Under Armour Velociti Elite 2 Review: A New Challenger Emerges

What You Need To Know

Introduction to the Under Armour Velociti Elite 2

SAM: When you think of running, Under Armour probably isn’t the first brand that comes to mind. But it should — maybe not first, but it should be there. Under Armour is slowly making a name for itself in the competitive running community. Their shoes are catching up to the design and technologies of other companies, and 2 years ago, Sharon Lokedi won the NYC Marathon using an early version of Under Armour’s current top-level racing shoe.

What shoe might that be? The Velociti Elite 2. The shoe arrived in April of this year, but the fine runners of Baltimore just got the opportunity to try out the shoe on the streets of our city during the Baltimore Running Festival. The shoe made a big enough impression on me to want to write this review. Should you give Under Armour’s racing shoe a try? Let’s talk about it.

What we like about the Under Armour Velociti Elite 2

SAM: The Under Armour Flow Velociti Elite 2 is everything you look for in a racing shoe. It’s lightweight, has a full-length carbon plate, and a huge stack of bouncy PEBAX foam layered on top of more stable Flow foam. If I had to guess, the shoe comes in at 39.5 mm in the heel, and its listed 8 mm drop would put the forefoot right around 31.5 mm. This setup makes the Velociti Elite 2 a marked improvement over the first model.

I ran in the original model for a marathon two years ago and found it too firm and inflexible to feel comfortable over a long distance. My legs got beat up, and it was a generally uncomfortable shoe to run in. This is no longer the case with the Velociti Elite 2. It’s fast, aggressive, and smooth — maybe still on the firmer side of racing shoes, but the big slab of PEBAX foam has enough softness to keep your legs from feeling beat up during the race.

When first putting the shoe on, it feels strange. There is a “drop off the table” feeling in the forefoot, where the aggressive toe geometry makes it feel like part of the shoe is missing. But while running, this puzzle piece locks into place. This shoe has the quick heel-to-toe transition that’s missing from many racing shoes of its size, and this helps the shoe stay fast over long distances. Compared to the first Velociti Elite, this one is built like a marathon racing shoe, feels like a marathon racing shoe, and looks like a marathon racing shoe. That must mean it is a marathon racing shoe.

Under Armour’s first racing shoe made a splash when it came out. It utilized UA’s Flow midsole/outsole combination, meaning there was no true outsole rubber to add weight, which makes it stand alone in the racing shoe outsole game, and is a feature that may confuse or turn people away from the Velociti Elite 2.

I actually love this feature of the shoe and found it very impressive throughout the race. It is almost as if the pavement is eating into the soft outsole, and each step you take digs into the shoe to give it the grip you need to handle race day conditions. From top to bottom, the Flow Velociti Elite 2 is a shoe that is built to get the job done.

What we don’t like about the Under Armour Velociti Elite 2

SAM: I have very little that I found an issue with this shoe, but I will say it retains a tad too much of the firmness that made it hard to enjoy the original Velociti Elite. I was able to run a fast 5k and half marathon in the Velociti Elite 2, but I am still wary of taking this shoe to the full marathon distance. There is a reason why softer, bouncier shoes like the Hoka Rocket X 2, Nike Alphafly 3, and New Balance SC Elite v4 are so popular right now.

Over the multiple hours required to race a marathon, you want every advantage you can get to keep your legs fresh. When you have a shoe of this size that is as firm as it is, that adds to the pounding your legs take over time. I love this shoe for shorter distances, and I am happy to be proven wrong, but I am wary of how the Velociti Elite 2 will stack up over the full distance of a marathon.

Final thoughts on the Under Armour Velociti Elite 2

SAM: Welcome to the party, Under Armour. Competition breeds innovation, and it is safe to say that our hometown brand has finally thrown its hat into the super shoe conversation. The Under Armour Velociti Elite 2 is fast, aggressive, and ready for race day. I’m still not sure if it would be my choice for the full marathon distance, but it is one of my favorite racing shoes for any distance 13.1 and under.

Don’t be fooled by the lack of outsole rubber. Under Armour put time and attention into this shoe, and it is absolutely worth your time and attention as well. You can find this shoe across the internet, and I’m sure the Believe in the Run crew would appreciate you repping Baltimore out there in this wide world of road racing. Enjoy the miles, friend.

You can pick up the Under Armour Velociti Elite 2 for $250 from Under Armour by using the buttons below.