New Balance Fresh Foam Zante Pursuit

Name: New Balance Fresh Foam Zante Pursuit
Brand: New Balance
Rating: 4.9 (14 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 6.9 oz · 23/17mm stack · 6mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock.

How it ranks

The New Balance Fresh Foam Zante Pursuit is one of the strongest daily trainers in our data. Value and looks are its strongest sub-ratings. Cushioning scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating is based on 14 runner reviews.

Good

Overall

Good 89

Value

Very good 92

Appearance

Very good 91

Durability

Decent 76

Comfort

Decent 75

Cushioning

Below average 65

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

Confidence

93 High

High 93

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Brand rating
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“Heel counter more comfortable than any other shoe”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

“Durability under toes is bad—holes in every pair”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

“Shoe feels like it disappears under you”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon

“Seriously light, feels like a less edgy racing flat”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO

“Perfect for narrow-footed runners seeking a connected-to-ground feel”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon

“Insole too thin, moves around after 8km or when wet”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Fujilyte

“Midsole very responsive and feels great when running hard”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

“Upper fits like a sock”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

“Smooth out of box, no break-in needed”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for middle distance came from the New Balance 890 v6

“Takes time to break in, uncomfortable in arch first week”

4/5 Full review 110 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Diadora Mythos Blushield Hip 3

“Concerned about legs taking a beating with the lack of cushion”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO

“Racing flats that served as a trainer”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO

“Outsole provides solid traction on road and handles gentle trails”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

“Caused heel pain sometimes”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

“Startling amount of mileage for a lightweight shoe”

4/5 Full review 110 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Diadora Mythos Blushield Hip 3

“Gloves top of foot but can create chafing in weird areas”

4/5 Full review 70 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

“400 miles in and still have life left”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

“Tread in heel disappearing”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Fujilyte

“Heel slips a bit and feels stiff”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

“Wears out really fast”

5/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Fujilyte

“Insole bunches up when wet”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

“Didn't last as long as hoped”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO

“Happier on the road or track”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO

“After around 600km”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

Prefer this shoe over another

41% 9/22

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Light at 7.4 oz, and reviewers call it fast and responsive.
Reviewers rate it well for tempo runs, intervals and racing.
It lists at $110, and value rates 4.7 out of 5, with two reviewers calling it cheap for what it is.

Cons

Durability is the weakest dimension at 4.2 out of 5, and two reviewers wear through the outsole at the heel or the toes.
Two reviewers have the thin insole shift or bunch when the shoe gets wet.
Four reviewers find it firm with little cushioning, and two prefer other shoes for easy miles.

Fresh Foam Zante Pursuit rates 89. This shoe has high confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Runner Ratings

14 ratings

5/5 12

4/5 2

3/5 0

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 6.9 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 7.4 oz · Women's 6.4 oz
Release: 2019 Q1
MSRP: $110
Stack: 23/17mm
Drop: 6mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

the goat

5/5

Overall

Firm ride, but great overall shoe. Wide toe box, and is flexible enough for v02-long runs. ive worn this show almost exclusively for 2 years. I've gotten 500-600 miles out of each of them.

Anonymous runner · Jul 10, 2020

67 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Brooks Levitate 3

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Cannot go wrong

5/5

Overall

This shoe was amazing, light weight, but functional for longer runs. I bought 2 pair and rotated them. The breathability was good. I never really took them outside in the winter so I cannot say how they are on ice/snow for traction or stability, with the lack of structure securing the foot to the shoe I did worry about my foot sliding, I didn’t tempt fate and never tested them in that facet. I did a zombie run with tear off flags, I wasn’t going to try to juke or move abruptly, but when I picked up the pace to out run the zombies they were amazing. I did run with them off road a bit, but with the thinner sole they were a little rough, that all is to say that they are happier on the road or track. I really did love them, I don’t know if I will get them again, I don’t know if they lasted as long as I would have hoped, but they were only 100 dollars so I didn’t break the bank so I really cannot complain. Basically they, in my opinion are racing flats that served as a trainer.

Anonymous runner · Jan 29, 2020

20 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Great trainer and racer for longer distances

5/5

Overall

I went through a shoe panic a few years ago when my favorite shoe was discontinued, and this has been my go to ever since. The Zante Pursuit is light, fast, and fairly good looking. There's not a ton of cushion or support, and the heel to toe drop is pretty small, but it's perfect for a runner with a foot on the narrower side who's looking for a "connected to the ground" running experience. I use it for all aspects of my training, and I usually race in a fresh pair. I get about 350-400 miles out of a pair, and then they become my daily walkers. Great shoe.

Anonymous runner · Jan 21, 2020

40 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

new zantes

4/5

Overall

pretty good overall shoe; the new upper took some getting used to; gloves the top of the foot better, but can create some chafing in weird areas. they fixed the insole coming loose issue in the v4s tho, which was nice to see.

Anonymous runner · Jan 10, 2020

70 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 4/5

Still new, but a good start

5/5

Overall

The shoe is seriously light, if feels like a less edgy racing flat. My shoes are relatively new, so I really cannot rate their durability, but so far so good. I have a wide foot, and the shoe gives. If the shoe were any narrower I wouldn’t have been able to get them (I am barely a wide). Unfair comment, but they really seem more like a race car and I am afraid to hit dirt or anything else the nature of the shoe I would be hesitant to expect them to support if I had to do something laterally with urgency (not that what the shoe is designed for obviously but it is a concern in running with traffic and the such). They breath okay, my foot wasn’t dripping like I would have thought when I was running with them in Singapore. They dried out pretty good would be dry by the next days run. I am about 40 and I am wondering if I will get them again, I am concerned how much beating my legs are taking with the lack of cushion, I am not saying they hard, but just the lack of material has me wondering how I will respond with more miles in them. I have like 75+ miles in each pair so far.

Anonymous runner · Jul 30, 2019

25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Freedom ISO