FuelCell SuperComp Elite 5 vs Vaporfly 4

The FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5 is New Balance at its most serious: a carbon marathon racing shoe built to chase a personal best on the road and nothing else. This is a full super-shoe, with a PEBA midsole and a carbon plate that New Balance says is 38 per cent stiffer than before, and at 213g it is genuinely light for a shoe carrying this much foam. That combination is the whole point. You get a tall, energetic stack that protects your legs deep into a marathon, and a plate rigid enough to snap you onto your toes when you hold race pace. It sits right at the top of the road racing market on price at 220 pounds, up against the Nike Vaporfly 4 and the rest of the carbon crowd. We rate it as a true race-day tool. It rewards a committed effort and feels flat if you jog. Buy it to race, not to train.

The fourth Vaporfly is a shorter-race shoe now, whatever its marathon reputation says. Nike took it lower and firmer, and at 190g it's a very light carbon racing shoe to wear. Reviewers mostly agree the slimmer midsole suits 5k to half marathon better than 26.2. The Run Testers rated it best around the half and thought it short of cushioning for a full marathon unless you like a lower shoe. Believe in the Run graded its performance an A and its design a C, which is a fair summary: quick, but the heel fit lets it down. If you race shorter distances and found the v3 too soft, this is the better Vaporfly for you. If the marathon is your main event, the Alphafly 3 gives you more underfoot for the back half. The RRP is £260, and the price table below shows what UK retailers are asking now.