Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Subsequent% 2: Specs
Drop: 8mm
Kind: Race
Impartial/stability: Impartial
Widths: Common
When Eliud Kipchoge set the official males’s marathon world file on the Berlin Marathon in 2018, he was carrying unique Nike Vaporfly 4% on his ft. When Brigid Kosgei broke Paula Radcliffe’s 16-year girls’s marathon world file a yr later, she was carrying the Nike Vaporfly Subsequent%. And once I ran the London Marathon in 2021 within the Nike Vaporfly Subsequent% 2, I beat my private greatest by six minutes.
These controversial footwear made waves within the operating world for 2 causes — the thick wedge of ZoomX foam and the carbon fiber plate, which helped for a sooner toe-off on the run. It is a quick shoe, it’s designed for quick marathons and it lives as much as its promise. The Vaporfly Subsequent% 2 is just about the identical because the Vaporfly Subsequent%, with small tweaks to the higher to make the shoe extra breathable. Nike additionally made the Subsequent% 2 barely cheaper — a uncommon transfer for the shoe large — however maybe a response to the market, with most operating manufacturers launching their very own carbon-fiber plate racing footwear. Learn our Nike Vaporfly Subsequent% 2 evaluate to seek out out extra about Nike’s hottest racing shoe.
Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Subsequent% 2 evaluate: Worth and availability
There’s no skirting across the value of this shoe — it’s costly. The Nike Vaporfly Subsequent% 2 was launched in March 2021 and prices $250, which is $25 cheaper than the Vaporfly Subsequent%. The Subsequent% 2 is accessible in males’s sizing, from a US 6 to a US 15, and from a US 5 to a US 12 within the girls’s sizing. By way of colorways, the shoe launched in white and turquoise, however there’s now a few different particular version colorways to select from.
At current, there isn’t any phrase from Nike about once we can anticipate upgrades to this shoe, or certainly a launch date for the Vaporfly Subsequent% 3. Hold updated with all the newest releases in our best Nike running shoes information right here.
Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Subsequent% 2 evaluate: Design and match
The Vaporfly Subsequent % 2 is designed that will help you run quick. The ZoomX foam is comfortable, but extraordinarily responsive underfoot and the carbon-fiber plate and rocker-geometry assist for a sooner toe-off.
Match-wise, the Subsequent% 2 is barely wider than the Subsequent%, that means runners with wider ft ought to now not really feel their little toes rubbing in opposition to the sting of the shoe within the toebox. I discovered the shoe to suit true to measurement, though I put on a full measurement greater than my regular on a regular basis trainers when shopping for trainers (confused? Learn our how to buy running shoes guide).
In comparison with the Subsequent%, the Subsequent% 2 additionally has some extra padding across the tongue, which helps relieve the strain of the laces throughout the highest of the foot. There’s additionally a thick wedge of cushioning on the heel of the shoe, which stops the again of the shoe from rubbing in opposition to your ankle as you progress. I appreciated this addition, as I’m a kind of unfortunate runners that struggles from blisters, however different runners discovered this hole meant they actually needed to pull the laces tight to really feel like their foot was safe within the shoe.
Higher
One other large change between the Subsequent% and the Subsequent% 2 is the higher — the clear, plasticky higher of the Subsequent% was changed with a fantastic knit for a extra breathable really feel. I’m not a runner who struggles with very warm ft, nevertheless, I’ve observed on colder mornings, if I stand round too lengthy earlier than I get going within the Subsequent% 2, my ft really feel numb for the primary few miles, so that they’re positively on the lighter, extra breathable aspect of the size than their predecessor. The knit hugs the foot and feels supportive and versatile on the run.
The shoe has strengthened areas alongside the forefoot so as to add further sturdiness to high-impact areas of the shoe. Whereas that is positively nonetheless a shoe you’d wish to save for race day slightly than hammering in coaching, in comparison with the Vaporfly 4% (which was thought to solely final round 100 miles), the Vaporfly Subsequent% 2 is much extra sturdy.
Midsole
The midsole is the place the magic occurs with this shoe. It’s extraordinarily responsive underfoot and virtually propels you ahead, serving to you to run sooner. That is all the way down to the ZoomX foam and the carbon-fiber plate, which runs alongside the complete size of the shoe. There’s little doubt about it: this shoe feels quick and is that little bit higher than just about each different carbon shoe in the marketplace.
Some testers have described this shoe as feeling such as you’re operating on a trampoline and I’d should agree. I made a last-minute choice to run within the Vaporfly Subsequent% 2 for my final marathon and ended up beating my private greatest by 6 minutes. In fact, it’s not all all the way down to the footwear, however my ft didn’t rub or damage as soon as and I felt nice operating in them for 26.2 miles, having solely worn them for just a few velocity classes in coaching.
Outsole
The outsole of the Subsequent% 2 stays just about unchanged — that is positively a shoe that has been designed for quick street marathons. I’ve worn the Vaporfly Subsequent% on moist pavements and located the grip copes nicely, however I positively wouldn’t wish to take a look at it on tougher terrains, because the tread may be very flat. That stated, in comparison with the primary Subsequent% Nike has added some extra ‘flexibility grooves’ on the outsole to offer extra traction in unhealthy climate, but it surely’s nonetheless very a lot made for the roads.
Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Subsequent% 2 evaluate: Efficiency
As talked about above, this shoe lives as much as the hype — it’s quick, it’s bouncy and there’s a motive why many of the elite runners on the entrance of the marathon have it on their ft. In comparison with the dearer Alphafly Subsequent%, which Eliud Kipchoge wore for his 1:59 marathon in Vienna, the Vaporfly Subsequent% 2 is way more secure underfoot. With the Alphafly, I felt like my ankles have been going to offer approach operating round corners and that my decrease legs weren’t sturdy sufficient to cope with the propulsiveness of the shoe, nevertheless, I’ve comfortably run a marathon within the Subsequent% 2 with zero complaints.
Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Subsequent% 2 evaluate: Verdict
If you happen to might bottle the sensation of placing on the Nike Vaporfly Subsequent% 2 for the primary time, I’m satisfied it could be sufficient to influence even non-runners to enroll in their first race. If you happen to can afford it, this shoe will provide help to run sooner and even get that PR you’ve been dreaming of. It’s positively costly, and naturally, isn’t an alternative choice to coaching and fuelling nicely, but it surely’s a unbelievable shoe to race something from a 10K to a marathon in.
If you happen to’re in search of one thing cheaper, the Nike Air Zoom Tempo Subsequent% can also be a superb shoe for race day. Designed because the coaching accomplice for the Alphafly, the Tempo Subsequent% has the identical ZoomX foam and Zoom Air unit beneath the ball of the foot, designed to offer a spring to your stride. It’s quick, comfy, and constructed to final for miles.
For lower than $200, you can even get the Nike Zoom Fly 4, which is analogous to the Subsequent% 2 in design and really feel however doesn’t have a carbon-fiber plate. I’ve run a marathon within the Zoom Fly 3 and liked the cushioning and bounce, plus, with out the carbon-fiber plate, the Zoom Fly will last more.
