Metaspeed Edge Tokyo vs Endorphin Pro 4

The Metaspeed Edge Tokyo is ASICS at its sharpest: a 159g carbon racing shoe built to chase a personal best on the road and not much else. It is the Edge, so it is tuned for cadence runners, the people who get faster by turning their legs over quicker rather than by reaching for a longer stride. If that is you, the geometry here works with you instead of fighting you. At 38.9mm in the heel and a 6.9mm drop it sits right at the front of the modern marathon shoe pack, and the carbon plate gives you a firm, snappy platform that wants to roll forward. This is a race-day tool, not a do-everything trainer. Step on at easy pace and it feels stiff and a touch unforgiving. Hold goal pace and it comes alive. If you lengthen your stride to find speed, look at the stride-biased Metaspeed Sky Paris instead. At £230 it is a serious outlay, so be honest about whether you will use it.

The Endorphin Pro 4 is Saucony's carbon marathon racer, a road racing shoe built to help you chase a personal best over the half and full. It sits just below the top-tier Endorphin Elite in the range: less aggressive, a touch more forgiving, and easier to run at real-world marathon pace. At 212g it is light for a carbon racing shoe, and the full-length plate gives you that firm, rolling snap through toe-off that defines this category. The 8mm drop keeps you rolling forward rather than sitting back on your heels. In our view it is one of the more approachable super shoes: quick when you push, but not so unstable that it punishes you late in a race. For runners who want a genuine carbon marathon shoe without the harshest edge of an out-and-out elite racer, the Pro 4 is an easy shoe to recommend. Just know you are paying a premium race-day price at £230 RRP.