Adizero Adios Pro 4 vs Fast-R Nitro Elite 3

The Adizero Adios Pro 4 is adidas at its most focused: a carbon marathon racer built to chase a personal best and little else. At 188g it is light for a shoe with this much stack, and the EnergyRods give it a firm, forward-tipping snap that wants you up on your toes and moving. Pair that with a high, responsive midsole and you get a ride that protects your legs deep into a race while still feeling fast. It is happiest on smooth tarmac at marathon and half pace, where a quick, efficient cadence unlocks the best of it. This is not a do-everything trainer, and it does not pretend to be. If you want one shoe for easy miles and race day, look elsewhere. But if you are after a sharp, single-minded racer for the days that count, the Adios Pro 4 is one of the best around.

If you want a lighter, softer ride for the same job, the Nike Vaporfly 4 is the obvious rival.

The Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 is PUMA at its most single-minded: a carbon marathon racer built to hold hard pace and give a lot back when you push. At a claimed 170g it is genuinely light for a full-stack road racing shoe, and the split-forefoot geometry that defines the Fast-R line is back, so the ride feels aggressive and unashamedly race-only. This is a running shoe with one job, and it does it well. It sits at the sharp end of the super-shoe market on price at £260, right alongside the Nike Alphafly 3 and the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4. If you want a carbon racing shoe purely for marathons, halves and fast tempo work, and you run best off a snappy propulsive platform rather than a soft rocker, it earns its place in the rotation. Just know what you are buying: this is a race-day tool, not a do-everything trainer.