I tested the two-time Boston marathon-winning shoe of Sharon Lokedi – here’s my honest opinion

Of course, it’s runners who win marathons, not shoes. However, runners want to get from A to B in a race as fast as possible, so why not wear the kit that enables this to happen?

Under Armour has created a running shoe that has taken Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi to two Boston Marathon victories, and what better tribute to the achievement than naming it after her? The Velociti Elite 3 ‘Sharon Lokedi’ are lightweight, carbon-plated shoes designed for race day – UA recommends them for middle- and long-distance road events, including the marathon, though I found they also felt great for speedwork and 5ks.

Out of the box

UA claims a weight of 7.8oz (221g) for the Velociti Elite 3 – my UK size 10.5s tipped a kitchen scale at 8.6oz/245g, which is plenty light, though not at the very top end of modern supershoes. That light weight is partly down to the uppers, which are constructed from a strong-feeling but very light cross-weave mesh which is breathable and flexible, and wraps snugly around the feet. They felt very comfortable, with no movement or chafing, helped by the serrated shoelaces, which I think should be a legal obligation on all running shoes to avoid them coming undone mid-race.

New software

Underneath, Under Armour have been busy, and there is quite a lot of sole here. The Velociti Elite 3 has a full-length carbon plate to add spring, buried in a lightweight and responsive HOVR+ thermoplastic polyurethane foam midsole, which has been designed to give a lighter, softer feel. The rubber outsole is quite extensive by modern standards. I sometimes fear for the durability of a few supershoes, which have stripped back the outsole to the bare bones, and it doesn’t take many runs before the foam midsole starts to show signs of wear and tear. However, the Velociti Elite 3 has a good amount of surface area, which is good for durability. It looks grippy in all weathers, even if this inevitably adds weight.

Racing in the Velociti

I went for a recovery run for my first outing in the Velociti Elite 3, and they felt pretty lifeless at low speeds. But before I questioned just how much faster Sharon Lokedi could go in a different pair of shoes, I did some speed sessions in the Velociti Elite 3, along with the acid test of a 5k race. At speed, they felt like a different shoe – my intervals were faster than usual, and I felt great throughout, instead of dipping at the end. There was exactly the right amount of forward propulsion from the plate and foam, which felt bouncy, but not squashy. Interestingly, they dealt well with my tendency to heel strike – not every supershoe does so.

In race conditions, they thrived – I hit the target I was aiming for, with kilometre splits all within a second of each other (another tendency, not a rare one, is to slow down at the end of a 5k). On longer, steadier runs, I found the faster I ran in them, the better I felt – they’re definitely a speedy shoe.

Available options

I tested the black/high vis yellow/white model, but the Velociti Elite 3s also come in team royal/metallic silver/white; blue fog/stone/flash light; white/fade green/green mode and lumos lime/black. Interestingly, it’s a unisex shoe too, with UK sizing from a 3 to a 14. Overall, a fast, comfortable, race-day shoe.

Under Armour Velociti Elite 3 specs