SHOE REVIEWS

Neutral, Carbon Road Racing 

RRP £270 (Nike App/Website 03/22, some colourways & sizes £182)

UK size 11 - 264 grams

40mm stack height

Positives:

+ One of the fastest, most responsive shoes available. Often seen on the feet of leading runners.

+ Extremely responsive ZoomX foam offers excellent energy return and impact protection for legs

+ Carbon plate creates class leading forward propulsion

+ No durability concerns so far (100 miles)

Negatives:

- Some may have stability concerns on sharp turns. Not particularly comfortable to wear everyday and quite odd looking! 

- Heard reports of airpods bursting, although Nike apparently provide an excellent returns service. This is not an issue I have encountered but it's certainly a concern that this could happen on race day. 

- 'Good deals' occasionally available under £200, but often dependent on size - regular price of £270 makes this one of the most expensive shoes ever made.

- Can feel very bulky on the foot and comes in 30 grams heavier than the Vaporfly

Conclusion:

I decided to purchase the Alphafly when Nike done a half price sale in Nov 2021. My initial thoughts were generally positive. I liked the responsive and propulsive feel, but considered it a close 2nd to the Vaporfly purely because of the size and weight.  Because of this I have never truly considered using this as a racing shoe, instead opting to do hard training runs and long runs in them (excellent for muscle protection and recovery). 

As I approach 100+ miles in this shoe I must say I have grown to like it more and more - a bit like an acquired taste. I feel it really excels when you land forefoot and propel off the airpods. Many have mentioned it suits the marathon distance as it can 'lock' in a pace and keep the legs protected for the later miles. I must admit I can see the logic in this and it has, in the last couple weeks, become a real option for my upcoming Boston Marathon in April.

The excellent and leading score of 146 for the 6 @ 6 test did come as a slight surprise. Important to note that I am probably slightly fitter than when I done the Vaporfly test (Garmin still estimates 74 V02),  although 2 days previous I ran a 26.2 mile training run. In conclusion I feel that it is a very tough call between the Vaporfly and Alphafly. Some runners will undoubtedly have an issue with the weight and bulk of the Alphaflys and I would suggest that of the two, the Vaporfly should be more suited to the 5k-10k distance. As for the marathon it's going to be hard decision in April!  

Neutral, Carbon Road Racing 

RRP £210 (Nike App/Website 02/22)

UK size 11 - 239 grams

40mm stack height

Positives:

+ My current 'go to' racing shoe. Complete set of PB's 5k-Marathon.

+ Extremely responsive ZoomX foam offers excellent energy return and impact protection for legs

+ Carbon plate creates class leading forward propulsion

+ More durable than originally touted. I have pushed well past 400 miles in some pairs

Negatives:

- Some may may have stability concerns on sharp turns

- Still expensive at over £200, but now comparable to nearest rivals

Conclusion:

Still leader of the pack. The range of shoe that has changed running considerably over the last 5 years. Turn up at any road race and this shoe will be on the majority of feet. Nike appears to have found the near perfect combination of ZoomX foam and carbon plate. The forward momentum created by the carbon plate is maintained and absorbed with great efficiency through the stride by the ZoomX foam.  The upper is lightweight and provides a good overall fit. Durability is much better than I expected (though I do a lot of treadmill running) and I regularly use the Next% on hard training sessions - the quicker recovery times are significant and a great help to overall training. 

As expected the Next% 2 sets the benchmark on the 6 @ 6 test. I could feel the difference of overall exertion compared to the New Balance test. 150 will be an incredibly hard score to beat!

Neutral, Carbon Road Racing 

RRP £220 (I paid £150 for discount London Marathon colourway / discounts <£190 available - 01/22)

UK size 11.5 - 257 grams (I'm usually 10.5 for Nike)

39mm stack height

Positives:

+ Extremely comfortable, probably the most comfortable trainer I have ever worn!

+ A good introduction to the carbon racing shoe

+ Prices coming down - some 'bargains' to be had ahead of a new release in the Spring

+ Suitable for racing, training and everyday use

+ No obvious durability concerns through 75 miles

Negatives:

- Does not create the forward propulsion sensation you would expect from a carbon racer

- In my opinion not as quick as the Nike Vaporfly/Alphafly range - will the 6 @ 6 test confirm this?

- Slightly on the heavy side compared to it's rivals

Conclusion:

This is a great shoe to add to your training arsenal. Genuinely it is most comfortable trainer I have ever worn and you really do not notice the carbon foot plate. This performs great as an everyday training / session shoe but I cannot say it challenges the Nike options for overall speed and I would not consider wearing this for race day.  However the lower price points now available (£150-£190) make this a great option to add to your rotation, plus it looks great!