushion |
| ASICS Superblast 3 | $180 | ~230g | 46 / 38mm | FF Turbo + FF Blast | None | Bouncy, high-stack, fun |
| Saucony Endorphin Azura | $160 | ~225g | 38 / 30mm | IncrediRUN (PEBA) | None | Soft, bouncy, lively |
Is it actually an Evo SL killer?
PUMA talked big about this shoe internally at trade shows — sources from The Running Event described internal hype around the “Evo SL killer” framing. First impressions from global reviewers suggest the reality is more nuanced, and honestly more honest.
The Pure Nitro is not trying to be a firmer, more aggressive shoe than the Evo SL. It is softer. More forgiving. More stable for runners who do not want to think too hard about their gait mechanics. The PEBA NitroFoam delivers genuine energy return without the stiffness of a plated shoe, but the ride character leans toward comfortable versatility rather than outright speed.
That is actually a smarter play for the Indian market. The Evo SL has a following among experienced runners who know exactly what they want. The Pure Nitro’s softer, more accommodating character makes it more accessible to the large base of Indian runners who train at mixed paces — the runner doing 6:30/km easy runs through the week and dropping to 5:00/km for weekend sessions. This shoe works across all of those paces without demanding anything specific from your form.
PUMA Deviate Pure Nitro India availability
The PUMA Deviate Pure Nitro is now live on PUMA India’s website (in.puma.com) at ₹14,999 including GST — making it one of the best-priced plateless super trainers currently available in India. Three colourways are listed at launch: PUMA White–Ultra Red–PUMA Silver, a muted purple option, and a bold red colourway. The shoe sits competitively priced against the ASICS Superblast 3 (₹18,000+) and well below most carbon-plated race shoes, which is exactly where PUMA needs it to be.
Who should consider the PUMA Deviate Pure Nitro?
- Train at mixed paces across the week
- Want a versatile shoe for tempo, long runs and easy days
- Find plated shoes too stiff or aggressive
- Are curious about the plateless super trainer category
- Want PEBA foam performance without paying for a race shoe
- Train through monsoon — PUMAGRIP handles wet roads well
- Want maximum propulsion and energy return at any cost
- Are looking specifically for a race-day shoe
- Prefer a firmer, more responsive ride than the Evo SL
- Need a high-stack maximalist shoe for pure cushioning
- Are on a tight budget — a daily trainer at ₹8,000–10,000 does easy miles fine
The PUMA Deviate Pure Nitro is a well-executed entry into the plateless super trainer category — comfortable, stable and genuinely versatile across paces. It will not replace the Adidas Evo SL as the default choice in this space, but it does not need to. It brings PEBA superfoam performance to $150 with a softer, more accommodating ride that is arguably better suited to runners who train at a range of speeds rather than pure speed demons chasing the snappiest possible toe-off.
For Indian runners specifically, the monsoon-ready PUMAGRIP outsole and the shoe’s stability at varied paces make it a genuinely compelling option right now. At ₹14,999 on PUMA India — undercutting the ASICS Superblast 3 by a meaningful margin — the price-to-performance case is strong. If you have been curious about the plateless super trainer category, this is a well-timed entry point.