Kit & Gear

REVIEW: Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro

A NEW GENERATION OF SPEED IS HERE! ⚡️

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Achieve your fastest runs with the Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro*, a premium racing shoe targeted at athletes aiming to run 5K to full marathon distance at pace.

Fully equipped with Mizuno signature features, the Wave Rebellion Pro includes a Mizuno WAVE carbon-infused plate to enhance stability when running at speed. The Mizuno ENERZY LITE throughout the midsole supports faster runs by providing a high-level of energy return. The new SMOOTH SPEED ASSIST technology allows athletes to use their ideal gait and helps them to achieve new personal bests. 

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SHOP THE MIZUNO WAVE REBELLION PRO NOW

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Pictured: Women's Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro (Rainbow) Product ref: MIZ5869

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Pictured: Men's Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro (Rainbow) Product ref: MIZ5843

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KEY UPPER ELEMENTS

The Wave Rebellion Pro upper has been designed to keep the shoe as seamless, stable and lightweight as possible.

Here are the 5 key elements;

1. Upper construction has limited stitching and material parts to create a smooth seamless upper fit.
2. Lightweight engineered mesh designed specifically for the Rebellion Pro, with strategic air holes for high breathability.
3. Ultra lightweight mesh used for the tongue, constructed with 2 laced loops to keep the tongue in place throughout performance.
4. Felt strips added on the internal side of the mesh to provide optimal fit in key areas of the upper.
5. Heel counter removed to lighten upper and provide a sock-like feel around heel and ankle.

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Pictured: Men's Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro (Rainbow) Product ref: MIZ5843

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KEY SOLE ELEMENTS

The Wave Rebellion Pro sole has been designed to propel you forward with comfort and a high-level of energy return.

Here are the 5 key elements;

1. Mizuno WAVE plate (30% carbon/70% nylon) for fast propulsion and stability.
2. Mizuno ENERZY LITE midsole with multiple holes for deformation and cushioning.
3. SMOOTH SPEED ASSIST (SSA) platform for forward propulsion and to provide a stable and smooth landing.
4. Cut-out heel area to lead towards natural forefoot strike landing.
5. G3 high-traction lightweight outsole for grip and stability.

SUSTAINABILITY

1. 90% recycled materials are used in upper lining.
2. 90% recycled materials are used in the sock liner.
3. Plant-based Mizuno WAVE plate is made with PEBAX Rilsan (Castor Oil)

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Pictured: Men's Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro (Rainbow) Product ref: MIZ5843

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ATHLETE REVIEW:

We asked our SportsShoes athlete Fabio Giudici to review this exciting new race shoe. Here's what he had to say;

Here I am facing a new challenge: writing the review for the Wave Rebellion Pro, the long-awaited Mizuno supershoe that finally sees the brand entering the world of carbon-plated race shoes.

I start from the aesthetics of the shoes because, whether we like it or not, it is the first thing you notice in a shoe. I had the honour of testing the Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro in the model with a characteristic black and white calligraphy design that I used for the first time at the Amsterdam marathon and then in numerous specific workouts.

The look of this particular model is very striking and includes the "Kakizome" "自己ベスト" whose Japanese meaning is "Personal best". Thanks to Mizuno I improved my knowledge of the world by learning what a Kakizome is: it is a Japanese term that indicates the first calligraphy written at the beginning of a year. Traditionally, kakizome was performed using ink rubbed with the first water taken from the well on New Year's Day, and sitting in a favourable direction, people wrote poems replaced in more modern times by shorter auspicious kanji. In Japan it is a very important event and every year on January 5th, thousands of calligraphers gather at the Nippon Budokan, in Chiyoda-ku in Tokyo, for a kakizome event widely covered by the media. After this cultural digression I return to the aesthetic review of the shoe.

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Pictured: Unisex Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro (B&W).

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Visually the shoe is characterized by a midsole with high thickness. Weighing just 220g, the Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro is extremely lightweight and comparable with all other leading supershoes on the market.

You can immediately feel how light this shoe is as soon as you wear it: the upper is minimal and breathable and the chunky midsole stack is extremely lightweight - this is a racing shoe from all every perspective. One thing I must be clear about is that it is not an "easy" running shoe. This is obvious as soon as you stand up after having fastened them: the feeling of being on a raised platform, much more than you can feel with another pair of supershoes on your feet. This unique midsole structure, with a cut-away canyon in the midfoot, increases the feeling of imbalance, but once you start running your impressions quickly change.

