We love testing the best carbon plate running shoes, and the very best way to do that is by racing in them. This year Mike, Tom, Kieran and Nick have all been out chasing PBs in super-shoes, and in this video we sum up our year of racing and the shoes that have really stood out to us when it matters most.
This is a whistle-stop tour of the shoes that we’ve used for our biggest races in 2024, so if you want a more comprehensive look at the carbon plate running shoes available today, check out our full round-up here:
00:00 – Intro
00:45 – Kieran’s 2024 Race Tests
05:16 – Tom’s 2024 Race Tests
11:03 – Mike’s 2024 Race Tests
17:49 – Nick’s 2024 Race Tests
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Hello and welcome to run testers my name Is Nick and Welcome to our end of year Race test carbon shoe Extravaganza where We will be talking about all the carbon Shoes we've really raced in across the Year the ones that have really stood out For us that we've used for our main Races to give an impression of what we Think are the best shoes on the market That we've really put to the ultimate Test and using them for our biggest Races and how they performed on the day We've got a lot of race test videos on The channel which will have a lot more Detail on any individual shoes if you Want to go and seek those out and see How they performed at stuff like the London Marathon or the vent marathan Things like that but in this video we're Each going to go through some of the Ones that have stood out for us in a Kind of Whistle Stop tour of our races Throughout the year and how the carbon Shoes have performed and what has been Another you know very good year I think For carbon plate running shoes with some Really exciting new launches so let's Dive into some carbon this year I've Raced quite a variety of races Everything from allout PB chasing Road 5Ks via half marathons for the London Landmarks half in the winter run 10K up To the Manchester Marathon as well there Have been Road Ultras I did my second
Comrades an uun this year uh did the Down run last year I did the 100 mile Berlin Wall Ultra for the second Consecutive year then I also took to the Trails to do an ultra in the Lake District did some mixed terrain Marathons like at the New Forest Marathon it's been a whole lot of fun I've logged PBS at 5K 10K marathon and 100 mile distances the majority of those Runs have been in carbon plate race Shoes or plated shoes I'm going to start With the road I'm not going to hold the Shoes CU they're all in boxes and filthy So I will put cutaways up but anyway I Ran a new Marathon PB at the Manchester Marathon in the aex metas speed Sky Paris I did a 25440 then a week later I clocked a 5k PB in the aex Met speed Sky Paris as Well running 1759 at the dich Podium 5K Which illustrates the range that this Shoe has it's one of my favorite shoes Of the year I put it in my top five Picks the videos on the channel Somewhere for those it has all the Ingredients I want in a good carbon Ratio at pretty competitive price light Racy Airy uppers a big stack of really Bouncy energetic midso foam and a Stiffness from the carbon plate that Adds plenty of extra Pop I think it Delivers everything you want in a speedy Shoe for going all in chasing the
Fastest times I like the stiffness in The midso unit along with the just right Cushioning that dampens the road impact Without leaving your feet feeling Completely disconnected from the road Even towards the end of the marathon in Manchester it looked after my feet it is You know cushioned enough that it will Protect you and for the 5K it was every Bit the light Punchy ra Sho that I Wanted Nimble and agile energetic super Light and fast at the London landmarks Half I also gave the sakon endin pro a Run out no PBS here for this this was a Race where I planned to run a section of It easier than up through the sort of Gears a bit during the race and the Endorphin Pro delivered across those Paces I found it had me covered with a Cushion when I was moving slower and it Responded well to the shift up in Gears But I don't find it anywhere near as Energetic or Punchy as shoes like the Aex Met speed Sky Paris it's a bit Tamer There is some Merit in that though I Think and in this race it proved it I Think it's a good accessible carbon Racer one that you can lace up if you're Hedging your bets a bit during a race And you want some backup if the wheels Come off it's a bit more democratic in That point then onto the road Ultras and I set my 100 mile PB at the Berlin War 100 mile taking 4 hours off my only
