361 Degrees Miro Review
By Matthew Klein
361 Miro NudePrice: $219 at 361 Sport
Weight: 4.3 oz, 122g (measured men's size 10)
Stack Height: Not Provided, In the 30mm Range
Drop: Estimated 5-6 mm
Shoe Purpose: Super Light Super Racing Shoe
Pros: Super Light, Super Responsive, Light Upper, Fast Ride, Secure Upper
Cons: Poor Outsole Durability, Snug Fit
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The 361 Miro is the lightest super racing shoe on the market, coming in at an incredible 4.3 oz for men's size 10. A snug, racing fit sits up top with an extremely thin carbon silk upper for those with narrow to normal-width feet. A full-length double layer of CQTEXTREM3 superfoam combined with a carbon fiber plate makes up the midsole, providing a soft, responsive and super light ride underfoot. The design will work best for 5k to 10k races for most people while those that are extremely efficient and light on their feet may be able to take this shoe for longer. The 361 Miro has redefined what is possible with the next generation of super racing shoes.
SIMILAR SHOES: Adidas Adizero Pro Evo 1
PAST MODEL: New model
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Matt: The 361 Miro fits me true to size length-wise in my normal men's US size 10. The width is narrow and snug throughout the length of the shoe. The incredibly thin carbon silk upper has only a little stretch to it and is lower volume, especially in the forefoot. The toebox is odd as the medial side has plenty of room for the 1st toe to remain straight and is not tapered. The lateral side of the toe box is slightly more tapered. The forefoot is snug and tapers on the lateral side which has put some slight pressure on my 5th toe (also from the lateral sidewall). The midfoot is snug and low with a paper thin, non-gusseted tongue. The upper is snug enough that the laces do not have to be tied too tight, which is important as the tongue does little to protect the top of the foot. The heel is snug with small tabs of cushioning around the heel collar at the rear. There is a thin and flexible heel counter at the rear of the shoe. It does give the shoe some structure but I did not notice it at all. Those with heel sensitivities should be fine but there is still some stiffness. This is a shoe that requires socks as there is no insole and the footbed stitching is exposed. Fortunately, thin socks work well with this incredibly thin upper. However, care should be taken putting the shoe one and taking it off as the thin tongue has to be laid down carefully and not to tear anything (although nothing has ripped or worn so far).
Typical Size: Men's US Size 10
Shoes that have fit Matt well: Saucony Guide 17, ASICS Kayano 30, Hoka Gaviota 5, Saucony Endorphin Elite, Nike Ultrafly
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Saucony Kinvara 14
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon S/Lab Phantasm 2, Altra Timp 5
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: No
Is the Forefoot Flexible: No
How Flexible is the Shoe: No Flexible
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: Somewhat
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: Below Average
PERFORMANCE
Matt: The 361 Miro is a super light super racing shoe. This is a shoe only meant for going fast during workouts and races. The midsole is a double-layered material called CQTEXTREM3, which feels like a soft PEBA/PEBAX type material. There is a ton of bounce and responsiveness to this foam that feels better the faster you go. The weight is obviously super light at 4.3 oz for my men's US size 10 and feels like you are almost wearing nothing. The combination of a large amount of soft cushioning and such light weight is a conundrum that takes a second to mentally process but is absolutely amazing. While the stack height measurements have not been provided, it is definitely in the mid to upper 30 mm range with a 4-6 mm drop. The drop does not feel too high or too low but the foam is soft enough that rearfoot striking may make the shoe feel lower drop.
Despite that, there is a large and long heel bevel that encourages a more forward foot strike. This creates a smooth and forward ride that makes it easier and feel better to land more at the forefoot. The midfoot is so narrow that it transitions easily into the stable and quick transitioning forefoot. The forefoot has a large, early rocker and is incredibly snappy. While the forefoot is stiff thanks to the QU!KBONE carbon fiber plate, it still feels smooth thanks to the large rocker. The plate is on the thinner side, so there is some mild flexibility at the farthest forward part of the forefoot that increases that smoothness. This incredible combination of factors makes the 361 Miro best for mile to 10k racing. There is a large amount of cushioning underfoot and extremely efficient runners may be able to go up to the half marathon but the narrow midfoot/heel and durability makes this a better shoe for running extremely fast. I have hit some of my fastest workouts in years that ranged from track intervals to tempo runs (which become more time trial efforts) and have found this to work well for all short to mid distance type workouts.
My hesitation for using it for the marathon is that the durability is not the best. While I have managed to get this shoe to 20 miles without the outsole completely coming off, I am already seeing significant wear on the exposed midsole. This suggests to me the durability is not great and that after breaking this shoe in, it should be kept only for racing. That racing should only occur on road or track as the exposed material will not do well on unstable or any kind of terrain with rocks/objects that can penetrate the sole. If you keep it to smooth surfaces, the 361 Miro will perform extremely well.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Matt: The 361 Miro is a neutral shoe. While there are some elements that add some guidance, the narrow heel and midfoot keep the shoe more neutral. There are medial and lateral sidewalls that present on both sides of the shoe but are most prominent from the anterior midfoot into the forefoot. While the heel and midfoot are more neutral, the forefoot is quite stable. There are large sidewalls on both sides of the foot in the forefoot with sole flare on both sides and rigidity. This makes for a stable place to push off from. While the Miro is neutral, the forefoot is stable neutral, thanks to the above.
