Deviate Nitro Elite 4 vs evoSPEED Long Distance Nitro Elite 2

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.

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.