Other 100 mile finish did it in 22 hours And something I actually used three Shoes for that race one not plated which Was the oncloud Monster hyper one pack Plated the Hyperion Max 2 on n on plated Which was the sock endorphin Speed 3 I Know it's technically not a carbon shoe I'm squeezing in here because I love it As a shoe and that's the shoe that I Started the Berlin w 100 and it's the Brooks Hyperion Max 2 it's a shoe that I Also put as one of my top five it's a Non-aggressive pack plate shoe that Works at almost any Pace with a really Road Ultra friendly wide toebox and Roomy fit it took me to the 40 m Mark in That race in Berlin wonderful Comfort I Think it was maybe like six hours or Something seven eight hours and I would Have happily carried on in it but I had The other shoes to test but I really Like the balance to this shoe it's not The punchiest plated shoe but there's an Easy control to it that worked well on That Ultra it took the edge off the road Spared my legs and feet and offered up Controlled energy that I think really Helped me eat those first 40 miles and Left me in a good State for the rest of The race the final 60 miles then onto The trail or the road to Trail as well And I put the aex metap Fuji Trail to Two very different tests one runnable Mix to rain marathon where the
Combination of the big stack and of Lively foam and the carbon plate ran Like an absolute dream that's where I Think the meta Fuji excels on the less Technical more runnable terrain I then Challenged it and myself to something a Bit more tricky at the five valleys Ultra up in the Lake District 55 km and A more technical test with steep climbs Some very sort of technical descents That was quite slippy and Rocky was in The Lake District I found it a bit too Lively unstable for my capabilities in That race and I definitely wanted more Control on the desense I wouldn't Necessarily take this meta Fuji into This more challenging sort of terrain Those kind of races again I would Happily lace it up for any mixed terrain Race where you're looking at it and Thinking is this a race that could take A road shoe if it's dry and it can then This shoe would be good for that so it Was a bit of a mix bag for racing for me Over the course of 2024 I've done quite A few big races I did Boston Marathon I Did London Marathon also did Valencia Marathon I've done uh quite a lot of Smaller RAC as well so Brighton 10K um I've done Manchester half marathon uh Loads of other ones as well but those Are the big ones that I was really Focused on I didn't get any PBS this Year uh last year was a big year for me
When it came to PBS and I got PBS in Every distance um but for this year Didn't really get what I wanted to do um But I have been moving house and I've Not really trained as hard um as I did Last year so the races that I did um Which are worth talking about so I did Boston Marathon I did train for that Fairly well but I just wasn't quite Prepared for it I did want to get a sub3 In it but I ended up getting 3 hours 24 And I really struggled on that race it Was a bit hotter than I'd expected um And also I just don't think I had the um The stamina and the endurance um from my Training to really hit it hard I think I Went out too hard at the start um but The shoe that I wore for that was the Nike Ally 3 um this shoe I was really Excited about one of my favorite shoes Of all time is the Ally one I've got Most of my PBS in that shoe um and I Still rate it as one of the best carbon Plight shoes out there Ally 3 I've never I've not really got on with it um in the Races that I've done I've done a couple Of short distance races in this but Boston was the main one that I was using This shoe for um for me it doesn't quite Work as well as some of the other carbon Plate shoes that I really like uh it Feels a little bit more like the Vaporfly to me then the alphafly one um And as a result it just doesn't seem to
Give me a lot back uh it's very Comfortable shoe it feels like a very Fast shoe shorter distances I don't mind It but for the marathon distance it just Didn't feel like it was helping me as Much as I get from things like the Alphafly 1 um or the S endorphin Pro 3 Shoes like that um it just felt like it Was wasn't giving me a lot of energy Back really so I'm not a massive fan of The alphafly 3 really um I think it's All right I know a lot of people do like It but for me it's too much of a Movement away from the the ride of the Alphafly 1 um but uh yeah so alphafly 3 Not my big biggest choice of the year um But uh I had to enjoy for short Distances for the Valencia Marathon Which I've just done about two weeks ago Uh which I did train for but again I Really struggled with endurance I ended Up getting a 3-hour 14 um which I wanted To get sub three but I wasn't expecting That I thought that was that was a Pretty big hope based on the training That I did I definitely kept speed over The training but it was just the Distance that I struggled with uh I went For the A6 semester speed Sky Paris for Valencia um I really like this shoe uh But not for Marathon distance that's the First time I've used it for a marathon Um when I've used it for short distances 10K races um I really it's a really fast
