Zoom Mamba 6 vs evoSPEED Long Distance Nitro Elite 2

The Zoom Mamba 6 is Nike's distance and steeplechase spike, a running shoe built for the longer end of the track: 3000m steeple, 5000m and 10000m. Where a pure middle-distance spike like the Air Zoom Victory 2 is all aggression, the Mamba trades a little of that snap for a shoe you can hold form in when the laps stack up. The spike plate is firm and locks you onto your forefoot, so every stride turns over quickly and cleanly. At an RRP of £100 it is one of the more sensible buys in the distance-spike world, well under the price of the carbon super-spikes. In our view that is the point. This is a racer for club runners, students and county-level athletes who want a proper, fast track shoe without paying elite-tier money. It will not flatter a weak final 200m the way the priciest spikes do, but for honest distance racing it does the job and keeps doing it.

The Puma evoSPEED Long Distance Nitro Elite 2 is a purpose-built track racing spike for the longer end of the programme, the 5000m and 10000m, where you want propulsion that lasts and a plate that stays snappy lap after lap. This is not a road shoe you can jog to the start line in. It is a lightweight, aggressive distance spike with Nitro foam underfoot and a full-length Pebax plate driving you onto your toes. In our view Puma has aimed this squarely at the club and elite track runner who has moved past pure middle-distance and needs a spike that rewards a smooth, sustained turnover rather than a raw 800m kick. If you race the track regularly and want a genuine alternative to the usual Nike Dragonfly and adidas options, it belongs on your shortlist. For road racing or any training mileage, look elsewhere: this is a race-day spike and nothing else.