FuelCell SuperComp Elite v3

I'm the same size as you, but old, slow, and more money than sense,so I've tried a few different race shoes even though many on this sub will say that I don't "need" race shoes. For me, two attributes that are critical for them to work are that they have relatively soft foam and on the flexible side. I caught the AP4 at my local outlet store at a great price ($125!) and they are head and shoulders above any other I've tried. They are light, comfortable, definitely makes me faster, and legs feet feel great after. Two others I've used that worked well, but not as fast are the NB SC Elite v3 and the Atreyu Race Model. (You can get the Atreyus on their web site for $100 at the moment)

Endorphin Pro 4! I love these. The Speed 5 is my current favorite all time shoe. The pro 4 is slightly less stable over marathon distance because it’s squishier (to me) but I use Superfeet Carbon (now called run I think) inserts and that fixes it. FWIW there aren’t many shoes I hate more than the Supercomp v3. It put me off anything supercomp permanently.

SC Elite, Hoka Rocket X3 and Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 are the most beginner friendly race shoes. I love the Pro 4. I recently ran a 1:31 half in these. Some colorways are on sale for around 130.00 right now.

If only it was that easy. Buy the SUX5000. Sure it costs $300, but it's the absolute best long run shoe for every single runner. You have to actually like try them on and go for a run. My favorite is the NB Balos, but it may be too soft for you . I also do long runs in the Glycerin 22gts which I don't like much, but some people love them. This morning I ran in an old pair of SC Elite v3's which I love, but they still bite my ankles even after almost 200 miles. I loved the Triumph 20's, but some people oddly enough find them unstable. I loved the Nike Invincible OG, but they ruined it by the time the Invincible 3 came around. Some people actually liked the invincible 3. Point is don't obsess over reviews. Look at reviews, but then take a pair for a run and see how you like them. It's how they feel to you that is important.

I will come out of left field and say I’m liking the Skyward X, Skechers Aero Burst and Supernova Prima. I’ve given Hyperion Max 3 a shot and it’s got a lot of promise. If I want something with more of a plate, SC Elite v3 is a great cruiser. Skyward X isn’t going to be a great choice if you’re wanting to do any race pace miles, but for churning up miles without putting a lot of wear and tear on the legs? It’s fantastic. Supernova Prima isn’t the most exciting shoe on the earth, but it disappears on the foot, is a great mid of bounce and firm; and is more than adequate for churning up miles. It’s also frequently on sale for like $60. If I need to do race pace miles or a longer workout section of my long run, I’ll typically wear my race shoes. I will wear SC Elite v3 or the Skechers for long runs with less lengthy pace work. I don’t get along well with SB2 (I loved v1), and MagMax is just..,meh for me. I didn’t have any issues with Neo Vista 1, but sold mine because I always had something else I’d rather run in. My Hurricane 24 are a bad mojo shoe, so idk if I’ll try the 25. I haven’t run in the Megablast (yet). My priorities for long run shoe are comfort, ability to control my pace (I don’t want something propelling me or forcing faster turnover), disappears on my feet, doesn’t suck all the energy from my stride, reasonably stable, at least a 3/5 on the fun-factor. I tend to lean conservative/plain/boring for easy/slow miles and save my exciting shoes for speed work. So my “best” long run shoes are going to reflect that vs being the pinnacle of shoe technology.

Alphafly and many other race shoes are designed to facilitate fast turnover and the geometry of the shoes (and plates) limit certain movements in the foot/ankle (because they helps reduce effort to run fast). Race shoes are also pretty unstable (for the most part) because elements that provide stability also have weight. The vast majority of my long runs are not at race pace, nor do I want to do them at race pace, nor do I want to artificially limit foot/ankle movement on all of my long training runs. And deep in a training cycle when my long runs are long and I’m running on weeks of cumulative fatigue, unstable shoes are just a misstep/compensatory/overuse injury waiting to happen. Alphafly is a phenomenal race shoe because it’s designed to help you run as fast as possible for a couple/few hours. It’s absolutely not the best training long run shoe. Unless you’re running all of your long runs as fast as possible - in which case you’ll not be needing any shoes while you recover from whatever injury is coming.

And that’s what makes the world go round (we are all different). You asked what the purpose was and why someone wouldn’t pick Alphafly/Prime X. I was giving you reasons why I wouldn’t (and don’t) pick a race shoe for my long runs. I wouldn’t pick Alphafly most of all because they don’t fit my feet. But for race shoes in general, unless I’m in a race lead up and doing a significant number of miles at race pace, I’m not wearing a race shoe for my long run. I’m glad they work for you though-we should all be doing what we like and what works for us. I was just answering your question as to why someone wouldn’t choose to not use a race shoe.

If you’ve got your heart set on a plated shoe and need something more stable, try the Asics S4 (that’s the name of the shoe-not an abbreviation). It’s designed for people working on a sub 4 marathon time, so it’s a bit less light, a bit more comfortable and a lot more stable because it is made for people who will be on the course for longer and they will be more likely to have some form breakdown due to fatigue. It’s not a stability shoe as in something with medial support, but it’s built TO be stable for runners who will need that extra support in the closing miles of a longer race. The New Balance SC Elite v3 and 4 are quite stable-but not quite as much as the S4. I haven’t run in the 5, so idk. The Endorphin Pro 4 is also pretty stable. You’ve already got great suggestions for strength work and other shoes. Keep in mind the strength work you need to do isn’t in brute strength. You could squat 600lbs and still struggle with this. You need to strengthen all the little wiggly stabilizer muscles that are responsible for keeping your body in line when you’re on an unpredictable surface. Those are the muscles that are getting fatigued. Balance stuff.

i’m also a fan of the rebels but i would suggest the elite v5 for longer runs.. they’re on sale for $100 on joes.. i ended up getting the women’s pair in my size and no complaints. not sure we’ll see many super shoes at that price

i have 4 rebels in rotation and i’ve used them for longer runs, from 6-10 miles and i enjoy them very much. i also use elite v3.. i have two of those, one primary that used when i first started running, like 2-4 times a week.. as someone that runs about 5, maybe 6x a week, this rotation has been working for me. good luck with your search