Tracksmith Eliot Racer Review: Earning Its Stripes

Introduction to the Tracksmith Eliot Racer

ROBBE: I already wrote an entire background and history of the Eliot Racer for the First Look of this shoe, so I’ll keep it a bit shorter here. Or, I’ll just copy and paste most of that intro, minus all the Robert Frost poetry.

The short version is that the Eliot Racer has been in development for some time. So long, in fact, that I forgot they made a whole announcement about this shoe over a year ago, teasing it for a summer 2024 release that came and went with nary a peep. Then fall, aka the Super Bowl season of Tracksmith’s aesthetic, also came and went. Then Christmas, without a present or the Eliot Racer’s presence. Then, it was supposed to be released around the Miami Marathon, but again, it wasn’t. Then came spring, and it was finally here. For real, this time.

That said, my expectations for this shoe were lower than a snake’s belly in a tractor rut. There seemed to be a lot of empty promises. It also didn’t help that we always felt the Eliot Runner was a mediocre trainer at best. It was great as a lifestyle shoe or if you just had $200 to spend on a traditional running shoe that looked good, but it was never exciting from a performance standpoint.

So when we heard they were doing a race day shoe, I cued up my best Willy Wonka faux-scolding Violet Beauregarde as she made an ill-fated decision to eat a not-yet-finished everlasting gobstopper: “No. Stop. Don’t.” Because I knew they still would.

As such, I fully expected this shoe to land in the garbage chute with all the other bad eggs. I didn’t even care if it did — after all, it’s nice to have a sacrificial lamb to skewer to pieces every once in a while.

The materials looked great on the tech sheets that Tracksmith sent over, with the midsole as the main story here, featuring a drop-in midsole made of Aliphatic TPU (also known as ATPU) that sits on top of a carbon plate embedded into a Pebax midsole chassis (as Tracksmith calls it). Aliphatic TPU is trending right now, and for good reason — it’s a light and durable foam with some ridiculous energy return. Puma has been using it in its top-tier racing shoes in 2025, Kiprun is using it, and we suspect we’ll see more of it coming from other brands as well.

We’ve seen the drop-in midsole idea before, obviously in the Eliot Runner and some trail models from Speedland and Nnormal. In terms of the Eliot Racer, we were told at one point that runners would be able to buy replacement drop-in midsoles, eliminating the need to buy an entire shoe, which is a very cool concept. I’m not sure if that’s still in the works, though.

As far as total stack height, the shoe measures 38 mm in the heel and 30.5 mm in the forefoot, though Tracksmith takes an interesting visual approach to the design. Because of the drop-in midsole, it actually looks like a much lower stack from the outside, which I actually kind of like. Bring back racing shoes looking like racing shoes.

Tracksmith claims the shoe was independently texted by Heeluxe and confirmed to have the highest energy returns ever recorded, but every company says this about their shoes, so I had serious doubts. All said and done, the shoe weighs about 7.7 ounces (218 g) for a US M9, which isn’t exactly the lightest shoe in the race day spectrum. But it’s acceptable. Throw in a mesh upper with a microsuede material lining the heel counter and tongue, as well as rubber-infused laces, and you have yourself a race day shoe.

Enough backstory, let’s get into the review.

MEAGHAN: Robbe covered the history and background of the Eliot Racer in great detail, so I’ll keep this brief. My expectations were pretty much in line with his — low. I’m a huge fan of Tracksmith. I’ve got five pairs of Session Speed Shorts that rotate between the washer, dryer, and my body, and I practically live in the Brighton Base Layer during winter, but when it comes to shoes? That’s a different ballpark, and the Eliot Runner (Tracksmith’s everyday trainer) was just okay, so how great could the race day shoe be? Well, we put it to the test, and let’s just say it turned out to be a bit more than we expected.

What we like about the Tracksmith Eliot Racer

ROBBE: Before I say “everything,” let’s just start with the upper. I don’t recall having a shoe with a microsuede collar and tongue lining before, but all I can say is this: I’m a huge fan. In true Tracksmith fashion, it feels luxurious, which is a hard balance to pull off without sacrificing performance or heel slip or lockdown. All of those are fine. Especially the lockdown, which is truly one of the better race shoe lockdowns you’ll find.

A lot of race-day shoes trim weight in all places, which can sometimes lead to a gaping collar or a loose fit around the ankles. The Eliot Racer feels like a more traditional upper fit in that area while locking in the midfoot and forefoot perfectly. It’s the exact race-day fit you’re looking for without being too tight.

Moving onto the midsole, made of those two different parts. The ATPU insert is plenty thick and does a good job of staying put within the shoe. The carbon plate is embedded in the Pebax “chassis,” which is one of the more annoying/pretentious terms I’ve heard when describing a shoe. It’s a piece of foam, for chrissakes, not a frame of an F1 racing car.

So yeah, there’s a lot of moving parts here. And more moving parts mean more broken pieces. Not in this case, though. Because nothing needs broken, and nothing needs fixed.

