First Look at the Nike Vaporfly 4
Lighter than ever before the new Vaporfly 4 is also the most versatile, capable of dominating any race meet from 10k to the full marathon length.
Updated to keep at the head of the pack, the brand new Vaporfly has had its angles changed and lost some weight, but it maintains the beloved ride of its predecessors.
KEY INFO
Price: £279.99
Foot type: Neutral
Weight: 190g (Men’s) 152g (Women’s)
Stack Height: 40mm – 34mm
Heel Drop: 6mm
Surface: Road
Best for: Race pace over distances from 10k to the marathon
HISTORY
The original super shoe, the Vaporfly was originally conceived as a record-breaking marathon shoe, worn on the feet of Eluid Kipchoge on his first attempt at breaking the 2-hour marathon record, it pioneered high stack performance foams and carbon plates working in harmony to give efficiency benefits and energy return through your stride.
Three years later the Alphafly was released and helped Eluid finally break the record, leaving Nike with two incredibly fast marathon distance shoes, but in the years since, runners have tended to stick with the Alphafly exclusively for 26.2miles, but use the Vaporfly as a more versatile racer, especially over distances like the half marathon.
CLOSER LOOK
The two biggest changes in the Vaporfly are intrinsically linked, a new sharper angle in the full-length carbon plate matches with a decrease in the heel drop (from 8mm to 6mm) to give a propulsive feel on race day, whatever distance you are covering.
The other changes are all around the theme of finding small, incremental ways of saving weight, from the midsole, upper and outsole.
Its simple to save weight on the outsole, take the blown rubber outsole, and make it thinner, instant weight save, same great traction, and same reliable build according to Nike.
Within the upper, the tongue and heel have been reduced to keep the weight low, and a new engineered mesh upper offers improved comfort as well as a lightness that disappears on your foot.
Even the shaping of the midsole has been created with weight savings in mind, deliberately bulging out towards the heel, provides excellent stability while allowing for more weight to be removed from the inside of the foot.
Tiny changes all over the shoe work together to make a big step forward in performance, making it lighter and more agile, without losing cushioning and performance, so you can excel over a huge range of distances.
CONCLUSION
With lots of changes all over the shoe, working together to make a big step forward in performance, Nike have made it lighter and more agile, without losing cushioning and performance, so you can excel over a huge range of distances.
The original is back, updated and improved, now ready to sit on top of even more podiums.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
DO VAPORFLYS ACTIALLY MAKE YOU FASTER?
Through Nikes own research, and independent laboratory testing and research it has been concluded that the Nike Vaporfly can make you around 3-4% faster than a standard running shoe. With an average marathon time around 4 hours 30, that means some people could shave around 10minutes off their time with a pair of super shoes like the Vaporfly.
WHO SHOULD WEAR NIKE VAPORFLY?
Anyone who races on roads at any level and across any distances from 10k to marathon distances will get the most out of it, as will mid-to-forefoot strikers.
CAN I RUN A MARATHON IN VAPORFLYS?
The marathon distance was what the Vaporfly was originally conceived for, and it is still one of the great options available for the distance
ARE VAPORFLYS GOOD FOR A 5K?
Although not perfect, they perhaps have a bit too much cushioning, weight and heft for some runners, the versatility of the Vaporfly 4 will make it a great option over the distance. There are also some shoes which specialise in the distance, including the adidas Takumi Sen, New Balance Super Comp Pacer and HOKA Ceilo RD. But if you want it to cover a range of distances, from 5k up, the Vaporfly is one of the best options around.
ARE NIKE VAPORFLYS ILLEGAL?
No. World Athletics did change the rules after the introduction of the Vaporflys, but since then all “race” shoes fulfil the criteria which include rules stipulating it must have no more than one stiffening plate, and that the maximum stack of foam underfoot can be 40mm. Truthfully though, unless you plan on winning money at a major race, its unlikely anyone is going to check.
