Updating any well-loved line of running shoes is a risky business, but that is especially true for the Nike Vaporfly. It’s the most popular and best carbon plate running shoe available, and one many runners rely on for all their most important races.
Any changes made to the Nike Vaporfly NEXT% 2 thus risk drawing the ire of a committed fan base, so it’s no surprise that Nike has evidently played it fairly safe with the Nike Vaporfly NEXT% 3.
- Update 25th April 2023: Read our Nike Vaporfly 3 review
The main changes to the shoe are all designed to make it lighter, something no runner is going to argue with in a racing shoe. It has new midsole cut-outs to reduce weight, as well as a more open mesh upper with added structure around the outsides to ensure your foot is locked down when running fast.
Nike has also made the outsole a little thinner, and used the extra space created to add more ZoomX foam, which should make for a more comfortable and propulsive ride. The outsole also now has cut-outs in the section under the forefoot to reduce weight, so it will be interesting to see if the grip is affected.
Aside from that extra foam, the midsole of the Vaporfly 3 is similar to that of the 2, with a high stack of PEBAX-based ZoomX foam plus a full-length carbon plate with a scooped design. According to Runner’s World USA the drop is still 8mm.
The price is also unchanged, in the USA at least, where the Vaporfly NEXT% 3 will cost $250. In the UK the price has risen by £10 to £235. That’s considerably cheaper than the Nike Alphafly NEXT% 2, which is $275/£270, but you can now find the Vaporfly 2 in sales regularly for well under $200/£200, so the new shoe will have to prove itself decisively better to lure runners away from deals on its predecessor.
The Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% 3 will launch on 6th March in one colourway. It’s not yet known whether the shoe will be available only to Nike members on that date, but that is the most likely possibility, based on how past launches of its top racers have been staggered. It is free to sign up for Nike membership.
