Vaporfly 4 vs Deviate Nitro Elite 4

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.

At 170g, the Deviate Nitro Elite 4 now weighs the same as Puma's more aggressive Fast-R Nitro Elite 3, and that shifts who it's for. It keeps the steadier, heel-strike-friendly shape the Elite line has always had, but most reviewers found the midsole livelier than the Elite 3's and the outsole better too. One long-term tester said it was the first Deviate Elite they'd enjoyed since the original, and Believe in the Run went further, calling it Puma's best race shoe so far. We see it as a carbon racing shoe for 10K and half marathon, and a marathon shoe for runners who find the Fast-R too twitchy. The catches are a narrow midfoot, thin forefoot rubber and early wear reports from a couple of testers. At £215 RRP it's priced alongside the big names, so check the price table before paying full whack.