Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next%

Two months ago I blogged that I needed new race shoes. Finally I managed to get a pair of the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next%
- https://northeastrunning.blogspot.com/2020/07/nike-or-adidas-for-running-shoes.html

These are the new, top of the range race shoes from Nike, They have been made famous by Eliod Kipchoge who broke the two hour barrier for the marathon and also through some of the speculation that they may have been about to be banned for the Olympics (they weren't).

Eliod Kipchoge setting records in the Alphaflys

So... what were my thoughts after I took them for my first run.

Fit:
I have size 9 feet and fit snuggly in my Adidas Ultraboost training shoes and my previous race shoes, Nike Vaporfly 4%. Having ordered them online without trying them on, I was a bit nervous - but needn't have been. They fitted perfectly. You have to stretch them quite a bit to get your foot through the neck - but then they fit really nicely. The Atomknit material hugs your foot nicely (as opposed to the Vaporfly NEXT% which I tried once or twice and disliked the plasticy upper).

After 3km worth of warm-up and downs and a fast 10k - there were no sign of any aches or blisters - so I'd say out of-the-box you can race in them.

Build quality:
They truly are a beautifully made pair of shoes. Everything about them says quality. Also, for a shoe with such a deep sole they are still extremely light.

I was worried about the depth of the sole in case they felt a bit unstable to run on - but they feel sturdier than the 4%s - good grip and feel nice going over rougher grounds. My biggest complaint about the 4%s are (a) poor grip and (b) terrible on corners. Early signs are promising here.

Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next%

Close up of the shoes

Speed:

I guess the most important thing is how fast are they?

Well it's hard to put any science at all on this after one run. But they felt great and comparing two very similar runs, I was faster in the Alphafly than the 4%s.

Both runs below were gently undulating 10k training sessions that I ran hard, but not quite at race pace. I'd typically hit around 37:00 for a fast/flat 10k.

For the training sessions below I was sub-40 with the 4%s, but sub-39 with the Alphafly.

It was easy to find a nice rhythm around the 3:50-3:55/km pace for the flat sections. With a bit of effort I could keep it under 4:00/km for the hills (+40m elevation over 2km). On the downhills, the shoes seemed to be pushing me on to go faster and faster, so I actually eased off a little to conserve energy a little.

So all things considered, pretty impressed so far. After six months of coronavirus, it's nice to spoil yourself and buy something nice.

The Nike Vaporfly 4%s are easily the best shoes I have ever owned and for 18 months have been a pleasure to race in. Fingers crossed the Alphafly are just a little bit better.