Superblast 3 vs Mach X 3

The ASICS Superblast 3 is the most versatile running shoe ASICS makes: a towering, plateless super trainer that does the job of three or four shoes in your rotation. With a 45.8mm heel and 37.7mm forefoot it sits right at the World Athletics stack limit, yet at 235g it stays light enough to pick up the pace when you ask. There is no carbon plate here, and that is the whole point. This is soft, bouncy foam doing the work, so you get a springy daily training shoe that will still hang on through a tempo session or a half marathon. We rate it as one of the best do-it-all trainers on the road right now. It is not a dedicated marathon shoe and it is not cheap at £190, but if you want a single pair that covers easy miles, long runs and race-pace efforts without switching, the Superblast 3 is about as good as it gets. Bigger runner, one shoe, most of the week: this is the one.

The Mach X 3 is Hoka's do-it-all super trainer, the shoe you reach for when one pair has to cover the tempo session on Tuesday and the long run at the weekend. A Pebax plate sits inside a tall 44mm heel and 39mm forefoot stack, so you get a snappy, rolling ride without the harsh, race-only feel of a full carbon racing shoe. At 289g it is not light for the category, and you notice that on genuinely fast reps. What you get in return is versatility. It has enough cushioning to protect your legs over 20 miles and enough pop to hold marathon pace when you ask for it. Think of it as a workhorse with an extra gear rather than a pure speed tool. For runners who want a single plated trainer that does most jobs well, and who do not want to spend race-shoe money doing it, we rate the Mach X 3 highly. Just go in knowing it prioritises range over outright speed.