Best Black Friday Running Shoe Deals: Nine Discounts Worth a Look

Introduction

Pre-holiday discounts have arrived early this year, and even shoes that rarely budge on price are now being cut. Race-day staples, plated trainers and cushioned daily runners from Nike, Adidas and Puma are all seeing meaningful reductions at UK retailers, with savings ranging from modest to genuinely impressive. If you have been holding off on an upgrade, this is one of the better windows to buy. Here are nine deals that stand out, along with what each shoe is actually good for.

Nike Vaporfly 3: A Top-Tier Racer Finally on Sale

Pro:Direct Running has a full size run of the Nike Vaporfly 3 down to £168, a £72 saving, in the Football Grey and Racer Blue colorway. All men’s sizes were in stock at the time of writing. This is a genuinely top-level racing shoe, and it is striking how far pricing has moved given that earlier Vaporfly generations used to sell out in seconds.

The Battleship Grey version could work well for winter training sessions too, and there is something fitting about a Christmas Day 5K in a bargain racer before the big meal. Other colorways exist, including white and speed red and a white and green pair, but sizing on those is sporadic.

Nike ZoomX Invincible Run 3: A Leg-Saver for Big Mileage

Also at Pro:Direct Running, the Nike ZoomX Invincible Run 3 is down to £122 in a white and orange colorway, though sizing is limited on that pair. As a training option, it is hard to argue with: it is built to save your legs on high-mileage weeks, and it has proven superbly durable over time.

Sizing is the key to getting the best out of this shoe, and going down half a size may help. Be aware that the Invincible 3 had some heel slip issues, so it is worth trying before committing if you can. A limited white and orange pair is not ideal for winter months either, but the discount does the talking.

Adidas Takumi Sen 10: Nimble Fun at a Rare Discount

The pink Adidas Takumi Sen 10 is down to £102 from £170 retail, a £68 saving, and it is a blinding colorway worth the discount on its own. This is an excellent quality shoe, and there are daily trainers that retail for more while offering less fun and nimbleness than the Sen 10.

It still perplexes why the Adizero Evo SL gets so much hype when the Sen 10 is on sale right now and is arguably the superior shoe. You get carbon elements in the construction and full Lightstrike Pro in the midsole. At 2 under a hundred, it is really hard to beat, especially for lighter-built runners who do not need a 40mm-plus heel stack.

Adidas Adizero SL2: One of the Best Deals Found

Over at Start Fitness, the Adidas Adizero SL2 is £79.99 in a white and red pair with a full size run, which makes it impossible to beat at this price. This has been one of the most awaited discounts, and it has finally landed.

The SL2 is brilliantly light and versatile: it works for daily running and even lower-distance racing. With the release of the Adizero Evo SL, more SL2 deals are likely to follow, and that is no bad thing, since the two are not far apart in performance. You could nitpick and say the grip is not quite as good, but this would not be an unwelcome sight under the Christmas tree.

Puma Deviate Nitro 2: A Top Plated Trainer Around £100

Start Fitness also has a code, BF10, that grants a further 10% off already very good deals. With it, the Puma Deviate Nitro 2 comes in at around £100 in a mostly black colorway with a little splash of red and blue, with almost a full size run available.

This is a top-rated plated training option suited to longer runs, with great stability and grip on the outsole. For that money, there is no real comparison. Puma is making some genuinely good running shoes right now, and it is worth dropping any lingering brand stigma: it is a shoe at the end of the day, and it either works or it does not.

Puma Deviate Nitro Elite: Race Speed for £63

The headline Puma bargain is the Deviate Nitro Elite at £63, though only smaller sizes remain in the men’s range. This is a super light race and training shoe with lots of cushioning from the excellent Nitro Elite midsole, and durability has held up fine regardless of what some internet keyboard warriors might claim.

Better still, there is a full size run available in women’s sizing at £67.50, and some men with smaller feet may be able to work out the size difference too. It is easily worth it and makes a brilliant alternative to something like the Takumi Sen 10, with a good stack of very forgiving foam. It suits lighter-framed runners who do not need a huge stack, and it is durable enough to double as a training shoe.

Puma Velocity Nitro 2: The Best Entry-Level Pick

At £54, the Puma Velocity Nitro 2 in red has almost a full size run, and there are loads of colorways beyond that, though sizing is sporadic on some pairs, so it pays to move quickly. This is an ideal entry-level shoe if you are just getting into running, or simply want something for the daily miles.

It is a genuinely cushioned shoe with good response and decent stability, and at this price it is hard to lose. It would also make a very reasonable Christmas present for a loved one who has mentioned wanting to start running, especially now the cold weather has set in.

Puma Fast Forward Nitro: Quick on Foot for Under £90

The Puma Fast Forward Nitro sits at £89.91, and plenty of runners swear by it. It is really quick on foot: for 5K or 10K efforts it can be fantastic, very nimble, and ideal for speed training and some racing too.

At that price it is too good not to consider, and it is the kind of deal that tempts you into grabbing a pair just to test it properly. If you want a speed-day shoe without paying race-shoe money, this is the one to look at first.

Nike Pegasus Trail 5 Gore-Tex: Winter Trail Insurance

On Nike’s own site, a 25% off promotion on full-price items effectively takes about £60 off the Vaporfly 3, though the Alphafly 3 is excluded, and a few items were cheekily pre-discounted the day before the sale so they no longer qualify. The Pegasus Trail 5 Gore-Tex, however, is down from £165 retail to £124 in specific colorways, though only limited sizing remains on most.

That is a really strong deal for the amount of cushioning on offer and the potential use across the colder winter months. Keep in mind that the black and white pair, arguably the best-looking option, was already pre-discounted by 20%, so the extra saving does not stack there.

Overall Buying Advice

A few patterns are worth noting before you checkout. Nike is running site-wide percentage-off promotions rather than flat prices, so check whether an item was pre-discounted before assuming you are getting the full saving. Start Fitness deals stack with the BF10 code for an extra 10%, which is what pushes several of the Puma options into standout territory. And with race shoes like the Vaporfly 3 and Takumi Sen 10 now discounted, it is worth acting quickly: sizing on popular colorways is already sporadic on several of these deals.

Conclusion

This is an unusually good pre-holiday season for running shoe discounts. The Vaporfly 3 at £168 and the Takumi Sen 10 at £102 are rare price drops on genuine race shoes, the Adizero SL2 at £79.99 is one of the best all-round deals of the batch, and Puma’s lineup offers outstanding value from £54 for the Velocity Nitro 2 up to £100 for the Deviate Nitro 2. Match the shoe to the running you actually do, check sizing before you commit, and these deals should serve you well into the new year.