Adizero Distancestar 1 vs Cielo X MD 3

The Adizero Distancestar is a track distance spike built to cover everything from the 1500m up to the 10,000m, which makes it one of the more versatile racing spikes you can buy. It sits below the specialist end of the Adizero range, so if you want a single spike for a whole season of track efforts rather than one event, this is the honest pick. A glassfibre plate underfoot gives you a firm, snappy platform without the aggressive geometry of a pure middle distance spike, so it stays comfortable across longer reps. At £90 it is one of the more accessible spikes on the market, which matters if you are a club runner buying your own kit. If you want something sharper for pure 1500m to 3000m work, the Adizero Avanti is the more aggressive sibling. For most distance track athletes, though, the Distancestar does the lot.

The Cielo X MD 3 is Hoka's middle distance track spike, built for the sharp end of the 800m through the mile and up to 3000m. This is a specialist racing shoe, not a trainer, and it makes no apology for it. A PEBA midsole sits over a carbon plate on a low 19mm heel and 16mm forefoot stack, so you get a fast 2.7mm drop that keeps you up on the ball of the foot where a middle distance runner wants to be. Six removable pins bite the track and the plate snaps you through each stride when you are turning the legs over hard. At GBP 225 it is a serious investment aimed at competitive club and collegiate athletes, and it goes head to head with the New Balance SuperComp MD-X. If your races are longer, its sibling the long distance model suits you better.