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

Best value tempo shoe

5/5

Overall

I've been using the Zante Pursuit as a daily trainer for several months now. While it isn't the best for recovery runs or slower long runs, it's terrific for faster days - tempos, intervals, you name it. Pros: - super comfortable, especially the upper. The heel counter is more comfortable than any other shoe I've ever tried. - the midsole is very responsive and feels great when you're running hard. - lighter than most training shoes - good road feel - outsole provides solid traction on the road, and can even handle some gentle trails - decent durability: I have 400 miles in mine and they still have a little life left - great value: $110 is cheaper than most shoes on the market Cons: - on long/slow runs, it's just not in its element. You certainly can use it for easy days or long runs, but there are better shoes out there.

_jeffrey_broadbent_ · Jul 26, 2019

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

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

New Zantes

5/5

Overall

This is my 5th pair of Zantes and these continue to impress with every new version. Overall highly recommend them. I average around 150 miles a month with no complaints to speak of other than when they get wet I did have an insole bunch up during a run. A little spray adhesive resolved this issue long term.

Anonymous runner · Jul 19, 2019

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

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

Bouncy!

5/5

Overall

I absolutely love this shoe. This shoe is made for running fast. It has a very aggressive feel because of how bouncy it is, and it kinda pushes you forwards. And even though it is an aggressive and light shoe, it still feels really comfortable. The upper fits like a sock, and is very comfortable. The cushioning is nice and springy. The only minus is the durability. The durability under the toes is bad, as i somehow have made holes under the toes in every pair of zante's i have ever run in (6-7 pairs) This happens fairly early i would say, after around 600km. I would recommend this shoe for faster work like intervals and tempos, but it can still be used as a trainer.

Anonymous runner · Jul 8, 2019

60 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4

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

Zante Pursuit

4/5

Overall

Love the shoe overall, a great lightweight trainer. Also good for threshold and tempo work, and even sometimes for mile-3k paced reps if its a longer workout with decent recovery intervals. My only issue with the shoe is that I feel it takes a fair amount of time to "break in" and can be uncomfortable, particularly in the arch, for the first week or so. Other than that it's a fantastic shoe and I am able to get a startling amount of mileage out of it considering its lightweight nature.

Anonymous runner · Jul 5, 2019

110 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Diadora Mythos Blushield Hip 3

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

Favorite daily trainer with some minor issues

5/5

Overall

I love the zante pursuit. It’s probably my favorite new balance shoe yet. I use it for daily training and longer runs. I have found over time that the heel slips a little bit for me and proves to be a little stiff, even when lacing the upper laces on the shoe. This has caused heel pain sometimes for me. Other than that, I love the look, feel and lightweight aspect of the shoe. It’s responsive and has some cushioning but not much, which is what I prefer. It’s sturdy enough to tackle short uptempo runs and longer runs in my experience although I haven’t taken it farther than ten miles so far. Overall, I would definitely recommended this shoe to a neutral runner who likes a responsive shoe that’s fast and comfortable.

Anonymous runner · Jul 4, 2019

30 mpw came from the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante v4