Adizero Boston 13 vs Hyperion 3

The Adizero Boston 13 is adidas at its most versatile: a firm, fast daily training shoe built to handle tempo work, threshold sessions and steady miles in one pair. It is not a race shoe and it is not a soft cruiser. It sits in the middle, the workhorse you reach for when the session asks for pace but you still want a shoe that lasts. At 254g it is on the heavier side for a tempo running shoe, and you feel that weight on truly easy days, but the trade is a platform with real durability and a planted, controlled ride. The internal rod system keeps the forefoot snappy and stiff, so when you push the pace the shoe pushes back. Compared with the lighter, livelier Adizero EVO SL, the Boston is the more rugged, do-everything option. If you want one shoe to carry your whole week, this is a strong pick.

The Brooks Hyperion 3 is a lightweight speed trainer built to add a bit of zip to your faster days without asking you to buy a dedicated racer. It is a neutral road running shoe aimed at tempo runs, intervals and strides, and at 244g it is light enough to feel quick underfoot the moment you pick up the pace. There is no carbon plate here, so you will not get the springboard snap of a super shoe. What you get instead is a simple, honest tempo shoe with a firm, responsive ride and a versatile streak that lets it double as a lighter daily trainer. The 11.3mm drop is on the traditional side and rewards heel strikers. Against the plated crowd it gives up some return, but at £130 it undercuts most of them and asks for less commitment. If you liked the Brooks Hyperion 2, this is a familiar, refined update rather than a reinvention.