Lifestyle

Are the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% worth the money?



Last year Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest marathon runner of all time, accomplished something that doesn’t seem comprehensible to most of us; he became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours. 1:59:40 to be exact. 

It goes without saying that this win is a huge testament to Kipchoge’s passion, dedication and skill. But it’s also a colossal achievement for Nike, who launched the Breaking2 project in 2016, enlisting athletes Kipchoge, Lelisa Desisa and Zersenay Tadese in an attempt to break the sub-two hour barrier. Since, the athletes have worked tirelessly with a team of Nike-backed nutritionists, designers and trainers to get them there, work that the company says will provide ‘lessons [that] can be applied across everything Nike does, including products and services, to ultimately serve all runners.’ 

Surprisingly, some of the benefits have already trickled down to the everyday consumer. In 2017, they released the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%, a trainer worn by eight of the top-three finishers at the 2017 Chicago Marathon and 83% of athletes achieving a top-three finish in the Boston marathon, and Kipchoge when he recorded the fastest time across all six World Marathon Majors the same year: 2:03:32. How were they achieving these results? With two layers of ZoomX foam, a carbon fibre plate and a blown-rubber forefoot sole for traction, that together promise up to 85% energy return and an average of 4% better time performance according to the brand and an independent study. 


Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT%

Then just before the London Marathon on the 25th April 2019, Nike launched the Air ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% to the public, created via feedback from the likes of Kirui, Kipchoge and Mo Farah. The updated racing shoe features the same carbon fibre plate, 15% more foam (though it retains the same weight), offset laces to alleviate pressure, and a new Vaporweave material upper designed to absorb less water from sweat and rain – a complaint raised by athletes at the rainy Boston 2018 marathon. The resulting creation promises between 5 and 6% better performance. Kipchoge wore a personalised variation, the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT%, when he broke the two hour barrier. 

Where am I going with this? Well, as someone who has never ran a marathon before, I’m not pushing for a set time. I mean sure, I’d like to finish in under four hours, but I’m not counting my chickens. So when I was asked to test out the Air ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT%, I wasn’t hugely confident it would do much for me. I was wrong. 

For me, the first time I put them on I felt as though I was wearing pogo sticks. The physical bounce, (that’s energy return to the pros) is noticeable, and the raised platform at the ball of the foot forces runners onto their toes, propelling the body forward – a movement that for me, feels as though you’re constantly taking off from a sprint which is helpful when tackling steep hills. A cushioned band at the heel ensures the thin Vaporweave upper doesn’t rub and the while the offset laces don’t feel any different when you first get going, my feet are feeling less achy as I up the mileage in preparation for race day. 

Other than bounce, the ZoomX foam has another benefit for us rookies. Gait expert Nathan Kehel from Runner’s Need says that generally, more experienced long-distance runners can benefit from having a firmer sole as regularly running long distances builds up a tolerance and a firmer sole can help strengthen legs further. However, for fairly inexperienced runners he recommends going for a medium to very cushioned sole as it alleviates some of the discomfort of running long distances for the first time. Basically, that means that the comfort of the 40mm sole will make it easier to get over the line on race day. And who knows, I may even run the marathon 5% faster than expected. 

The Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% is £239.00 and available via drops on the nike.com website. 



READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.