Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 vs Vaporfly 4

The Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 is a running shoe with one job: get you to a marathon finish line faster than anything else you own. At 99g it is barely there on your foot, and that sub-100g weight is the whole point. adidas has stripped away everything that does not make you quicker, then leaned on a firm ENERGYRIM perimeter to hold the shape and snap the shoe through toe-off. The result is a pure marathon shoe that feels less like footwear and more like a piece of race kit. It sits at the very top of the market on price, and it is not built to soak up your training miles. We rate it as a specialist race-day tool for runners chasing a personal best who already know their legs can handle a light, aggressive ride. If that is you, few road racing shoes feel this fast. If it is not, the Vaporfly 4 or adidas own Adios Pro 4 give you most of the speed with far more shoe underfoot.

The fourth Vaporfly is a shorter-race shoe now, whatever its marathon reputation says. Nike took it lower and firmer, and at 190g it's a very light carbon racing shoe to wear. Reviewers mostly agree the slimmer midsole suits 5k to half marathon better than 26.2. The Run Testers rated it best around the half and thought it short of cushioning for a full marathon unless you like a lower shoe. Believe in the Run graded its performance an A and its design a C, which is a fair summary: quick, but the heel fit lets it down. If you race shorter distances and found the v3 too soft, this is the better Vaporfly for you. If the marathon is your main event, the Alphafly 3 gives you more underfoot for the back half. The RRP is £260, and the price table below shows what UK retailers are asking now.