Shoe Really allows you to pick up the pace Quickly it's really nippy um and just Feels great for those faster efforts for The marathon I just didn't get a lot out Of it it the cushioning wasn't enough For me um and the energy turn wasn't Really enough for what I want it feels Snappy I could definitely run fast in it Especially at the start of the marathon I I picked up the pace quite quickly um But for the latter stages where my legs Were tired I just didn't get the um the Cushioning and and bounce that I like From my carbon Pate shoes but I I really Rate the A6 speed Sky Paris for short Distance um but not for Marathon Distance one standout shoe for me this Year is the Puma DV8 Nitro Elite 3 um I Said in many videos that the previous Versions of the DV8 Nitro Elite uh were Fine but they didn't really match up With the top tier car plate racing shoes That were out um or the competitors that Were out at the time of their release The Nitro Elite 3 is fantastic it's Definitely one of the best carbon PL Races out I used it for Manchester half Marathon and I got a 125 which is pretty Good for me it's about 3 minutes off my PB um but I wasn't PB ready for that Race um so 125 I was really pleased with This shoe just did a fantastic job it's Got a lovely level of UR return it's
Really smooth run um quite similar to Something like the vaporfly but um I Feel it's a little bit denser as well so You just get a little bit more um Response from from that mid cell phone For me it's a really enjoyable shoe and Definitely a shoe that really deserves Um being picked up as a top tier Caron Plate racer now so really enjoyed racing In it for the Manchester half marathon And legs felt great by the end of it um And I probably should have worn this for Uh Valencia and finally a shoe that I Have been wanting to pick up for quite Some time only only picked it up Recently and that's the CeeLo X1 the Hoko X1 and this is I really like this Shoe I ran a 10K in it a couple of Months back which was the Brighton 10K And um almost got close to my PB about 37 minutes 40 seconds which um is about 10 seconds off my PB and I really Enjoyed this shoe it it's got a lovely Um soft midsole in it it's very thick And wide it just feels to me very Similar to something like the alphafly One um and I again I probably should Have chose this for Valencia I decided To pick the Sky Paris because it won our um carplate Shoe of the year um but I think I think I would have been much better off with This from my style of running just got a Little bit more to this shoe definitely
A bit more bounce and it's a bit heavier Um but it's definitely a shoe that Worked better for my style of running And I think it would have been more Beneficial in the latter stages of um Valencia Marathon to have a little bit More of the the bounce um and the Ury Return from this shoe as opposed to what I got from the aex Met speed Sky Paris So I've definitely been a little bit More cautious about the amount of racing That I have done this year but I have Managed to do eight races in total and Across those eight races I tested seven New carbon Racing shoes now my first Race was back in January and that was The Lee Valley Val Park 10K a looped Course that you know for me if someone That doesn't really like Loop courses For some reason I quite like doing this One that was my first opportunity to Race in this year the Haw cell X1 which Has definitely been one of my kind of Standout favorite new run shoe launches Of this year now what I would say is you Know having tested what I've tested Throughout the year is this the shoe That I would say is a great 10K shoe or The shoe that I would use for a 10k race Possibly not but I do think it really Kind of gave me a good experience of What you know the C X1 is about it is Bouncy Lively aggressive you know really Propulsive you know and it does just
Feel really enjoyable to run fast in This shoe maybe a bit too much shoe for That 10K distance but I do think as I Said a good showcase for why I've like This shoe so next up for me was The Bona Half Marathon in February now that was My first opportunity to race in the Brooks hyper and Elite V4 I wouldn't say Has been my standout shoe or carbon Racing shoe that I've raced in this year I definitely think those qualities I Like about the hyperian elite V4 I Really like the upper on the shoe and I Think that's been a real standout kind Of you know highlight for me from Brooks Shoes particularly it faster shoes I Think what I've really found is that They just lacked that pop for me over That half marathan distance I just want A little bit more now we have seen that There is going to be a Brooks hyper and Elite V4 PB it's going to have a peber Based foam and I think that's really What Brooks needs to do with this shoe And I think if it works with everything Else that it's done well with this shoe I think it's going to be more in keeping With the other carbon Racing shoes that Sit in around the price range of the Hyperion Elite so in April had a couple Of pretty big races to tick off the First was a 5K race in Paris while out With aex for its Festival of running Weekend which culminated in the Paris
