assistant: You're in the sweet spot for a super-shoe — 60 mi/wk gives you the durability cushion to absorb the 150–200 mi lifespan these shoes carry, and sub-3 is a serious enough goal that the race-day advantage matters. At 65 kg with a midfoot strike, you have good form retention, which opens up some lighter, snappier racers that might feel unstable for heavier or heel-striking runners. Here's my read on your top options: **Puma Deviate Nitro Elite v4** is my top pick for you. It's the most forgiving of the bunch — high cushioning (NITROFOAM Elite is plush), excellent expert reception, and a 38/30 mm stack that sits in the sweet spot between protection and responsiveness. The Run Testers call it one of their top carbon-plate race picks, and at 170g it's light enough to reward your midfoot strike without feeling skeletal. You'll have room to push hard without the shoe fighting back. **Saucony Endorphin Pro v4** is the stable-neutral alternative. Doctors of Running notes it's "excellent at 5K pace and marathon effort" — exactly your race distance. The 40/32 mm stack is the tallest here, and the wide base + sidewalls give you a touch of guidance without compromising speed. It's 218g, so slightly heavier, but the durability is proven (100+ miles without visible wear in testing). If you want a shoe that lets you run your own race without overthinking lockdown, this is it. **Adidas Adizero Takumi Sen v11** is the wild card — lightest of the three at 184g, and Doctors of Running calls it "a massive upgrade" into true super-shoe territory. But here's the caveat: 32/25 mm stack is noticeably lower, and the ride is medium cushioning. At marathon distance, that's asking a lot from your feet in the final 10K. It's better suited to 5K/10K racers or runners who want to carry speed into the marathon rather than rely on cushioning to carry them home. Given your sub-3 goal (roughly 6:50/mi pace), I'd lean toward the Puma or Saucony. **One follow-up:** Are you planning to train in this shoe, or strictly race day? If you're doing marathon-pace workouts in it, the Puma's cushioning buys you more mileage before fatigue sets in.

assistant: **Alphafly v3** for your sub-3 marathon. Here's why: The Vaporfly 4 is a 5K/10K weapon — it's lighter (167g vs 198g), snappier, and built for shorter, faster efforts. But it has two problems for marathon racing: the stack is noticeably lower (36/30 mm vs 40/32 mm), and durability is rated "low miles." At marathon pace over 26.2 miles, you need cushioning to carry you through the final 10K when your legs are taxed. The Vaporfly will feel responsive early but could leave you exposed late. The **Alphafly v3** gives you the cushioning you need for the distance. Its 40/32 mm stack matches the Saucony Endorphin Pro v4 — high, forgiving, designed for marathon-length efforts. The Run Testers calls it "superbly bouncy" with "leg protection," and EDDBUD notes it "feels tailored to longer distances rather than sub-5K efforts." At 198g it's still light enough to reward your midfoot strike and good form. Durability is 100+ miles, which is solid for a super-shoe. One caveat from FORDY RUNS: the soft ZoomX foam can overwork calves late in the race for some runners. If you have calf-loading concerns or a history of calf tightness, the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite v4 (which I'd still rank above both of these for your profile) or the Saucony Endorphin Pro v4 might be safer bets. But for a midfoot striker with good form, the Alphafly's cushioning and rocker geometry should feel natural. That said, if I'm being honest: the **Puma Deviate Nitro Elite v4** is still my top pick over both. It's lighter (170g), has excellent expert reception, and the NITROFOAM Elite foam is tuned specifically for marathon racing without the calf-loading risk some runners report from the Alphafly. It's $35 more than the Vaporfly but $35 less than the Alphafly, and the ride is more predictable for the distance.