Nike Alphafly 3 - It's Coming!
What We Know About The Nike Alphafly 3
It’s coming! The anticipated ‘fastest shoe in the world’ will be available to the public in a few months. Take a look at what we know so far, what is still under wraps, and just how fast this super shoe really is.
- Release Date: January 2024
- Price: TBD
- Category: Race Day
- Where To Buy: BlackToe Running
V3 Updates: What We Know So Far
The Next% Alphafly 3 looks noticeably different from its current iteration, leaning aggressively into the ‘rocker technology’ trend with a dramatically rounded midsole and sleeker overall design.
The shoe still sits atop a thick stack of Nike’s famous ZoomX foam, but the gap behind the forefoot Air Pods has been closed off in the Alphafly 3, resulting in a continuous piece of foam from heel to toe. We suspect this new design will help improve heel-to-toe transitions and allow heel-strike runners to engage the bouncy Air Pods as much as mid- to forefoot strikers.
So what’s unchanged? The upper appears to be constructed of the same lightweight, breathable, and supportive AtomKnit fabric, and the V3 will continue to feature Nike’s rigid, full-length carbon-fibre plate for maximum propulsion in each step. The dual Air Pods are also still present, and visible through a peek-a-boo window in the forefoot.
Our testers will drop a full review of the Alphafly 3 in the coming months to confirm the fit, feel, and performance of the new version!
A Tape-Breaking Entrance For The Alphafly 3
The Alphafly 3 entered the 2023 race season with a bang on the feet of elite runners worldwide. News of its public release came just two days after Kelvin Kiptum smashed the men’s marathon record in Chicago and Sifan Hassan broke the women’s Chicago course record, both athletes sporting the new Alphafly Next% 3 for the occasion.
Nike-sponsored athlete (and all-around GOAT) Eliud Kipchoge also sprinted to victory two weeks prior at the 2023 Berlin Marathon while debuting the Alphafly 3 prototype.
Needless to say, the Alphafly 3 has made quite a splash on the world stage and created an eager audience for its public launch.
The Next% (R)evolution Continues
Nike kicked off the modern super shoe era with the release of the famed Nike Vaporfly 4% just in time for the 2018 fall race season — a “sold out everywhere” racing shoe that defied gravity with its propulsive carbon-fibre plate, energy-saving ZoomX foam, and promise to make you “4% faster” during your next race.
Building on the success of the Vaporfly 4%, Nike continued its super shoe evolution with the Vaporfly Next% (now in its third iteration) and the Alphafly Next% (currently in its second version), which is not only the fastest shoe in the Next% lineup but widely regarded as the fastest shoe in the world.
After carrying some of the world’s best athletes across the finish line in a record-breaking year of racing, we do not doubt that the new Alphafly Next% 3 will help runners of all abilities reach new personal bests this spring.
Be sure to subscribe to our Alphafly Next% 3 email list to be the first in line for updates, reviews, and need-to-know launch info!