Marathon and I had an opportunity to Race a very cool race in the center of Paris a closed off circuit and I had the Opportunity to use the aex Met speed Sky Paris and it was a nice fast course to Do I ran you know it's the the only time I've run sub20 this year and it you know What it proved to me about this shoe Which I've kind of said in our review is That unlike I think the previous metas Speed shoes which I've always found I've Liked kind of half marathon Marathon Distance for me the Met speed Sky price Is a shoe that can work across all Distances and for me that was it was Just further proof that you can get that Kind of you know lovely feel from the Met spe guy Paris over those shorter Distances and then it was over to the Big one for me my only Marathon that I've done this year and that was the London Marathon which I was meant to do Last year but I couldn't do because of Injury issues and I had the opportunity To race at the new B SC Elite V4 you Know it was very comfortable throughout That Marathon distance it was very St Able and very controlled to run that Shoe there was just enough popping there To kind of roll through very nicely at The pace that I was running at and it Was very stable I think more stable than Some of the other carbon Racing shoes in And around the SE Elite V4 so after
Taking a well-deserved break after London I was back racing in June and Back at the Lee Valley V Park this time For a 10k race and it was my first Opportunity to race in the Puma DV8 Nitro Elite 3 which I have used for two Races this year this is a shoe where it Was love at first s or first race you Know one of my favorite shoes to race in Definitely up there with the best and I Think you know Puma has really made big Strides with the DV8 Nitro Elite 3 and I Think it's been a little bit for me you Know like I've had with the meta speed Sky price where I think what Puma has Here is a carbon racing shoe that for me Personally is one that I'd be happy Grabbing for shorter distances as well As those kind of half mouth and the Marathon distances and that's really What that kind of race experience kind Of showcase for me this is a shoe that Can work where maybe your legs working a Little bit faster over that distance and It did feel well at home at a 10K Distance for me so in July it was more 10k race action I did the sakon London 10K alongside Tom and Nick and it was an Opportunity to test out the S IND Dophin Pro 4 which is one of the early kind of Carbon Racing shoes or big carbon racing Shoe launches of the year now what I Would say is from my kind of review Testing the Dophin Pro 4 definitely felt
Like a shoe that was great for cruising For longer distances now what I would Say you know coming away from that race Which I've done quite a few times and it Is a kind of quick race to do is that it Probably is still for me a shoe to Cruise in at longer distances I think The power run PB power run HG Combination I think just lends itself to Be something that know definitely has a Little bit of Pop about it but I do Think that it feels built to be more Controlled and more comfortable and give You that kind of faster feeling over Longer distances and you know really Balancing those things that you want From a longer distance shoe so after the S London 10K I took another little break From racing to do some non-running life Things and then I was back into racing In October and that was to do the Manchester half marathon which I did With Tom and I was racing in the pummer Devi8 Nitro Elite fee which I've spoken About a little bit already and this was A perfect kind of confirmation for me And on a flat kind of fast course where I kind of ran a sub 130 time that this Is a shoe that I would feel confident Running or racing at that distance and You know given that this is a cheaper Top tier carbon racer shoe than most of The competition I feel like you know for A lot of people this is a good value
Carbon racing shoe at that top end if You didn't want to spend that big money And you know it's a shoe that you know I'd have no quarms using for a half Marathon again and so to my last race of 20204 and a carbon racing shoe and that Was the run through baty Park 5K in December and that was testing or racing In the deodora gar carbon now it's fair To say I didn't think I'd be speaking so Glowingly about a deodora carbon racing Shoe at the end of this year but it's Happened and this is a shoe that kind of Just narrowly missed out for me in my Top five favorite running shoes what I Like about this shoe it it you know First and foremost and it's not Everything but it looks really great you Know hats off to deor if I'm making a Good looking carbon racing shoe it is Lovely and light and what you want from A carbon bracing shoe that feeling of of Running in this in the ride is very Similar to me to shoes like the Met Speed Sky Paris it's not quite as Polished as the Met speed Sky Paris but It's definitely Hallmarks of that shoe Here and I do think it's one that I can You know will work for kind of longer Distances but it absolutely has the Scope to be a short distance racer as Well just like some of the other shoes I've mentioned so 2024 has been a Successful year of racing for me uh I've
