361 Degrees Nemesis – Friend or Foe?

This is my third pair by this brand. I’ve tested the Spire 3 and the Strata 3 before. I liked both of those shoes, but they are also pretty similar, they are basically the highly cushioned, high milage models from 361, although the Spire is a neutral road running shoe whereas the Strata 3 is a stability shoe. So, I wondered where the Nemesis would fit into their line up. 

Bit confused about the fact that they called it the Nemesis, shouldn’t a running shoe work with you and not against you? I know it’s a traditional stability shoe, which corrects your gait (nowadays you see more and more stability shoes that guide your gait with guide rails and such rather than correcting your gait, but this is more or a traditional stability shoe that corrects your gait), but I still don’t really associate that with a nemesis.

Upper

I always find that the tongue on the 361 Degrees running shoes is a bit short. Especially if you use the extra eyelet like I do. I would appreciate it if they could just make it about 2 centimeters longer or so. There is some padding in the tongue and in the heel counter, but less than in the Spire 3 or Strata 3. 

The Nemesis has a dual lacing system, a more traditional lacing system at the top and bottom eyelets and a loop system in the midfoot area. This is similar to the Morphit lacing system that can be found in the Strata 3. However, with the Nemesis the loops don’t seem so attached to anything and they are glued to the eyelet area, so it seems to be more for the esthetics rather than to actually have a purpose.

The Nemesis has a toe guard on the toe cap, which is something I haven’t seen in other 361 Degrees shoes before. And the toe box is a bit roomier than the other models I’ve tested, although I didn’t have any issues with the toe box in those either. 

Midsole

It has a softer Qu!ckfoam top layer and a stable EVA base layer underneath. The EVA layer is a bit firmer around the midfoot area compared to the forefoot and the heel area. On both the medial and the lateral side. The EVA is also a bit firmer compared to the EVA layer of the Strata 3.

Outsole

The outsole is made up out of blown rubber pods with two larger flex grooves which provide some flexibility. The outsole provides pretty good traction and is durable. It has a more traditional medial post to provide stability, rather than the guide rails that are often seen these days or compared to the QU!K Spine they used in the Strata 3.

Fit

In the Spire 3 and Strata 3 I had my regular size, and while the Spire 3 was fine, the Strata 3 ran a little small. So, I had decided to go up half a size for the Nemesis. Turns out I shouldn’t have, because the sizing of the Nemesis is similar to that of the Spire 3. 

Performance

The Nemesis weighs 246 grams and has a 17.5 mm forefoot stack and a 26.5 mm heel stack, giving it a 9 mm drop. The Strata 3 weighs 265 grams with a 18 mm forefoot stack and 26 mm heel stack, thus with an 8 mm drop. And the Spire 3 weighs 241 grams and has a 12 mm forefoot stack and a 21 mm heel stack, which means it also has a 9 mm drop. 

Even though the stack height of the Nemesis is comparable to that of the Strata 3 and higher than that of the Spire 3, the Nemesis has a less plush feeling compared to the other two. In the Spire 3 the support comes from the upper as well as the midsole, while the main support of the Nemesis is in the midsole and the heel counter. The Nemesis is a more average everyday trainer, rather than a very high mileage shoe.  

Conclusion

The Nemesis is a combination of the Spire 3 and the Strata 3. It’s a stability shoe, but with a more elastic upper. The nemesis is a more traditional kind of stability shoe compared to the Strata 3, but it corrects your stride in a pretty subtle way. It doesn’t feel like those stability shoes from a few years ago that just felt like someone shoved a tennis ball underneath your midfoot. The Nemesis is for those looking for a more traditional stability shoe for every day. It has more ground feel than the Strata 3, but still comfortably corrects your stride. So I would say the nemesis isn’t much of a nemesis at all.