Terrex Agravic Speed 2 vs Tecton X 3

The Terrex Agravic Speed is adidas at its most stripped back on the trail: a lightweight trail racing shoe built to move fast over shorter, sharper terrain. At 240g it sits firmly in the fast-and-low camp, and there is no carbon plate here, so what you get is a direct, ground-feel-forward ride rather than a propulsive rocker. That is the point. This is a running shoe for runners who want to feel the trail and react to it, not float above it. The 8mm drop keeps you in a familiar, slightly heel-biased position that most road converts will get on with straight away. We rate it as a proper trail race and tempo tool: skyrunning, shorter ultras, hard hill efforts and race-day on technical ground. If you want more shoe underfoot for long days, the roomier Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra is the natural step up. For fast trail work, this one earns its keep.

The Tecton X 3 is Hoka's carbon-plated trail racing shoe, built for runners who want road-race pop on rough ground. At 252g it is remarkably light for a shoe with this much cushion under the foot, and the carbon plate gives you a real snap through toe-off when you are moving well. With a 5mm drop and an RRP of £220 it sits at the sharp, premium end of the trail market, squarely aimed at long-distance and ultra racing rather than everyday miles. This is a specialist. It rewards a runner who wants to hold pace over technical terrain and carry that efficiency deep into a race, when tired legs need every bit of help they can get. If you race trail ultras or fast half and full marathon distances off-road, it belongs on your shortlist. The nearest rival in our catalogue is the Nike Ultrafly, another plated trail racer chasing the same runner.