Got my Marathon PB this year my half Marathon PB and my 10K PB and my park Run PB if not though my actual official 5K PB so so after last year was a fairly Quiet year after the birth of my second Kid went back in hard this year with two Big Marathon blocks the first at London Marathon where I did PB uh over that Distance and then second for Valencia Marathon where I didn't even make the Start line because I twisted my ankle in The taper but I did have a very Successful block up until that point and Actually in my build to the Valencia Marathon is when I sent my 10K and half Marathon PBS and I have used a range of Shoes throughout the year that have all Performed very well for me but the Standout has definitely been the A6 meta Speed Sky Paris which was not a shoe I Expected to come in and immediately Become my favorite racer of all time but It did and it's a shoe I used at London To run my Marathon PB I also used it for My half marathon PB running Loops of Battery Park a month or two ago and yeah I can't really argue anything about this Shoe I think it's pretty much perfect It's incredibly lightweight it's the Lightest carbon racer I think I've ever Used but still has a full stack of foam And it it's really responsive you get a Lot of punch off the toes in particular I think more so than the metas speed
Edge Paris which I also like but just Find the sky Paris that little bit Better having also raced in the edge Paris and although it's not like a Really big in in and bounce shoe or one That you know feels really squishy Under Foot like some of the really big ones Like the alphafly or the Hocus yellow X1 It is still you know comfortable and Cushion enough for the marathon and Really responsive and fast for shorter Events and when I'm tiring at the end of The marathon I found at London that it Just really helped me keep my feet Turning over because of that lightweight Build and it's really easy to get the Energy return from the plate and the Foam in the mids so that's been my Standout shoe this year but there have Been some other really spectacular shoes I've tested including the Nike alphafly 3 which I thought was going to be my Shoe I used for all my big races this Year having tested it right at the start Of the year but the ax came in and Displaced it but it's my favorite Alp Flag Ever with the continuous Mido just Giving a really smooth and effective Ride for me as someone who heel strikes And comes through and I get a really Nice transition with the new alphafly Even compared to past models which I did Also really like you've got a really Bouncy material there I used it for a 5K
And a 10K early on in the year when I Wasn't all that fit but then used it for My 10K PB at the inven 10K as part of The Loch Ness Festival it's the riverest 10K it's a very friendly course the Riverest 10K with a net down Hill but Even so I was really impressed by the Outlow on the day I think it is an all Great all distance racing shoe obviously A very effective Marathon shoe as the Pros have shown and one that I would Like to get out and do a marathon at Some point but the Mets spe just still Edges it out for me because it's a Little bit lighter and seems to suit me A bit better as a high Cadence Runner I Maybe I don't get as much Bounce from The Ally as some Runners but I still do Really like it and a shoe I would highly Recommend for sure as is the on cloud Boom strike LS which was a bit more of a Surprise for me like it came in and on Has just really stepped up its game Throughout the entire of the shoe Obviously the upper is very impressive And exciting there's one piece upper That makes the shoe really lightweight But it's the midsole that really Performs well for me I've not tried the Standard Cloud boom strike but I'm sure That's probably got a similar feeling Again it's really responsive but Cushioned enough to go long distances I Ran a half marathon in the on cloud boom
