Putting Mizuno’s Neo Vista 2 through its paces

Sub-elite marathoner Tess Marks reckons she would have spent 80% of her training block for her last marathon, her PB, in Mizuno shoes. A coach at Pulse Running and a podcast presenter with For The Kudos, Tess came home in 2:49:18 at the Melbourne Marathon in October. During her prep, she relied heavily on the Neo Vista and Neo Zen models, with the latter doing duty on her easy runs. With Mizuno now launching the second iteration of its widely popular supertrainer, the Neo Vista 2, we were dying to hear what Tess had to say about it after a pre-release wear test.

"I love the Neo Vista," Tess says. "I find it really good for long runs. It's so responsive—you can run a bit faster on your long runs.”

Tess has enjoyed a non-exclusive relationship with Mizuno for a couple of years now, with the esteemed Japanese footwear and apparel company seeding her new models while she remains free to try out other brands. “I'll test out a new shoe and post if I like it. There's no obligation to wear Mizuno all the time,” Tess explains. Which means if she’s wearing the shoes 80% of the time, it’s by choice.

“The Neo Vista fits into my rotation as a bit of a supertrainer,” she continues. With the plate in it, it rocks you forward. It propels you—you can get moving in it. It's cushioned really nicely, so you can go long distances and not feel like you're banged up in the legs.”

Supertrainers have emerged as a distinct category in recent years—shoes that incorporate race-day technology into more durable, versatile daily trainers. They typically feature responsive foams, carbon or nylon plates (the Neo Vista 2, like its predecessor, features a fibre-glass-infused nylon plate), and higher stack heights while maintaining enough durability for high-volume training.

"I think the most exciting thing about this new shoe is it symbolises our new generation of running experiences," says Sam Zielonka, product manager for Mizuno Oceania's sports division. "We've been a brand that has remained very authentic to the traditional way of shoe construction for a very long time, but the Neo Vista has been the catalyst for change and transformation for us."

This transformation is evident in the shoe's technical upgrades. The most significant advancement in the Neo Vista 2 is its nitrogen-infused Mizuno Enerzy nxt foam in the midsole. "The top layer of the midsole is a TPU-based foam infused with nitrogen gas," Sam explains. "That TPU base is softer and bouncier than the EVA that it was previously using. So you're already getting a more energetic experience, but then that nitrogen infusion gives it that enhancement to make it even lighter and softer and bouncier yet again"

The nitrogen infusion process allows Mizuno to add more cushioning without increasing the shoe's weight. "You get more guts underneath your foot and the shoe feels more substantial without actually increasing in weight, which is pretty significant," Sam says.

Tess has noticed the difference in her testing: "It feels a bit more compliant and responsive under foot when you're running,” she says.

The Neo Vista 2 maintains its versatility, which is essential for runners looking to use it across different types of training. “It's really a Swiss Army knife that every runner can enjoy,” Sam says.

"You could be running in this for upwards of two to three hours on your long run, and it's going to feel really protective. But if you want to push the pace, it's going to have that geometry in the components to be able to support that as well.”

Tess agrees: "I think there'll be some very fast long runs that you'll see people do in the new Neo Vista.”

The midsole geometry—what Mizuno calls Smooth Speed Assist—is tuned to a “mild” (as Mizuno’s support materials put it) 5º angle from heel to forefoot, creating a smooth transition that accommodates different running gaits and paces.

"Our global team did a lot of research into foot strike positions and where the loading is in your body as you're landing in those positions," Sam explains. "As someone's landing on their midfoot or on their forefoot, particularly when they're running at speed, there's obviously a lot of load going through the feet, the ankle, and the calves. What they wanted to do was create a shoe that would alleviate some of that force and shift those loads up towards the larger muscles that could tolerate it for a longer time"

This design philosophy makes the Neo Vista 2 suitable for a wide range of runners. "I think it can suit anybody really, like a frontfoot striker or a midfoot or heel striker," says Tess. "It's a really smooth ride.”

The upper maintains the sock-like knit design of the original but aims to simultaneously improve lock and breathability. “We want it to be a really seamless fit around the foot,” Sam says. And they’ve taken on feedback from the first iteration.

“One thing that we noted from the first model was that the knit was quite soft. So, as someone started to fatigue or if they were going around corners, they said they wanted a little bit more structure to the shoe to keep their foot in contact with the platform of the shoe. The new knit upper has a bit more reinforcement along the bottom, towards the midsole, to help keep the foot secure.”

On top, the new upper also features wider perforations for increased breathability. And it rate highly for sustainability, being spun from 70% recycled, undyed materials.

Enhanced stability was another goal for the redesign. “As I mentioned,” Sam says, “we've been able to increase cushioning in the midsole within the shoe without increasing the weight. But we’ve also added a little bit of a mid-foot bridge underneath the foot. This connects both sides of the midsole and helps improve the torsional stability of the shoe. It's not going to compress side-to-side as much, which means that once you start to fatigue during your runs or during your tempo sessions, the shoe's going to support you a bit more and keep you more comfortable.”

Aesthetically, the shoe has a fetching silhouette that, in its launch colourway makes a subtle statement with iridescent iris-coloured details on white, plus touches of coral on the women’s model. "It looks pretty. There's nice little sparkles on it," Tess notes.

At 265g for men and 225g for women in a size 8, with an unchanged stack height of 44.5mm in the heel and 36.5mm in the forefoot (an 8mm drop), the Neo Vista 2 balances cushioning with responsiveness. It represents Mizuno's continued evolution in the modern running market, alongside models like the raceday-ready Wave Rebellion Pro 3.

"There's no doubt that it's really important to make sure that you're still providing the best experiences you can," says Sam, addressing the rapid pace of innovation in running shoes in general and supertrainers in particular. "For the foreseeable future, we'll be looking at 12-month updates."

For runners seeking a versatile supertrainer that can handle everything from uptempo efforts to long distances, this could be the one. To paraphrase Tess, it’s got both cushioning and propulsion, and we can expect to see plenty of LFDs—that’s “long fast distance” runs—bagged and tagged with the Neo Vista 2.