I’ve been testing the best carbon plate running shoes ever since the original Nike Vaporfly 4% and was lucky enough to try the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 before the London Marathon, where it was used by Sabastian Sawe to run the first official sub-2 marathon in history.
It’s an incredible running shoe, weighing less than 3.5oz and still packing in a high stack of very springy foam and a carbon fibre rim, rather than a full plate. When I spoke to the team behind the development of the Pro Evo 3, it was clear how every aspect of it has been tuned for performance.
Despite costing $500, the Pro Evo 3 sold out in minutes after going on sale yesterday, and if you want to buy it right now you’ll have to spend $2,000 on resale sites like StockX (or even $4,000 if you want a less common size).
I don’t think any running shoe is worth spending that much on, and even at $500 the Pro Evo 3 is a hard sell for amateur runners in my opinion, given the quality of alternative carbon super-shoes you can get for a lot less.
I’ve tried almost every carbon plate running shoe on the market today and if you missed out on the Pro Evo 3, or just don’t want to spend $500 on your racer, here are three alternatives to consider instead.
Asics Metaspeed Ray
The Asics Metaspeed Ray is the shoe that feels the most similar to the Pro Evo 3 in my experience, also having an extremely light, soft and bouncy design.
I used the Metaspeed Ray myself at the London Marathon and while I didn’t run a sub-2 marathon, it helped me log a 2:28 on the day, and I’ve used the Ray to run my half marathon and 10K PRs too.
Asics also has the Metaspeed Sky Tokyo and Metaspeed Edge Tokyo in its line-up, which are both excellent racing shoes to consider. John Korir won the Boston Marathon in a prototype of the next Asics Metaspeed, which will be worth looking out for in the future.
The Metaspeed Ray weighs just 4.8oz in my US men’s size 10 and will set you back $300, which is far from cheap, but still a healthy saving compared with the Pro Evo 3.
Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3
If you watched the Boston and London Marathons this year you will no doubt have noticed Puma’s elite runners, who were decked out in an eye-catching pink kit with mismatched shoes.
The shoe most of them were wearing was the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3, which has a distinctive design with an extended carbon plate that produces a very efficient ride to help you maintain your pace through long races.
I ran the London Marathon in the Fast-R 3 last year and clocked 2:26, and the Poison Pink color available at the moment might be the best-looking racing shoe I’ve ever seen.
Like the Metaspeed Ray, the Fast-R 3 costs $300, so it’s expensive, but it’s an incredible racing shoe that’s proven to be effective for both elite and amateur runners.
Nike Alphafly 3
It’s far from the newest shoe on the market and Nike elites seem to be using a new prototype in their races, but the Nike Alphafly 3 remains a very good pick for amateurs, especially as it’s now often in sales.
The Alphafly 3 is heavier than the latest racing models, but has a more cushioned and comfortable feel and is very bouncy. It’s great for marathons in particular, and was used to set the previous marathon world record that was broken in London by Sawe in the Pro Evo 3.
Nike’s top racer will cost you $295 at full price, but it’s reduced to $214 in one color on the Nike website, and other colors are also reduced so it’s worth clicking through the various options to find a deal.