Stri L which would have been my first Sub 70 half marathon in my PB but Fortunately it ended up 160 m short Because they sent us the wrong way at The very last turn so I ended up with a 68 minute nearly half marathon and then Set my actual PB in the aex going sub 70 For the first time a little bit later But it was really impressive in that in That run I do think it has a similar Vibe and feel to the aex metas speed Sky Paris really lightweight responsive Slightly firmer than shoes like the Ally And yellow but still comfortable and Loads of punch and loads of response It's expensive though and I think it's Similar but not quite as good as the Metas speed Sky Paris for me so it's one That I have just slightly behind the aex But another really good shoe for sure if You love the whole look of the upper in Particular which has fitted well for me And hasn't stretched at all over about 130 150k of running so do think that's An innov that's working for on there's Two other new shoes this year I think Are really worth shouting at and one is The Hocus yellow x one now this is not Really a top tier racing shoe I'd say Because I have raced in it did a half Marathon in it and it was good and I've Done shorter races as well the laces Have come undone in a race which is not Ideal but I think the newer models of
The C X1 have got different laces to the Ones we tested it's so bouncy it's so Energetic it's really fun to run I've Done so much training in that shoe lots Of my hard sessions in marathon training Were done in SE X1 but the weight holds It back a little bit I think compared to The shoes I've mentioned already like It's not one that I out as my favorite Marathon shoe or a shoe I'd really want To do my big a marathon in because of That weight really excited for the Second version which is Trimm the weight A little bit so if can keep the same Bouncy fun ride I think the C X1 2.0 Which is a bad name but should be a Really really good shoe and looking Forward to trying that out next year and Then it's the Puma dev8 Nitro Elite 3 Which I think is really right up there As a car plate racing shoe at a great Price in the UK and I have raced 10K in It as well as actually a 5k park run Today but the reason I haven't used it More is primarily just the fit the one I've got just fit slightly long I think And as someone who's kind of in between Sizes I've got a bit too much room in The toes and I don't really enjoy using A racing shoe that feels just a bit too Big on me so I do think that's a really Impressive shoe where you still got the Amazing things that P are already known For including the grip the reason I used
It today was because it was it's a wet Day here in London I was on kind of Greasy Park paths and you know that Grips reliable I also raced a mix Terrain 10K in it when I raced during Testing so that's a real big plus point But now you've also got a really Responsive foone a high stack of it Enough Comfort there to race you know Over Marathon distance and everything Like that which I don't think you Necessarily had on the previous models And it's a really lightweight shoe as Well it's coming in around 200 g in my Size so yeah that's a really impressive Shoe I see those five shoes are the ones I think that stood out the most out of New shoes this year couple of other Things I have raced in this year include The Hoka rocket X2 which I ran my second Fastest 10k and the Paris 10K and Probably my fastest official 10K because You know that's not a course of a Downhill rating it's a very twisty Course in the center of Paris and yeah I Was really impressed by that it's Another shoe that again a bit like the On actually that's a really good shoe I Think it's going to deliver the Performance you need to set all your Fastest times if you have it love it use It go for it I think it's just as good As pretty much everything out there but For me it's quite similar but not quite
As good as the SX metas speed Sky Paris For me so that's one i' lean to out of Those two and then as a little throwback I did use the Nike VAP 4% flying it this Year as well which was really fun I did A 10K mostly Road Race there was some Slightly dodgy bits on off-road trails Which the VAP play 4% does not love Because that outside was not at all Durable lots of exposed Fame on that Shoe but I want to see how it stands up Against modern Racers and it certainly Does stand up like the 4% I really love Doing that 10K in it I ran pretty much As fast a time as I could have expected To on that course given any of the newer Races as well it's got slightly Different feeling to some of the modern Shoes with the lower stack under the Four in particular because of the high Drop and I think even though I loved Running marathons in it at the time I'd Now certainly prefer to be in the Slightly more High cushioned carbon Racing shoes you have now for things Like marathons but yeah definitely still Stands up and kind of for me drove home The point that the leap from racing Flats to the vapor flight 4% was massive And the leap from the VAP 4% to the Super Shoes we have today is relatively Small I'd say I think there are Improvements across the board certainly But yeah that was such a leap forward
And such an amazing shoe it was really Fun to put it on actually and race again In it this year
