Superblast 3 vs Deviate Pure Nitro 1

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 Deviate Pure Nitro is Puma's plateless super trainer, and it sits in a clever spot: most of the bounce of a race shoe, without the plate telling your legs what to do. It runs on a full PEBA Nitrofoam midsole with a 38mm heel and 30mm forefoot, an 8mm drop, and a listed 220g, so it is light for how much shoe you get underfoot. This is a fast everyday trainer rather than a marathon racer. It shines on tempo runs, progression runs and honest daily miles where you want a lively, energetic ride but still want your foot to do the steering. Because there is no carbon plate, it feels more natural and forgiving than a plated super trainer like the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4, which makes it easier to run slow in. If you want one bouncy running shoe that covers most of your week, this is a strong pick.