Streakfly 2 vs Endorphin Elite 3

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 Endorphin Elite 3 is Saucony's no-compromise carbon racing shoe, built for one job: chasing a personal best over the half and full marathon. This is a specialist marathon shoe, not a do-it-all trainer. You get a tall 40mm heel, a full-length carbon plate and Saucony's springy IncrediRUN foam, all wrapped up at a race weight of 210g. At £306 it sits right at the top of the market, alongside the Nike Alphafly 3 and the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4. What you are paying for is peak return at speed. The slotted plate and high stack give a rolling, aggressive ride that wants to move. It is less versatile than Saucony's own Endorphin Pro 5, and it asks for a fair bit of leg strength to get the best from it. We rate it as one of the sharpest tools you can lace up on race day, so long as race day is what you want it for.