Streakfly 2 vs Deviate Nitro Elite 4

The Streakfly 2 is Nike's short-distance specialist: a featherweight carbon racing shoe built to fly over 5K and 10K, not to baby your legs through a marathon. At 165g it is one of the lightest plated road racers you can buy, and that shows the moment you lift the pace. This is the rare super-shoe that stays nimble and low to the ground, so it turns and accelerates like a racing flat while still giving you the carbon snap you expect from a modern running shoe. Compared with the Vaporfly 4, which is built for the full and half, the Streakfly trades stack and long-haul cushioning for speed, agility and a more connected feel for the road. We rate it highly for parkrun PBs, track 5Ks and sharp interval sessions. At 170 pounds RRP it is a focused tool, and we would buy it knowing exactly what it is for.

The Deviate Nitro Elite 4 is Puma's mainstream carbon racing shoe, the one most runners should look at before the pricier top-tier Fast-R. It sits in the same road-racing class as the Vaporfly and the Adios Pro, a plated marathon shoe built to hold pace when your legs start asking questions. For this fourth version Puma went firmer, with a reworked ATPU midsole under a carbon plate, so the ride feels more planted and direct than a soft, tippy super shoe. Where it really separates itself is the PUMAGRIP outsole, which is genuinely excellent in the wet and gives you confidence through corners that many racers cannot match. At £215 it is priced right alongside its rivals, so this is a straight race-day tool, not a do-everything trainer. If you want a stable, grippy carbon racing shoe for half and full marathons and you like a firmer, propulsive feel, we rate it highly. Chase a softer, bouncier ride and you might prefer the Vaporfly 4.