Meet the reviewer
Veja Condor 3: first impressions
The Veja Condor 3 was released on March 28, 2024, and is the company's latest everyday road running shoe. It has a slightly more technical look than its predecessors.
• List price: $200 / £170
• Gender specification: Unisex
• Sizes: EU 36-50
• Category: Neutral daily trainer
• Stack height: 37mm
• Drop: 8mm
• Weight (per shoe): 12.1oz / 343g (UK size 10)
• Colors: White/black, areia white gradient, black calcaire
• Compatibility: Road running at distances up to 10k
I've owned a pair of Veja's casual shoes for a couple of years now. The company has made a name for itself as an ethical producer of footwear, tracing its supply chains all the way and only working with suppliers of materials like cotton and rubber that provide good living and working conditions, support local communities, don't use forced labor, and pay a proper living wage to their suppliers.
Veja launched the original Condor running shoe in 2019 – a road running shoe made with over 50% recycled materials to reduce demand for virgin plastics. The Condor 2 landed in 2021 with a lighter build, and now Veja has shaved off even more with a larger cutout in the sole and reworked upper.
It's not a featherweight shoe (my UK size 10 sample weighed 343g each, compared to 255g for my usual Saucony Ride 17), but it's much lighter than the Allbirds Treeflyer 2, which is one of its closest competitors if you're looking for a running shoe that'll leave a minimal environmental footprint.
The upper is made from a dual layer of mesh, and proved robust, showing no signs of wear during my tests. The rubberized toe cap provides plenty of protection, particularly when tackling hills and gravel.
The tongue has only the slightest hint of cushioning, but the heel collar is well padded and shaped to prevent rubbing.
There's a very generous helping of sustainably sourced rubber on the outsole, which is textured for additional grip of slick surfaces. I can see it working well as a hiking shoe for well maintained trails, in addition to running on gravel.
It's a striking shoe, and my review sample arrived in Veja's signature unbleached off-white, accented with a purple-orange gradient. It looks more like a technical running shoe than the Condor 2, which more closely resembled the company's casual footwear, but still wouldn't look of place around town in a more subtle colorway.
Veja Condor 3: on the roads
The Condor 3 is a unisex shoe and tends to run small (something it has in common with other Veja shoes). I was warned about this in advance and supplied with a UK 10 rather than my usual 9. This fitted very nicely, giving plenty of room for my toes without any slipping, so moving up a single whole size seems to be the right move.
It's not designed for setting personal bests; instead it's a versatile everyday training shoe made with relatively low mileages in mind. It felt comfortable and supportive right out of the box.
The midsole is moderately stiff, and provides a pleasantly cushioned ride without excessive bounce.
My only real complaint with the Condor 3 is its lacing system, which is significantly different from that of the Condor 2. Not far into one of my first runs, I began to experience pain in the top of my left foot, which got progressively worse. Loosening the laces didn't help, but upon returning home and taking a good look inside, I realized the source of the issue.
The Condor 3's tongue is minimally padded, but the problem was that the laces are designed to pass through it, which I hadn't spotted before my maiden run. The laces aren't particularly thick, but the result is a double layer that happened to sit right on top of the head of one of my metatarsals. The problem didn't seem to affect my right foot (which is slightly larger) and was relieved by re-lacing the shoe differently, missing a set of eyelets and running the lace over the top of the tongue, but it seems like an odd design choice and the discomfort persisted for a couple of weeks afterwards.
I very much appreciate Veja's commitment to transparency, support of its producers, and use of ethically and sustainably sourced materials, which elevate it above most other running shoe brands. I also like the Condor 3's durable build, which should give you more mileage than a more typical road shoe, thereby reducing waste.
Just watch out for those laces.
