Fila wants back into running, but is this the shoe to get it there?

Introduction to the Fila Speedtempo Plus

RYAN: In running (and in life), I think it's important to say yes to things. Every time you try something new, you open yourself up to finding a new favorite. And no, it doesn't always work out as you expect, but I think taking that risk is almost always worth the reward.

So, when Fila reached out to ask if we wanted to try its newest tempo shoe, the Speedtempo Plus, of course I said yes. Saying yes to new shoes is how I expanded my horizons beyond the safe Asics and Saucony picks that started my running journey. Who's to say that trying a shoe from Fila might not do the same?

After a glance down the Speedtempo Plus's spec sheet, I was even willing to get my hopes up. The supercritical Skyfoam midsole looked light and responsive, and the Duo Mesh upper seemed breathable enough to survive a Maryland summer. With a clean off-white launch colorway, I even figured I could wear the Speedtempo Plus casually on days when I don't need to go so fast.

That's all on paper, though, so let's see if Fila's real-life return to running went as smoothly.

TINA: Let me begin by saying: what a throwback. Fila, the brand which outfitted many of my friends in middle school for PE class? Their venture into the running shoe world in 2026 was news to me. Turns out, the brand used to make carbon plated shoes in the 1990’s and is venturing back into the shoe game with the release of the Speedtempo Plus.

Advertised as a speed shoe, the Speedtempo Plus is engineered to offer responsiveness while maintaining a cushioned ride. At first glance, the shoe has a simple and unassuming design. For a 7mm offset, the midsole height doesn’t seem to change from rear to forefoot and the stack height appears almost continuous. The sawtooth laces add some fun to the aesthetic and the brown colorway feels like a change from the pastels and highlighter colors seen from other releases. As with any other shoe, I was excited to put some miles in. Here are my thoughts.

What we like about the Fila Speedtempo Plus

RYAN: The thing about saying yes to new shoes is that I then have to actually run in them. At first, the idea of running in the Speedtempo Plus seemed easy. It was as clean and lightweight as I'd hoped when I took it out of the box, and I even handed the shoe to Thomas just so he could feel how light it was. So far, Fila was checking all of my boxes.

And, as I slipped the shoe on my foot and tightened its sawtooth laces (another really nice touch), I found myself pleasantly surprised by the overall package. The Speedtempo Plus looked good, fit well, and had plenty of rocker under my toes. Even the highly textured Ever-Grip outsole seemed like it would be able to keep up with the wet, unpredictable weather of the Baltimore promenade.

So, I did what any good running shoe reviewer would: I stepped out the door to go for a quick six-mile run. Over the course of my miles, I remained pleasantly surprised by the Speedtempo Plus. No, its ride wasn't exactly what I wanted (more on that in a moment), but it weighed nothing on my foot, and the Duo Mesh upper kept my toes nice and cool. I didn't experience any rubbing in the upper, and the sawtooth laces held me tightly in place.

Unfortunately, I didn't quite reach my required 20 miles in this shoe, and that largely comes down to the ride, but Fila nailed the overall look and fit. Oh, and when it comes to the US, the Speedtempo Plus will only cost $130, which is almost unheard of in 2026.

TINA: The Speedtempo Plus is light and overall has a comfortable fit straight out of the box. The mesh upper is breathable and the tongue is held down well enough by the laces. I can also appreciate a flexible colorway, and the combination of beige and brown was easy to style off the run. 

The rubber tread has a fun design and worked well too, but my training runs were dry, so I never tested out the grip on a wet surface.  

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What we don't like about the Fila Speedtempo Plus

RYAN: At one point, Tina and I joked that our review of the Fila Speedtempo Plus could just be a series of screenshots recapping our runs in the shoe. But as we thought about it, we realized that wouldn't be entirely fair. You'd mostly read our bad jokes and expressions of utter disbelief with no real evidence to back it up. So, instead, I'll put everything into plain old English.

I'm not sure how they did it, but the team at Fila managed to pack this shoe with one of the longest, most cumbersome names in running, and then ignore its purpose altogether. When you see "speed," "tempo," and "plus" in the name of the same shoe, you'd expect something light, bouncy, and fun. While the shoe is definitely light, I can't say that it felt terribly bouncy or fun while I logged my miles.

Did I feel like I could move quickly in the Speedtempo Plus? Sure, but only because it was lightweight and because my workout demanded it. This isn't a shoe that you lace up and take out only to realize it's pushing you faster than your paces required. If you're going fast, it's because you're doing the work, not because the Skyfoam is lending a hand.

Or, as Tina described it in one of our text breakdowns, the Speedtempo Plus feels like running on a yoga mat. Maybe there's some comfort there, but it's not comfort that really propels you forward. Running on a yoga mat screams easy cruising to me, and that's much different from tempo training.

TINA:  I've tried many ways to describe the feel of this shoe and the best I can do is this: imagine the entirety of your running surface, in this case the Baltimore waterfront promenade, is lined with a yoga mat and you're running barefoot. That’s it. The lack of foot support is alarming because the entire midsole feels like one thin block of foam. I felt the ground with every single step and not in a responsive ground-feel type of way, but in an uncomfortable, this isn't fun, type of way.

The upper, although thin and breathable, provided almost no lock-down and my foot would not stop moving in the toe box. This brings me to the laces. I'm all for adding some funk to the design of a shoe and I love a sawtooth lace but they have to be functional. I tie my shoes the same way every time and for some reason after a run the laces knotted and, in my frustration, I almost took a pair of scissors to them. Did they give me two pairs of laces in expectation of this happening? I'll never know.

This is the first shoe I've tested where, for the sake of my feet and the rest of my body, I did two runs for a total of 5 miles and had to stop there.

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Final thoughts on the Fila Speedtempo Plus

RYAN: Part of saying yes to new shoes for me is finding value where it's least expected. And when you see that the Speedtempo Plus costs just $130, you might think that means it packs plenty of value. Well, the reality is that it depends. If you want a firm, not terribly bouncy tempo trainer, then sure, it's great. For the rest of us, it feels like there's just not quite enough pep in the step.

Of course, I think this is still a good sign for Fila. We don't see every brand come back and nail its first running shoe in a new category, and the lightweight tempo zone is very, very crowded. If you're weighing this up against the Puma Deviate Pure Nitro or the Adidas Evo SL, I'd still pick one of those up first. 

TINA: For a brand like Fila, most known to me for their athleisure wear, it felt bold of them to release a speed shoe. At a point in time when dominant brands are known almost exclusively for their footwear I have to give them kudos for taking a step into the space.

 Unfortunately, it felt like a swing and a miss. The Speedtempo Plus, though light, offered a very baseline ride with almost no rebound or responsiveness. The shoe was comfortable to wear but with any level of speed the shoe lost support and the ground feel was unforgiving. 

I give almost anything a second chance and would like to see some updates in the future, but for now, this one is out of the rotation.

You can pick up the Fila Speedtempo Plus for $130 from Fila using the button below.

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