Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra 2 vs S/Lab Genesis 2

Adidas kept the second Agravic Speed Ultra fast and fussy, and fixed most of what people disliked about the first. The upper is far comfier than on the original Speed Ultra and the lugs bite harder, and the reviews we read broadly agree most runners will prefer it. It is still a trail racing shoe with a narrow heel, a pointed toe box and a rocker that wants you up on your forefoot. Women's Running UK gave it five stars as an ultra racer for runners who put speed and control ahead of plush cushioning. On our spec sheet it is effectively zero drop, and lab testing says the heel rocker makes it feel less flat than that. At a £200 RRP it sits alongside the S/Lab Genesis 2 and Tecton X 3 as a race-day trail shoe. If you land midfoot and race on fast, runnable trails, we'd pick it over both. Heel strikers and wide feet should look elsewhere.

The S/Lab Genesis 2 is Salomon at its most race-focused: a lightweight trail running shoe built for short to mid distance racing, from a sharp 10k on the fells to a technical half or a fast 50k. At 249g it is genuinely light for a shoe with a 31.9mm heel, and the low 7.8mm drop keeps you connected to the ground so you can read the trail and react. There is no plate here, and that is deliberate. This is a shoe about precision, grip and control rather than pop off a carbon spring. You get a snug, locked-in Salomon fit and aggressive traction that bites on loose, wet and steep ground. In our view it sits at the premium racing end of the market, and the price reflects that. If you want a plated trail racer the Hoka Tecton X 3 is the obvious rival, but for pure connected feel and grip the Genesis 2 is hard to beat.