Hyperion Elite 4 vs Endorphin Pro 5

The Hyperion Elite 4 is Brooks going all in on the marathon: a carbon racing shoe with one job, and it does it with a surprisingly light touch. At 196g it is not the lightest super shoe on a shelf full of sub-190g rivals, but the balance is where it wins. The nitrogen-infused foam feels bouncy without the top-heavy wobble some race shoes carry, and the carbon plate keeps you rolling forward once you settle into pace. This is a road running shoe built for race day, not your easy miles. It suits a runner who wants a stable, predictable ride they can trust for 26.2 rather than the twitchiest, most aggressive tool in the pack. Against a Nike Vaporfly 4 it trades a little raw pop for a calmer, more planted feel. At £245 it sits right in premium carbon territory, so it earns its place on merit, not price.

The Endorphin Pro 5 is Saucony's carbon marathon racer, and the fifth version is the most complete one yet. This is a road racing shoe built around a slotted carbon SpeedRoll plate sitting in a stack of PWRRUN PB and Super Critical foam, so you get that firm, rockered snap through toe-off that the Endorphin line has always chased. At £225 it lands squarely in the super-shoe bracket alongside the Nike Vaporfly 4 and adidas Adios Pro, and it earns the price if you are racing anything from 10k to a marathon. Compared with the Endorphin Pro 4 it feels a touch more planted and a little more forgiving on tired legs, without losing the rolling geometry that makes it want to move at pace. In our view this is a proper PB tool, not an everyday cruiser. Buy it to race, and it delivers.