New Balance's New SuperComp Elite v6 and SuperComp Rebel: A Race-Day and Training Duo
New Balance's SuperComp Elite v6 is a lighter, bouncier marathon racer built on the brand's new Infinion foam, releasing 6 August 2026. Alongside it comes the new SuperComp Rebel, a plated everyday super trainer on the same foam, out 20 August. The pitch is a matched pair, one for the miles and one for the medal.
What happened
New Balance pulled the wraps off two new performance shoes this week, and the story is a matched set rather than a single hero. The SuperComp Elite v6 is the new version of the brand's marathon racer, and the new SuperComp Rebel is the training shoe built to sit next to it in your rotation.
The tie that binds them is the midsole. Both shoes run on Infinion, New Balance's newest and lightest performance foam, which replaces the FuelCell PEBA that carried the previous SC Elite. The framing from New Balance is deliberate: one package, two jobs. The Rebel gets you to the start line healthy, the Elite gets you to the finish fast.
The SC Elite v6 releases on 6 August 2026 at $275, and the SuperComp Rebel follows on 20 August at $190, both through newbalance.com and select New Balance stores.
The SuperComp Elite v6: lighter and bouncier
The Elite v6 is New Balance's answer to the marathon super shoe, and the headline change is weight. It comes in at roughly 190g in a men's 9.5 (around 155g in a women's 7), which is about 20g lighter than the v5 it replaces. That is a meaningful drop for a shoe you might wear for two or three hours straight.
The core numbers:
- Stack height: 40mm heel / 32mm forefoot, an 8mm drop, right at the World Athletics 40mm limit.
- Midsole: New Balance's new Infinion foam, the lightest version yet, tuned for softer landings and stronger energy return than the old FuelCell.
- Plate: a redesigned full-length carbon-fibre plate New Balance calls "Energy Arc", sitting close to the foot at the heel and dropping sharply through the midfoot.
- Upper: a translucent, perforated mesh with New Balance's FANTOMFIT support, built to be light and breathable.
Early hands-on reviews back up the pitch. Testers at Road Trail Run described the Infinion foam as "softer and bouncier than the outgoing FuelCell," especially in the heel, giving a "peppy, nimble, and highly dynamic ride." The platform is narrower than the v5, and the verdict so far is a racer that stays stable deep into a marathon rather than one chasing aggressive, snappy pop.
The SuperComp Rebel: the everyday super trainer
If the Elite is race day, the Rebel is every other day. New Balance is positioning it as the workhorse of the pair, the shoe for tempo runs, long runs, and the general week-in, week-out training that builds a marathon.
It shares the Elite's Infinion foam but sets it up differently:
- Stack height: 40mm heel / 36mm forefoot, a lower 4mm drop.
- Weight: around 218g in a men's 9.5 (about 174g in a women's 7), heavier than the racer but light for a daily trainer.
- Plate: a propulsion plate for a bit of pop, without going full carbon-race stiffness.
- Upper: the same FANTOMFIT build as the Elite.
That combination of a tall, soft stack with a gentler drop and a friendlier plate is exactly the modern "super trainer" recipe: race-shoe foam and bounce, in a package your legs can handle for high mileage.
Who's wearing them
New Balance leaned on its athletes to make the case. World champion triathlete Alex Yee, who ran a 2:06:38 personal best in the SC Elite v5 at last year's Valencia Marathon, said the v6 "feels even lighter and faster." American marathon record holder Emily Sisson added that "the innovation in this update raises the bar for race-day footwear."
Those are big names to hang a launch on, and the marathon pedigree is the point. This is a shoe built around the specific demands of running 42.2km as fast as you can.
Where it fits, and why it matters if you're newer to running
The SC Elite v6 slots straight into the top tier of marathon racers, up against the Nike Alphafly, Adidas Adios Pro, and Saucony Endorphin Elite. At $275 it is priced right in that pack. If you are chasing a personal best or a Comrades or Two Oceans qualifier, this is the sharp end of what New Balance offers.
But the more interesting idea here is the pairing. Buying a racer and a matched trainer on the same foam is a smart way to train, and it points to something worth knowing if you are newer to all this: you should not do all your running in a carbon race shoe. The stiff plate and tall, soft stack that make race day feel fast can leave your feet and lower legs underworked if that is all you ever wear, and many coaches steer beginners away from racing every run in them.
That is the whole logic of a shoe like the Rebel. You spend most of your week in the more forgiving trainer, building strength and letting your legs adapt, then save the plated Elite for the sessions and races where the extra bounce actually pays off. If you take one thing from this launch, let it be that: the trainer matters as much as the racer, and doing most of your miles in the softer, less aggressive shoe is the sensible way to enjoy the fast one when it counts.