The midsole feels incredible — bouncy, energetic, fun, smooth, fast. All of that in one package. I was shocked — truly shocked — I tell you, to experience all of those feelings in the course of my testing. I took this through a handful of daily 6-mile runs, a 10-mile long run at 15 seconds slower than marathon pace, and an 8-mile progression run. And I loved it every second of all of those runs. The closest comparison I can give is a bouncier but slightly more stable version of the Adidas Evo SL. No matter how you cut it, every run I’d look down at my watch and be surprised I was going 20-30 seconds faster than my average slow pace.

Truly, this shoe shines in its versatility. I feel like the Eliot Racer can easily fall into the super trainer range because it’s great on easy days, excellent for uptempo work, and would also make for a comfortable yet fast race day option. It’s not as light or aggressive as some of the other shoes in the race day category, but it can still rise to the occasion when called upon. Honestly, I can’t get over how much I loved the feel of this midsole, something that was totally unexpected.

I also appreciate the full rubber coverage on the outsole. Very few race day shoes still have full rubber on the bottom, so it was nice to see that in this shoe.

MEAGHAN: I love that Tracksmith stayed true to its brand and put a sash on the shoe (I know Robbe put this in his negatives, but I’m here for it). And the ivory/gold colorway feels perfect, too. It’s a simple, clean design that fits as great as it looks.

The step-in feel was way more comfortable than I expected. Maybe it’s the suede collar and tongue, the Aliphatic TPU sock liner, or maybe a little bit of both, but this shoe doesn’t feel like your typical race-day weapon when you first put it on. It’s more like a bouncy trainer. The Eliot Racer fits true to size and accommodated my wider foot perfectly, with no rubbing or hot spots. As for the laces, they look like your standard flat ones, but one side is lined with tiny rubber nubs to keep them tied — an essential detail for race day.

What really piqued my curiosity — and ultimately surprised me the most — was what’s going on beneath the foot. This shoe is surprisingly fun and bouncy. The combo of ATPU and Pebax, with a plate sandwiched in between, delivers a soft, comfortable ride that still packs some serious spring. I found myself reaching for these more than I expected. Whether I was out for an 8-mile jog or longer 12-14 milers, I noticed I kept picking up the pace naturally as I went. And I should mention the weight; my US W7.5 came in at 6.6 oz, which is on par with several other race day shoes, including the Hoka Cielo X1 2.0 and Saucony Endorphin Elite 2.

What we don’t like about the Tracksmith Eliot Racer

ROBBE: I don’t love the gold sash design of this shoe. It’s okay, but I think it will be divisive. I think that Tracksmith needs to find a way to reinvent the sash or at least relegate it to the Van Cortlandt line. I will say — people either love it or hate it. I’ve seen everything from retirement home jokes to “gold looks best on race day” type takes. I’m kind of in the middle.

There’s a little bit of squeakiness from the foam midsole, but I didn’t find it to be egregious or notice it all the time. It could be that I’m a lighter weight, though, and it doesn’t happen as much.

All those are minor gripes. The major negative about this shoe, which I’m not fully convinced is a negative, is that it’s just not super aggressive when it comes to race day, meaning you’re not going to get that super quick turnover or aggressive toe-off you’ll feel in shoes like the Asics Metaspeed Sky Paris, Adidas Adios Pro 4, Hoka Cielo X1 2.0, or the upcoming Puma Fast-R 3. That being said, with those shoes, it sometimes feels like you could pay the price if you’re running 3:30 and slower.

And yet, the Eliot Racer can definitely work as a race day shoe. It’s incredibly bouncy and fast and fun. But if you want something that’s snappy and aggressive, you probably want to stick with one of the aforementioned models.

Finally… $280. This is for a specific customer, mainly a big Tracksmith fan or someone who simply has the money to shell out. That said, because of its versatility and full rubber outsole, I feel like you’ll get your money’s worth out of the shoe.

MEAGHAN: In the section above, I mentioned that I found myself lacing this shoe up on back-to-back days. However, what I didn’t experience was a strong desire to wear it for my 400m and 800m workouts. The Elite Racer didn’t give me that “fast” feeling I was hoping for. While it’s certainly capable of handling fast runs, it felt more like a high-performance trainer than a race shoe. It’s fun and bouncy but not particularly aggressive. For many, this will be a positive aspect — this shoe will likely feel great over the marathon distance. But for me, it was missing that certain something — a bit of “pop.”

Final thoughts on the Tracksmith Eliot Racer

ROBBE: Take away the price tag and this may be my favorite overall running shoe right now. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but it’s what I would choose to run in every time I go out the door. It’s like a premium version of the Adidas Adizero Evo SL, and I do mean premium since you can basically buy two pairs of that shoe for the price of the Eliot Racer. I had some serious doubts that Tracksmith was going to pull this off, but against all odds and development timelines, they somehow managed to do it.

The Eliot Racer may go down as one of the best shoes of 2025 on account of its versatility and performance at any speed and distance. I know it will for me, anyway.

MEAGHAN: I really love the Tracksmith Eliot Racer — as a premium super trainer. It’s a well-built, high-quality shoe that’s lightweight, comfortable, and bouncy. While it comes with a $280 price tag, I believe it’s worth it. Compared to most race shoes, this one is likely to last longer. The foam is resilient, and the full rubber coverage on the outsole adds durability. While I likely won’t be using this for race day, it will definitely remain a staple in my shoe rotation.

You can pick up the Tracksmith Eliot Racer for $280 from Tracksmith by using the buttons below.