Cielo X MD 3 vs FuelCell SuperComp MD-X 3

The Cielo X MD 3 is Hoka's middle distance track spike, built for the sharp end of the 800m through the mile and up to 3000m. This is a specialist racing shoe, not a trainer, and it makes no apology for it. A PEBA midsole sits over a carbon plate on a low 19mm heel and 16mm forefoot stack, so you get a fast 2.7mm drop that keeps you up on the ball of the foot where a middle distance runner wants to be. Six removable pins bite the track and the plate snaps you through each stride when you are turning the legs over hard. At GBP 225 it is a serious investment aimed at competitive club and collegiate athletes, and it goes head to head with the New Balance SuperComp MD-X. If your races are longer, its sibling the long distance model suits you better.

The FuelCell SuperComp MD-X v3 is New Balance at full send: a carbon-plated middle-distance track spike built for the 800m through the mile and into 3000m. This is not a road shoe you can jog in. It is a racing spike, all pins and plate and pop, meant for hard efforts on the track and nothing else. At around 170g it is light without feeling flimsy, and the FuelCell foam under the carbon plate gives you more bounce underfoot than a traditional bladed spike, so you get some cushioning to hold form on the back half of a longer rep. New Balance sits it above their long-distance sibling, the SuperComp LD-X, which is tuned for 5000m and 10000m. In our view the MD-X is one of the sharper middle-distance super-spikes going, and a serious option if you race on the track and want plate-and-foam propulsion under a spike plate. Just know exactly what you are buying.