Nike Alphafly 3 running shoes

The Nike Alphafly 3 is a race shoe packed with features and technical solutions to help you reach and maintain a faster pace over longer distances. Unlike many race shoes, the Nike Alphafly 3 is not just for fast-paced runs, although at slower paces the stiffness of the carbon plate can be distracting. If you don’t watch your watch often, you won’t even notice you’re running fast in the Alphafly 3, and slower runs will leave you feeling tired later, making it easier to run not just fast but longer. In addition to the high shock absorption, the high energy dissipation means that your feet start to hurt less, and you get tired less, which is a noticeable difference.

The development of the shoe is remarkable. Hundreds of runners have tested the shoe, from elite athletes to slower amateur runners. The first part of the handwritten number (20820-4) on the midsole indicates the number of tests and the part after the dash indicates the number of test runners, which was deliberately left on the final production shoe.

The upper of the Nike Alphafly 3 running shoe is a one-piece design. There are no stitching, no separate tongue for the shoe, it’s basically a stiffer sock, but it’s not a replacement for a sock, it’s too rough for that. The mesh material, called Atomknit 3.0, is extremely lightweight but structured, due to the use of several yarns of different stiffnesses, and the density of the weave varies in different parts of the upper.
The inscription V62 on the upper means that this is the 62nd version of the upper, which also means that it is a very sophisticated upper. Breathability could not be improved any further, but unfortunately this is at the expense of durability. The toes have the thinnest upper and are less durable. The soft, pliable heel section has minimal cushioning, making the upper durable. Compared to its predecessor, it’s more comfortable and holds the toe better, other than durability, it’s perfect.

The Nike Alphafly 3 Running Shoe Midsole is a complex, multi-technology design. What’s a big change from its predecessor is that it has a single cohesive midsole rather than two separate parts. The midsole material is the much acclaimed ZoomX foam, which is lightweight, soft and flexible at the same time. Its softness gives comfort, its height (32 mm thick at the front and 40 mm at the back) gives good shock absorption and its flexibility gives dynamism. The dynamic and good energy transmission is enhanced by a carbon plate called Flyplate, which covers the entire length and width of the midsole. In the Alphyfly 3, the carbon plate is wider and has more flex to contribute even more to faster speeds. Also boosting energy transfer are the two Air Zoom units in the front of the shoe, which are best used when the runner lands on them and kicks off from there.
The midfoot geometry is a masterpiece in more ways than one. A big change is that it’s not a two-piece, the previous version received a lot of criticism for that. The UFO like design at the heel makes it more stable. The midfoot is also wider than average at the toes (almost 12 cm wide on Air Zoom units), which also helps stability. The wide carbon plate makes the midsole very stiff, which is good news for a racing shoe, but the torsional flexibility of the shoe is good nonetheless. The fact that the midsole is hollow, with no foam under the carbon plate in the middle, plays a big role in weight reduction and torsional flexibility.
Overall, the midsole gives you everything you need to run fast: stiff, dynamic, soft, good energy transfer.

The outsole of the Nike Alphafly 3 running shoe is Fast Shot rubber, which is divided into 3 separate units. Under the toes is a well-grooved thicker rubber outsole that is softer and has good traction. The Air Zoom units have a tougher cover for better abrasion resistance. The heel section has the hardest rubber, which doesn’t have as good grip as the toes, but there is less need for grip here. At first glance, the outsole seems to have better durability than the outsole of most racing shoes, but experience shows that the Nike Alphafly 3 running shoes have not performed particularly well in this respect. Although the rubber under the toes seems more durable and the grip is better, the outsole of the heel section is less durable.

Overall, the Nike Alphafly 3 Running Shoe is one of the best, fastest and most durable running shoes on the market today. It has changed a lot from the Alphafly 2, which was criticized and considered a step backwards by many. The Nike Alphafly 3 is lighter, faster, more comfortable and the magic factor is back. I am sure it will be a favourite of many and many will run their record runs in this running shoe.
Kenyan long distance runner Kevin Kiptum broke the world marathon record in October 2023 in the Nike Alphafly 3 with a time of 2:00:35.