Kit & Gear

REVIEW: Mizuno Wave Neo Wind

Run like the wind with the new Mizuno Wave Neo Wind!

This shoe offers comfort and lightness with low environmental impact. It includes MIZUNO ENERZY LITE made with plant-based materials that provide amazing cushioning, energy return, and lightness. The environmentally conscious production process involves materials with low environmental impact, reduction in dyeing water and CO2 emissions. This is Mizuno's most sustainable shoe yet.

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Our SportsShoes x Mizuno athlete, Joe Sagar, reviews the Mizuno Wave Neo Wind, the brand's most sustainable running shoe to date.

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SHOP MIZUNO WAVE NEO WIND RUNNING SHOES NOW

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The big story here is centred around sustainability.

The Mizuno Neo project is designed to take the very latest Mizuno cutting-edge technologies combined with sustainable materials, to deliver maximum comfort and performance.

Both the Mizuno Wave Neo Wind and the Mizuno Wave Neo Ultra are carbon neutral from the offset. For every pair manufactured, Mizuno will plant two trees to guarantee their carbon neutrality from day one. Meaning every time you run in the shoes you can be confident they are helping the ultimate goal - to protect our planet earth, the stage on which we play sports.

• 50% of the Mizuno Wave Neo Wind is made from sustainable materials

• 10% reduction of CO2 emissions compared the same design with standard materials

• 100% dyeing water reduction compared to a standard dyeing process

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First impressions of the shoes scream comfort and cushioning, the raised supportive heel gives you a light bounce for those easy paced runs. The ‘modern’ sock type upper gives you a snug fit around the top foot and ankle. It’s a shoe for those easy miles when a mixture of comfort and speed is what you require!

The sock fit upper feels relaxed and comfortable when you lace up. The lacing system adds extra support to the upper part of the shoe and secures your foot & ankle into sole of the shoe, making your foot and trainer feel as one.

The only issue you I have with this shoe is the colour - the problem being I love them so much I just don't want to get them dirty! White is obviously not the most practical colour for a running shoe in winter, but they do look amazing and I constantly remind myself that they're white for good reason. Part of the sustainable element of this shoe is the fact they haven't been dyed, hence the lack of colour. So once they're worn out, I'll just have to get another clean pair for spring and summer, with the additional bonus of another couple of trees being planted by Mizuno in return!

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Once you've finished your run, the lasting impression will be the heel boost! The stack on the heel gives you extra support to propel you along the road, exaggerated by the drop from heel to toe which pushes you forward. For a shoe with no carbon plate, it definitely tricks you into thinking that the shoe is a relative of ‘carbon’ with the spring and bounce from the heel. 

The high stacked heel and lower midsole gives you good traction with the road. The aggressive G3 tread on the outsole gives you confidence running round bends in all conditions.

I would say the shoe runs slightly large on length and width, especially when compared to the Mizuno Wave Rider. The length of the shoe seems to be half a size bigger than various other brands and the toe box feels wide and roomy when also comparing to other models. What impressed me about the fit is the heel of the shoe, the high-backed heel with extra cushioning secures your back foot into the shoes for a secure and comfortable run. This is also a light, agile shoe that certainly doesn’t weigh you down.

If you're wanting a comfortable, slip-on shoe to run plenty of miles in then this could be the model for you. Personally, I’d use these for fast-paced sessions and steadier runs throughout the summer and spring. It’s a shoe for everyone, both beginners and elite can slip these on and hit the road.

I honestly think that Mizuno have struck the perfect balance between sustainability and high performance with the Wave Neo Wind. So, if you're a runner who also conscious about actively helping the environment and making a genuine difference, knowing that this shoe is fully carbon neutral is reason enough to support the Mizuno Neo project.

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The Mizuno Wave Neo Wind in summary;

• Fully carbon neutral - Mizuno's most sustainable shoe to date.

• Ideal for road running and quickening up to that threshold pace.  

• Outstanding grip on heel and forefoot.

• A wide fit, roomy toe box and slightly large in length (around half a size up on Mizuno Wave Rider)

• Perfect for training and light enough for faster runs.

• Comfortable, supportive heel, lightweight in design.

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SHOP MIZUNO WAVE NEO WIND RUNNING SHOES NOW

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Joe Sagar is an elite SportsShoes x Mizuno athlete, based in West Yorkshire. His road PB's include 14:08 for 5K, 30:00 for 10K and 66:10 for Half-Marathon distance and he is currently training for the TCS London Marathon 2023.

You can follow all of his running adventures here

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