Pairing the high energy return of a FuelCell midsole with the efficiency of a carbon fibre plate, the FuelCell RC Elite is advertised as a lightweight and aggressive racing shoe.

This is New Balance’s entry into the now-saturated shoe market for long distance running carbon-fibre plated offerings.

I recently got my hands on a pair of the FuelCell RC Elite from New Balance.

And at 170 grams for the Women’s US 7.5, the RC Elite is definitely considered as a light shoe.

In terms of the fitting, my first thought was that they are quite narrow. So if you have wide feet, I strongly recommend that you try on the shoes before purchasing. You may have to size up if necessary.

For me, my regular size fits, but it feel very snug. My left foot is slightly bigger than my right foot, and after my first run with the RC Elites, which was an interval session with my running club, my left foot was aching and throbbing slightly, caused by the tight fitting. 

But my right foot didn’t have any problems.

So I used a shoe expander to stretch the left shoe and about 24 -36 hours later, this appeared to have done the trick in terms of the fitting; the shoe no longer caused my left foot to ache afterwards.

This issue aside, the shoes are quite nice to wear. They are light and breathable thanks to the synthetic mesh upper. 

There is some light padding at the heel and collar areas for added comfort and the standard lacing system is effective in terms of locking the feet in, making the shoes feel secure and stable to run with.

I have been testing the RC Elites out on a mixture of runs, from recovery runs to tempo sessions. I have also used them for interval training with my running club Coached. A 12km steady to tempo session was my longest run in these shoes, to date.

And running with the RC Elites definitely feels good. My first impression was that the shoes are definitely soft and spongy, though they are not as bouncy as some other shoes I’ve tried.

The landing is soft with a little hint of a bounce to it, and each toe-off feels rigid – to help propel me forward with every stride. 

Running at tempo pace definitely feels smooth and easy with these shoes, and the effort at running at such paces appeared to be somewhat less.

For instance, a normal 7km run on a Friday evening whilst wearing these shoes turned out to be a 7km tempo session instead.

Besides tempo paces, the RC Elites also feel great during my fast interval sessions, with the shoes pushing me along and egging me on to go faster.

At slower paces such as recovery runs though, the shoes themselves feel comfortable and are not awkward, thanks to the soft FuelCell foam surrounding the carbon fibre plate. 

Unfortunately, I quickly realised that I still had the tendency to run faster than I had intended during these sessions. I guess it is because the shoes feel so good, it is hard to control and keep my pace down. It is as though the shoes are pushing me along.

On wet surfaces, you do not need to worry about the RC Elites slipping you up. I have taken the RC Elites out in drizzling weather, as well as occasions where there are puddles on the ground and have found that they perform great.

This is all thanks to the rubber nubs on the midsole which dig very well in the ground. They keep you secure and don’t slide at all. 

Most racing shoes have some degree of slippage but the RC Elites don’t, at all.

So when it rains on race day, you have nothing to worry about, with the RC Elites on your feet.

New Balance’s FuelCell RC elites are definitely a shoe that I can see myself using for my faster training sessions and races, once real racing resumes again. 

I have to say that in my opinion, they feel like a great racing shoe to help you nail that personal best and  I am tempted to give it a crack in these shoes.

The FuelCell RC Elite is retailing at S$359 and is available at all New Balance stores across Singapore.