Tracksmith Eliot Racer: First Look & Thoughts

Everything Gold

Nothing gold can stay, as Robert Frost once said. As the poet du jour of New England, the man knew of the seasons changing, the swoons and swells of nature in the northern latitudes. But he didn’t know about New England running, which is something Tracksmith does better than anyone else.

And with the release of their first-ever race day shoe in the Tracksmith Eliot Racer, they’re hoping that all the gold can stay. Both on foot and on podiums. 

The shoe, featuring an initial launch in gold and white, is both bold and brilliant, capturing the timeless aesthetic of Tracksmith while incorporating all the most recent advancements in shoe technology. It’s a strong move for a small brand, but it’s a risky one as well. Footwear is a fickle market, after all. But for now, let’s burrow like a hare down into the components and see how we come out on the other side.

About the Tracksmith Eliot Racer

The first thing we should point out is that this shoe has been in development for some time. We saw initial prototypes of the shoe at The Running Event in 2023; at the time, the shoe was slated for a summer 2024 release. That summer came and went, of course, as did the entire year. Plenty of super shoes came out during that time, but nothing from Tracksmith. At The Running Event in 2025, we saw it again. Whatever excitement we had before had kind of worn off. But we were willing to get the rundown again. Now that it’s here, we can tell you what it’s all about.

There is a lot happening with this shoe, bordering on “too many cooks in the kitchen” type territory. I almost wonder if there was too much bike shedding going on during the design process. 

The midsole is 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 their top-tier racing shoes in 2025 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 Tracksmith’s first shoe, as well as some trail models like 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. Not sure if that’s still in the works though.

Tracksmith claims the shoe was independently texted by Heeluxe and confirmed to have the highest energy returns ever recorded. That may be true, but I’ll say this: every damn company, every damn time, says their foams are tested to have some of the highest energy returns ever recorded. At some point, someone is lying or producing favorable results in favorable conditions.

The shoe looks like it has a low stack, thanks to the drop in midsole hiding half the stack height, but it’s actually pretty high at 38 mm in the heel and 30.5 mm in the forefoot. It’s actually a pretty awesome concept for a different race day aesthetic.

In the upper, the tongue and heel counter is lined with a microsuede material that’s just straight up luxurious. It may be one of our most favorite materials ever. The engineered mesh is similar to what’s found in the Eliot Runner, but with a bold (and gold) synthetic sash across the midfoot. Rubber-infused laces tie the whole thing together, literally.

Total weight is 7.7 ounces (218 g) for a US M9.

Our Thoughts

We didn’t have high hopes coming into this shoe. The drawn out development timeline, the myriad pieces and parts bordering on gimmick, the fact that Tracksmith– an apparel brand at its core– was trying to ball with the big boys. It all seemed like an impossible feat.

But we have to say– at first glance, it appears they did it right. We don’t have enough miles for a full review, but we’ve done a couple runs and some speed work, and are pretty impressed overall. 

The midsole– a topic of much skepticism– is indeed very bouncy and very comfortable. The upper wraps the foot securely and the microsuede is luxurious. It’s not the lightest race day shoe on the market, nor does it offer the same propulsive snap off the toe and roll through the stride that you’ll find in shoes like the Hoka Cielo X1 2.0, Nike Vaporfly 3, or Asics Metaspeed Sky. But it does move effortlessly into faster paces and keeps you there, while offering plenty of cushion for the long haul. It easily slots into the same range as shoes like the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4, New Balance SC Elite v4, Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3, and Diadora Gara Carbon 2. It may even be better.

Then there’s the overall look and design, which is exquisite. Nobody’s doing gold like this, and maybe nobody can. Except for Tracksmith.

If you’re a fan of the Eliot Runner, well– this one will blow you away. It’s light years better. Anyway, we have a bunch more first thoughts on the shoe, which you can watch below. Or come back for the full review sometime next week.

Either way, we’re glad we finally saw this shoe come to fruition and we’re glad Tracksmith took the time to put out something good, instead of rushing the development process to just get something on the shelves. It was worth the wait, and we hope the gold can stay.

You can pre-order the Tracksmith Eliot Racer now for $280, find it at select global retailers starting March 14, with online availability to follow on March 18. Follow the shop link below to pick up your pair.