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Pictured: Women's Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro (Rainbow) Product ref: MIZ5869

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Racing in these shoes feels incredibly fluid, the "lack" of the heel platform is not an issue, even for a heel striker like myself. Indeed, its absence supports a more natural roll and a smoother run, even when the muscles are no longer reactive. During the race you do not even notice the presence of the canyon in the midsole and that allows the shoe a very particular twist that could be indigestible in the first kilometres but then turns out to be necessary to manage the enormous adherence to the ground that these shoes have.

A few words about this feature, the one that surprised me most of all: the grip of these shoes is simply phenomenal both in terms of propulsion and in terms of resistance to lateral torsion in changes of direction in wide or tight corners. It is incredible how much these shoes remain on the ground exactly where they are placed: any previous shoe used to me has always given the impression of losing a few millimetres during the pushing phase, it is a natural thing and I think it is a "normal" feeling, but when you try this model you understand that the feeling of having a spiked shoe running on asphalt is not a utopia. I've done my standard training lap with pretty much every shoe I've had available over the years and in every possible weather condition, but a couple of corners, one particularly tight and the other on often wet ground, I've always had to tackle in a softer way, except with the Wave Rebellion Pro. I also used them during a session on the track in the middle of winter and halfway through training on tartan a layer of ice was created that made the track impassable for everyone else but that did not create particular problems for me.

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Pictured: Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro outsole.

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The upper is very light and breathable, wraps the foot lightly and keeps it cool. The laces are very thin and light, even under stress they do not increase the pressure on the foot and do not unfasten (problem often encountered with flat laces), they remain exactly where and how they were fastened at the beginning of the race. Personally, when I fasten the shoes I also use the extra eyelet to keep the shell more fixed to my ankle and avoid rubbing in the heel area.

Until now I have run with these shoes for about 160km and they are proving to be very resistant: the reactivity and softness of the foam that makes up the midsole have remained unchanged, as well as the grip, and the upper has not suffered any degradation, cleaning is simple and drying after a workout in the rain is quick thanks to the overall lightness of all components.

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Pictured: Women's Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro (Rainbow) Product ref: MIZ5869

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For these shoes I could point out two small issues: one is the height of the collar (the edge of the shoe near the ankle that connects the shell to the upper) which for me is exactly the distance between the malleolus and the base of the heel, so at every step I feel a slight "blow" that makes running less pleasant. I tried to overcome the discomfort by tying the shoes without using the extra eyelet but the second problem arose: the foot slipped forward a few millimetres and I discovered that the toe of the Rebellion Pro is very thin and after 20km it was not at all comfortable. I fear that this problem may also occur to other athletes who, like me, have a particularly thin and tapered foot.

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After the Amsterdam marathon I had an AMA on Reddit about it, you can find it here. 

Overall, I can say with confidence that with this shoe, Mizuno have not only entered the supershoes market, they intend to stay there with a leading role. And I think that the new Wave Rebellion Pro absolutely allows them to do this.

Before saying goodbye I want to reassure you of one thing: this shoe is perfectly in line with IAAF rules and approved for road competitions.

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Pictured: Men's Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro (Rainbow) Product ref: MIZ5843

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Fabio Giudici is an elite SportsShoes athlete, based in Northern Italy. His road PB's include 32:30 for 10K and 1:12:26 for Half-Marathon and 2:32:46 for the Marathon.

Click here to keep up with Fabio’s adventures.

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SHOP THE MIZUNO WAVE REBELLION PRO NOW

SHOP ALL MIZUNO RUNNING SHOES NOW

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ABOUT MIZUNO

Mizuno is a sporting equipment manufacturer established in Japan in 1906. In addition to developing and marketing products for a wide range of sports, including running, handball, volleyball, football, and golf, the company is also committed to increasing the availability of sporting equipment and promoting sports. Every one of the 115 years since its foundation, Mizuno has taken special pride and pleasure in being able to innovate and provide sports equipment of the highest quality. Each technological advancement strives to create unique sporting equipment and apparel that helps all athletes be the best athlete they can be no matter the sport or the conditions. Mizuno believes that each and every person is guided by the ideal of true sportsmanship. It’s the company’s philosophy which states its mission of "contributing to society through the advancement of sporting goods and the promotion of sports."

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