![]() The real sorcery of this shoe is what lies beneath the foot – a full slab of ZoomX and a carbon fiber Flyplate. The structured heel and offset seam provide a secure fit without irritation, and although the tongue isn’t gusseted, I didn’t have any issues with it. Despite the very minimal design, the shoes felt comfortable. There is not much room in the toebox, but because the Flyknit is so thin and breathable, I didn’t mind it. The upper hugs the foot like you would expect from a race day shoe. It’s hard to believe something so minimal could provide such a propulsive feeling out on the roads – and yet, it does. At 5.3 ounces, it’s by far the lightest shoe I own. MEAGHAN: Lacing up the Vaporfly 3 immediately gave me race day vibes. This is technically the fifth version of the Vaporfly if you include the original Vaporfly 4% and Vaporfly 4% FK– but is it the best one? Let’s find out. And that standard has only truly been challenged by its sibling counterpart in the Alphafly, specifically version one of the shoe. Since then, the field has made great strides in catching up to its prowess, the success of which has been mixed, but the fact remains– the Vaporfly set the standard and the standard still remains. It’s also just been fun as hell for us regular folks, as it was the first true carbon-plated super shoe of the modern era– lightweight, cushioned, bouncy, and propulsive. ROBBE : We all know the iconic role the Vaporfly has played in running, from Eliud Kipchoge’s first Breaking 2 attempt in Monza to the many podium spots it’s taken over the last half decade. Nike still sells the most super shoes, but the competition is getting hot, and you (hopefully) don’t have to worry about getting your hands on the Vaporfly like in the early days. No brand will tell you that they have done tests and shown that their shoe is more efficient than the Vaporfly or Alphafly.īut is the dominance Nike had on distance racing still as strong as they tweak the Vaporfly for the fifth time? The answer to the question is yes and no. However, none of them surpass Nike’s super shoe’ performance. Today, runners have alternate offerings that can match the Vaporfly. The starting lines of distance racing were a sea of Vaporfly 4%, followed by the Next%. No other brands could answer Nike’s formula for the first three years. The fever was real, and it lasted from 2017 up until now, in 2023. People were paying three to four times the retail price of $250 to get their hands on a pair when the average racing shoe at the time cost less than $150. At the time, the frenzy to get your hands on a pair of Vaporfly 4% was insane. ![]() ![]() We watched the TV, fingers crossed, while Eliud Kipchoge, Zersenay Tadese, and Lelisa Desisa looped the Monza track to try to break two hours in the marathon in variations of the Vaporfly. Some cried because they felt the shoes created an unfair advantage for Nike athletes, while others shed tears on their way to breaking records. The Vaporfly has made professional athletes cry. Of any shoe, the Vaporfly has the most fantastic origin story and forever changed the running footwear industry. THOMAS: It is difficult not to love the Nike Vaporfly. The off-centered lacing and flat, stretchy laces also remain. ![]() The upper is a Flyknit mesh that comes with an offset heel seam and internal padding to reduce irritation in the heel area. The outsole rubber has been thinned out to allow for extra millimeters of ZoomX underfoot while still keeping within the 40mm stack limit. A ZoomX midsole with a full-length carbon fiber plate feels consistent with V2, while the midsole shape itself has been redesigned. The Vaporfly Next% 3 looks quite different from its predecessor, but the key components remain. But, we’re not here to talk about the Alphafly, so let’s keep moving. Nike turned my dream race day shoe into what felt like an unfavorable uptempo trainer. I was excited yet skeptical for this update after what happened with the Alphafly 2 (aka the Alphafly without the magic). MEAGHAN: It’s been two years since Nike blessed us with the most recent edition of the Vaporfly, the supersonic jet of racing shoes. ![]()
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