Our verdict
The Nike React Miler 3 is comfortable, well-cushioned, protective, and ideal for daily runs of any distance. It might not stand out as one of the best road shoes out there, but it offers a smooth, predictable ride and gets the job done. On top of this, it's reasonably priced and can be a good choice for beginners who prefer slow-paced runs.
Pros
- Responsive
- Padded upper
- Comfortable for long runs
- Stable
- Stretchy toe box
- Perfect for wider feet
- Competitive price
Cons
- Definitely warm
- On the heavy side
- Outsole could be grippier
- Heel slips for some
Who should buy Nike React Miler 3
You should consider this shoe if you have normal to wide feet and are looking for a comfortable shoe that can be used daily, for short and long runs.
You'll also love this daily trainer if you like running in colder weather - the upper offers warmth and coziness one would not want on a summer day.
Who should not buy it
Look elsewhere if you:
- want a lighter shoe that can be versatile. Get the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 38 instead
- need a breathable shoe. The Nike React Infinity Run Flyknit 2 is what you are after
- want a shoe that’s more secure on the ankle. Check out the Nike Revolution 5
You can take Miler 3 for a night run
Who switched the lights off? Look at those reflective elements shine. Good for taking your Miler 3s for a run in low-visibility conditions.
Breathability is NOT the reason to buy it
Testers were very sure about this: the Nike React Miler 3 is not a breathable shoe. The second version (Miler 2) was a bit warm, but this new iteration is even warmer.
As one of the testers said, the lining on the inside “feels like it retains plenty of heat” and although it was good during cold days, he was very concerned about summer. Another tester confirmed this and went as far as to say that the shoe was so warm that “it was ridiculous.”
No wonder it retains plenty of heat. Looking at the thickness of the tongue - it sits at 7.9mm! The average in our lab is 6.0mm. Not only that, but there's no light passing through when a flashlight is directed at the upper. It's a thick material indeed.
Miler 3 has a comfy upper
Except for the new tongue, which is a little bit bulky and as a runner said it feels “like it belongs to a less premium shoe,” the Miler 3 has, overall, a very comfortable upper thanks to great padding on the inside.
Wider feet are welcome
Runners appreciated that this shoe is a little bit more stretchy in the upper if compared to the previous iteration.
This, together with a roomy toe box, makes this shoe a good choice for runners with wide feet.
To check whether it's actually a roomy toe box, or the upper is stretchy, or both - we measured the width of the forefoot. Miler 3 sits at 98.2mm, while the average is 98.6mm. So, it's an average toe box and the upper has some give.
Stiff, yet responsive
According to a tester, the Miler 3 is not as snappy as the version 2, and another runner noticed that the midsole has “the sort of very stiff react foam.”
However, reviewers found that, overall, this shoe has good cushioning, feels bouncy and responsive enough and it just takes a little while to appreciate it: “the more you wear it, the more it breaks and softens up.”
In our lab, we confirmed that the Miler 3 is stiffer than the average running shoe. First, to flex it, we needed more force: 32.5N instead of 29.6N which is the average. Second, on our longitudinal flexibility test, it scored 4 out of 5 while the average is 3.3 (the bigger the number, the stiffer the shoe).
However, when it comes to it needing time to soften up, we did not confirm this because the Miler 3 is already very soft. The midsole scored 17.3 on our durometer, while the average is 29.1 (the lower the number, the softer the foam).
What's also interesting is that this Miler 3's midsole gets much firmer after being exposed to cold when compared to other shoes, almost twice as much. BUT, even after 20mins in the freezer, it is still softer than many other shoes out there at room temperatures. After 20mins in the freezer, the Miler 3 showed 24.12 on the durometer. It is a 39.8% change in softness, while the average change is 21.6%.
Heel not secure for some
A tester found out that his heel kept slipping out of the back of the shoe and there was no way around this: “the heel slippage is just incredibly noticeable” and tightening the laces didn’t fix it. Keep in mind, there was only 1 report of this kind.
Fun fact about the heel area in the Nike React Miler 3: the width of the heel is 71.1mm while the average sits at 76.3. It is 5mm narrower than the average running shoe in our lab! What also might affect the heel lock is the stiffness of the heel collar - on our subjective test, it scored 5 out of 5 while the average is 3.1 (5 means it is the stiffest).
Miler 3 is still stable
Although the extra support in the arch is not there now as it was in the previous version, the shoe still offers some stability and this is especially felt during long runs.
Outsole: new does not equal better
Runners didn’t quite like the new outsole, which one described as “a mash-up” of different Nike shoes. According to a tester, it feels thin and not as grippy as the one in the second iteration: “they have really messed up the outsole.”
In the lab we did notice that the thickness of the outsole rubber is lower than the average: 2.4mm compared to the average of 3.6mm.
Nike React Miler 3 feels heavy
At 9.9oz (280g), it feels heavier than it is. For comparison, the average weight of a road running shoe is 9.6oz (272g) and 10 oz (286g) is the average weight of a daily trainer. Runners noticed the weight of the Miler 3 while testing it:
- the shoe “is a bit hefty”
- “you can feel the weight while running”
- “it feels like a brick.”
Not an expensive shoe
The Miler 3 is a good choice for those runners who don’t want to spend a fortune on a running shoe: at $120 it’s perfectly on the average price for its category.
Heel drop: as advertised
In the lab, we check all sorts of this, heel to toe drop included.
Nike said it's 10mm, we measured 9.8mm.
Close enough, unlike this Altra Rivera 2 shoe which was supposed to be a zero drop and we measured 2.8mm.
