, the shoe favoured by former marathon world record holder Khallid Khannouchi, and that should give you an idea of the kind of runner who'll get the most out of them – the fast and efficient kind. That doesn't necessarily mean elite, though. The 250 uses New

stable too, with a two-thirds-length medial post, a good heel counter and a decent midfoot shank. The lightest, most efficient runners would find it a good half-marathon or even marathon shoe, but it’s also an ideal first racing shoe for short distances

half-marathon/marathon shoe, or a short-distance shoe for slightly heavier runners.

mild overpronators. But with its fine level of cushioning – the rearfoot feels positively plush – it works well as a shoe for swift, efficient runners racing up to the half-marathon.

.In short This is about as light as you can go in a shoe that still has decent stability and the fit of a trainer. It’s not for anyone who needs a lot of cushioning, but it could serve most runners up to a half-marathon, and sub-three hour runners for a

Weight 284gEvaluation The Wave Phantom is an excellent responsive lightweight racer. But its Wave-less predecessor was a great shoe, too – a supportive, cushioned marathon racer. And, essentially, the Phantom Classic is that shoe with a new upper

This model may still be available on clearance. But we've reviewed a newer version since we published this.Light, fast and smooth, the 320g Precision is a quick everyday trainer for efficient runners, or a marathon racer for others, and it’s one

Weight 164gEvaluation Nike says this is ‘great for all road-race distances up to the marathon for efficient runners’. At 164g, we’d probably change that to ‘up to 5K’ for all but elite runners. It actually has reasonably perky cushioning (though we

Weight 194gEvaluation The Ekiden is the shoe that Paula Radcliffe wore when she won the Flora London Marathon. Unless you’re as fast and efficient as Paula, though, you will probably have to restrict the Ekiden to shorter races.Like the Streak

. The Aello is no marathon shoe, but is great for anything up to 10K.