The Full Picture of 'NIKE ALPHAFLY 3', the Shoe that Supported the Astonishing Men's Marathon World Record

Nike, which launched a thick-soled running shoe equipped with a carbon plate in July 2017, has since supported many record updates with its thick-soled shoes. The combination of a thick sole and carbon plate has become the new norm for the shoes chosen by top runners, and other brands have followed suit. This has resulted in the formation of a market referred to as the "super shoe."

In the midst of this, Nike is still leading the scene. At the Chicago Marathon in October 2023, Kelvin Kiptum set a staggering time of 2 hours and 35 seconds, updating the men's marathon world record. The shoes he wore were the 'NIKE ALPHAFLY 3', announced on January 4th. What kind of shoes are they?

Shoes for the Comfort & Speed of a Full Marathon

"The super shoe market was born with the advent of the first Vaporfly. We are proud to have created the first super shoe, but rather than settling there, we are committed to continuous innovation.

"While the existing Alphafly is a high-performance shoe, we were aware that it wasn't for everyone. We had a high ideal of getting every runner to wear the Alphafly, and we kept thinking about how to achieve that. The Alphafly 3 is a shoe that everyone can feel stable and smooth weight transfer, without compromising performance," said Bret Schoolmeester, Senior Product Director, Nike Running Footwear.

Nike's footwear team took on the task of responding to both the needs of elite and general runners by polishing the engine part of the adored Alphafly, while maintaining its features. They have succeeded in ensuring lightweight while maximizing the stability, comfort, and propulsive force necessary to run the full marathon distance of 42.195 km.
 
"The traditional Alphafly had a divided front and heel sole, but the Alphafly 3 has achieved a smooth weight transfer from heel to toe, regardless of the runner's pace or landing pattern, by linking them. The midsole has a new shape that has shaved off foam for lightweight while maintaining a stable landing feeling from the midfoot to the heel.

"This new design has a design that concentrates the load on the Air Zoom unit in the forefoot by shaving off the foam of the midsole except for the necessary parts. The carbon fiber fly plate has also widened, supporting a propulsive and stable run. In addition, a completely new foot shape has been adopted to reduce friction across the foot and enhance arch comfort."

The Alphafly's unique system of harmonizing the two Nike Air Zoom units mounted in the forefoot, the cushioning and resilient ZoomX foam, and the carbon FlyPlate, creating a large energy return, remains unchanged, but with many tests and feedback from athletes, the Alphafly 3 has evolved into a higher level shoe.

Hearing that the plate has widened and insole has been linked, one might think that the weight has increased, but it is also the lightest model in the history of Alphafly (Men's 28cm/220g, Women's 25cm/176g). The lightweight Flyknit upper and the newly adopted light and excellent FastShot outsole have greatly contributed to the weight reduction. The overall design was also revisited to lighten it.
 
The upper adopting Atomknit 3.0 is lightweight and highly breathable, providing excellent support in the midfoot area. The Flyknit heel pod, which gives a three-dimensional effect, softly supports the heel and lower Achilles tendon. Despite a simple design with unnecessary elements removed, attention has been paid to every detail.