A daily running shoe that balances comfort with responsiveness
Over the past year, 361 Degrees has been updating its family of shoes with some welcome updates to both the design and the technology used. With the introduction of the Fierce, however, it seems the brand is making big changes in its future lineup.
Although 361s range has options for most runners, there’s always been a gap for those looking for a versatile daily trainer. The Fierce aims to fill that hole by offering a flexible and soft build that promotes a natural running style.
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The other area that 361 has clearly focussed on with the Fierce is aesthetics, producing a fresh new style which looks and feels far removed from what we’ve come to expect from the brand.
We’ve been putting the 361 Degrees Fierce through its paces over 50 miles of running. Is it worth investing in as your daily running shoe? Let’s take a look.
The specs
Price: £99.99 | Weight: 298g/10.5oz (Men) / 229g/8.1oz (Women) | Type: Road | Stability: Neutral | Heel to toe drop: 8mm | Sizing: Fits to size | Alternatives: New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v10, Adidas Ultraboost 20, Saucony Kinvara 11, Saucony Endorphin Shift, Saucony Ride 13, Nike Pegasus 37
Design
First, let’s talk looks. The Fierce is a big change for 361 in terms of outward design and it’s a pleasing shift for anyone searching running shoes with an element of style. Although there have been updates to a number of the brand’s existing options over the last 12 months or so, the traditional design hasn’t left a lot of room for variety.
The Fierce changes that with a modern look and feel that’s reminiscent of the New Balance Fresh Foam 1080v10. At the point of reviewing, only a white and blue colorway exists, but based on some of the recent design updates to 361’s range we’re hoping for more creative variants in the near future.
In contrast to some of the more performance-based shoes we’ve seen released in recent months, the Fierce is focused on delivering a simple, comfortable experience over daily training. The main technology it uses to do that is its Qu!k Spring+ EVA midsole designed to offer a good level of rebound and responsiveness with reduced compression.
Covering that midsole is a modest layering of rubber towards the toe and heel sections, with the bulk of the midsole exposed to minimise weight.
The upper combines an Ortholite insole made with 20% recycled content for comfort and a robust engineered knit designed to be firm but breathable.
We found the Fierce fits true to size and isn’t as narrow as some of the other 361 options we’ve tried.
Road testing
Based on the chunky outward appearance of the midsole, we assumed that the Fierce was going to be a soft shoe to run in. It isn’t. The EVA foam actually offers a noticeably hard feel when running, something that makes it more conducive to running faster than we expected.
However, at 298g in a size 8 for men, it’s not a light shoe and we didn’t find it particularly well suited to sessions specifically focused on speed. Likewise, if you’re looking for a soft, cushioned shoe to take the brunt of your long runs it will struggle to offer the level of impact protection that you’ll find in shoes designed with that in mind.
Instead, we found that the Fierce sits between the two and is best suited to those mid-paced efforts where you might vary between speeds. You can definitely pick up the pace in it, more so than in a softly cushioned shoe, but it’s not a racer.
In testing between 5km and half marathon distance, we found the Fierce was best suited to those efforts up to about 10-15km. Both the midsole and the upper feel supportive and firm when running, with the thick midsole offering a stable base with each step.
After 50 miles of running the EVA foam seems durable, with little sign of wear across the exposed bulk of the outsole. The combination of the grooved midsole foam and rubber sections also worked well on wet roads.
Summary
The Fierce is an interesting addition to 361’s catalogue of shoes. It clearly fills a gap for those looking for a competent all-round option that can straddle comfort and responsiveness for daily training runs. Like most shoes designed for that purpose, it excels at neither, but for those looking for a happy medium, it does a good job.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the Fierce is the price. At £99.99 it sits firmly at the cheaper end of 361’s range, which is a big plus point for the brand and makes the shoe a significantly more palpable option for runners looking for value over bells and whistles.
That said, the good value general running shoe market puts it up against some stiff competition, with a wide range of options available at the same, or cheaper, price.