Thoughts as a DPT: Sacrifices Required For Super Light Super Shoes
By Matthew Klein
The 361 Miro is a new extremely light, max stack height super racing shoe that sits alongside the Adidas Adizero Pro Evo 1. Both are sub 5 oz in men's size 9 with full-length carbon fiber plates, maximal stack heights and super foams. There are only two shoes like this available in the US and both maximize two unique components. Super racing shoes maximize their efficiency due to the combination of a superfoam, a stiffening agent (usually a carbon fiber plate), a maximal stack height with a rockered geometry and lighter weight. Two well-researched areas that improve efficiency are lighter weight and resilient cushioning. For every 100g or 3.5 oz lighter, there is evidence that a shoe may improve running economy by 1% (Rodrigo-Carranza et al., 2020). There is a limit to this, as going so low in weight that cushioning is sacrificed produces the opposite effect where the body must spend more energy doing active shock absorption (Franz et al., 2012). This limit is balanced by the fact that cushioning is important and more resilient cushioning (bouncy foams, like many types of PEBA/PEBAX) can further improve running economy (Worobets et al., 2014). The challenge with this is that previously, the amount of foam you could put in a shoe would eventually cause an increase in weight that could not be appropriately compensated for. We now have two shoes that shoe that sacrifice of weight does NOT have to be made for a maximal amount of underfoot resilient cushioning.
..
However, there is still a sacrifice to be made and that comes with durability. While the performance of the shoe remains incredibly high, how long it can maintain that performance is going to suffer (at this time). To achieve such light weights with so much material, durable outsole materials and long lasting foam properties often have to be sacrificed. Softer shoes are also usually less durable. This comes partially from the fact that to get that softness you have to use softer outsole materials that wear down faster (because outsoles will impact the ride) but also beyond scientific evidence, I have found that softer shoes just wear out faster in general. So runners will tear through or off the sole materials quicker. The uppers, being insanely lighter and thin, may also wear out quicker. The extremely resilient foams may also lose their cushioning properties quicker, an example being Adidas's warnings around the Pro Evo 1 being meant for one training run and one race. So while we have achieved the next level of impossible with super light super stack height super racing shoes and many shoes will follow, we should still look for ways to make them last. Although this may be in direct opposition to the profit-driven nature of most large companies, sustainability for both the environment and consumers is still something people are looking for and an important thing to consider.
Worobets, J., Wannop, J. W., Tomaras, E., & Stefanyshyn, D. (2014). Softer and more resilient running shoe cushioning properties enhance running economy. Footwear Science, 6(3), 147-153.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Matt: The 361 Miro is an incredible piece of footwear. The combination of soft responsive cushioning and extremely lightweight is unmatched at this time. There are some drawbacks to this, most noticeable the durability. Given how light the Miro is compared to the rest of the market, even the Pro Evo 1 which costs more than double the Miro, my major suggest is to add a little more outsole rubber for durability. I am not a fan of partial outsole coverage because I am someone that will quickly catch and pull that piece off. The material that is used is not terrible, so I would suggest covering the entirety of the outsole with this material. This will not add that much weight and may push it up to the mid 4 oz range, which is still by far the lightest shoe. Outside of that, I would hesitate to suggest any changes given how much was put into this shoe. I would love to have the midfoot a little wider but the stable forefoot offsets this. The rockered heel pushes the feet forward but you can't expect significant stability in a shoe this light. So until more materials are naturally this light, I only suggest slightly beefing up the outsole durability
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Matt: The 361 Miro is for those looking for the ultimate mile, 5k and 10k super racer or the efficient runners looking for the lightest super racing shoe on the market. The upper will work best for those with normal to narrow-width feet wanting a snug/secure fit. The sole will work best for those who land a little farther forward and want a soft/responsive, higher stack height that still feels incredibly nimble. The durability is not great and this will be either a shoe great for those who are not hard on soles or kept as a special tool for race day. While a little on the expensive side, it is still the lightest super racing shoe on the market and it is amazing they only charge $219 with how expensive shoes are getting. Shoes that weight twice as much of this cost quite a bit more, so for the technology, this is great. It is also great to see that the super lightweight and super racing shoe designs can be combined. This sets a new standard that I hope more companies will chase, hopefully without sacrificing durability. The durability is the only issue, although this makes sense given the light materials. Regardless, this is an incredibly fun and high-performance shoe that I take as far as I can as fast as I can.
GRADES
Matt
Fit: B+/A- (Snug, super light upper with lower volume and good security)
Performance: A (Super foam/carbon plate with super lightweight that works great for all workouts and short to moderate races)
Stability: B+ [Neutral] (Stable forefoot thanks to wider shape, sidewalls. More neutral heel/midfoot but rocker moves foot along well)
Value: B+/A- (Far better price than others close to this. Still lower durability and low use shoe given the super light weight.)
Personal: A- (Potentially my racing shoe of the year. My absolute first choice for time trials and 5k racing. Wish it was a little more durable but a sacrifice that has to be made)
Overall Design: A-
SHOP | SUPPORT DOR361 MiroPrice: $219 at 361 Sport
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FURTHER READING
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