The Puma MagMax Nitro 2 Turned Routine Runs Into Something Better

Sunlight peeked through branches and painted the pavement as I strode down Washington Street in Old Town Winchester, Virginia. “This feels good,” I thought to myself, as I maintained a Zone 2 pace, a rhythm between pushoffs, and bounced from foot to foot. Key to that was the tool on my feet: the Puma MagMax Nitro 2, a high-stack, supercritically cushioned trainer that ran as good as it looked. Over about a month, I put the shoe to the test, across 50 miles in the Shenandoah Valley. Here’s how it performed. 

A Closer Look at the MagMax Nitro 2 

The MagMax Nitro 2

($180) is Puma’s high-stack trainer with a thick slab ot supercritical Nitro Foam underfoot. What does that mean? According to the company, the nitrogen-infused midsole is “Lighter, more responsive, more direct – this is how runners describe what they feel with every step. NITRO™ foam absorbs energy, stores it briefly, and releases it at precisely the right moment.” 

Matthias Hartmann, Head of Material Engineering Innovation Footwear, added: “The major advantage is that it allows us to create ultra-light foams that absorb significantly more energy and return it.” 

In other words, NITRO foam is full of bounce.

Beyond the midsole, the MagMax 2’s specs include: 

• Stack height: 46mm/38mm (heel/toe) 

• 8 mm drop 

• Weight: 9.7 oz (Men's size 9)/7.9 oz (Women’s size 6.5) 

• PumaGrip outsole 

• Engineered mesh upper 

• Gusseted knit tongue 

When the Ride Becomes the Reason to Run 

As I began my test of the MagMax, the first thing that stood out was comfort. I’d been running in an uptempo trainer, and never realized the quiet foot fatigue that accompanied each footstrike. In the Pumas, I didn’t experience the typical shock and strain of landing. Instead, each impact muted the pavement and almost provided a mini foot massage. But that was only part of the story.

Then there was the bounce. Puma’s tagline for the shoe is “Let’s Bounce” and they aren’t kidding. The NitroFoam midsole compressed at landing, then, as I pushed off, sprang me forward. I could settle into my preferred base, and like a drummer, keep a steady rhythm: land, compress, bounce, fly. I wasn’t just experiencing performance; it added an element of fun as well. 

The shoe fit true to size, and the mesh upper felt like a finely knit sweater. It was a pleasure to step in and lace up. The gusseted tongue held in place during runs, and the lace length was just right. The tire-tread-like outsole clawed at the pavement through dry and wet conditions. 

The MagMax’s light weight also added to its fun feeling, and infused a rabbit-hop-like sensation when striding down the Abrams Creek path, or through Old Town on a morning long run. Time after time, I just wanted to keep running. 

Of course, this isn’t a track day or workout shoe, but it did handle slightly elevated paces well, though the foam’s softness held it back when going all out. 

My last test run said everything about this shoe. It was an early morning, and I was worn out from the week. I thought I could barely muster four miles. The first mile or two, my legs were stiff, and I struggled along. But then I got in sync, my muscles loosened, and the NitroFoam bounced me along. In the early morning sun, along Winchester’s Green Circle, I realized how 

much fun I was having. Before long, I’d run eight miles. 

Some runners use different shoes for easy days, track days, or tempo days. The Puma MagMax Nitro 2 is for fun days. In the book Running Breakthroughs, by Floris Gierman, Eliud Kipchoge said: “When you’re running, please enjoy it.” This is the shoe to do just that.