evoSPEED Long Distance Nitro Elite 2 vs Fast-R Nitro Elite 3

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.

The Fast-R Nitro Elite 3 is PUMA at its most single-minded: a carbon marathon racer built to hold hard pace and give a lot back when you push. At a claimed 170g it is genuinely light for a full-stack road racing shoe, and the split-forefoot geometry that defines the Fast-R line is back, so the ride feels aggressive and unashamedly race-only. This is a running shoe with one job, and it does it well. It sits at the sharp end of the super-shoe market on price at £260, right alongside the Nike Alphafly 3 and the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 4. If you want a carbon racing shoe purely for marathons, halves and fast tempo work, and you run best off a snappy propulsive platform rather than a soft rocker, it earns its place in the rotation. Just know what you are buying: this is a race-day tool, not a do-everything trainer.