Health x Wellness
Review: PUMA IGNITE Ultimate Women’s Running Shoe
Looking for comfort and affordability? Find out our take on the new PUMA IGNITE Ultimate for women.
When it comes to fitness, comfort often takes the centre-stage. Leading Global Sports Brand PUMA has factored this in with its latest addition to the PUMA IGNITE running shoe family – the PUMA IGNITE Ultimate.
We tried on the PUMA IGNITE Ultimate Women’s running shoe in Black-purple Cactus Flower, and were rather impressed with its cushy midsoles.
The shoe’s unique IGNITE Foam midsole is designed to compress during landing and rebound to increase energy return. Indeed, with the midsole’s energy-returning qualities, you can truly feel that springy “lift-off” effect when running. The same effect is experienced when doing high-impact exercises such as jumping and skipping, making the IGNITE Ultimate an ideal running shoe for active agers looking to minimise impact and shock to the knees.
However, due to the shoe’s cushiony midsole, the IGNITE Ultimate has a visibly greater midsole height compared to standard running shoes in the market. While the thicker midsoles may come across as bulky or heavy, the IGNITE Ultimate is surprisingly lighter than it looks. Though not the lightest running shoe in the market, the IGNITE Ultimate compensates for that with the amount of comfort and cushioning it provides.
Design-wise, the body of the shoe is slightly on the harder and broader side, and comes with metallic black PUMA Formstrips on the lateral and medial sides. Featuring a three-layer mesh upper in black and bright purple stripes, the shoe provides a decent amount of breathability.
One interesting feature about the IGNITE Ultimate is the flex grooves that run from heel to toe on its outsoles. Set in a transition line to mimic your natural running gait, the flex grooves at the forefoot help provide a smoother transition and toe-off during your run.
One thing to note about the shoe’s insoles however, is its silicone print ridges imprinted along the footbed. While the silicone prints are designed to secure the foot and eliminate slippage, not everyone may be used to having ridges rubbing against their soles. It may even generate more frictional heat within the shoe and cause slight discomfort for those doing long-distance runs. Nevertheless, if you are able to look beyond the different sensation created at the insoles, the silicone print can actually lend quite a bit of traction where needed and minimise potential injury.
Overall, if you’re looking for a running shoe that offers both comfort and affordability, the IGNITE Ultimate would make an ideal option to power you through your workouts. Going at SGD 199, the price tag for a running shoe with this amount of cushioning is definitely a reasonable one.
The IGNITE Ultimate Women’s running shoe is also available in four other colours – Fluo Peach-rose Red, Purple Cactus Flower-zinnia, White Fluo-peach and Quarry Rose-red.
The PUMA IGNITE Ultimate is currently available at all PUMA retail stores and authorised dealers.
