February 28, 2021 – The ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% brought the latest in ZoomX cushioning technology to both elite and recreational runners, incorporating a full-length carbon plate for outstanding energy return. The shoe’s second version releases first in a minimalist colorway for Nike members that taps into the workshop lore of Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, followed by a wider release of the above Aqua colorway. It adds features through the upper to make the shoe more comfortable and durable, while still keeping the underfoot details that cement its trusted, near-magical reputation among runners who are breaking their own barriers on race day.
Here’s what’s new (and familiar) about the ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% 2:
What’s New
Engineered mesh material in the upper is softer and more breathable than Vaporweave. The mesh better conforms to the foot and helps keep feet cool throughout a race.
Pockets of padding at the top of the tongue help provide a more comfortable fit and reduce lace pressure.
Forefoot reinforcement was added for improved containment and durability in high-wear striking areas.
What’s Familiar
A full-length, articulated carbon plate delivers a propulsive feel and helps promote a smooth transition from stride to stride.
A wide forefoot midsole helps maximize propulsive feel and ZoomX responsiveness through a stable platform.
The full-length ZoomX foam provides a lightweight and responsive ride.
Deep, longitudinal grooves in the rubber outsole help improve traction on different surfaces and in varying racing conditions.
The 8mm offset helps with stability and energy return
The white colorway of the ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% 2 releases in limited quantities for Nike members beginning February 28. The Aqua colorway releases on nike.com beginning March 25 in select markets.
Lightweight mesh upper with textured overlay details delivers complete breathability
Men's
3026175-001-10
Warning: This product can expose you to chemicals including chromium (hexavalent compounds), which is known in the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Barometers of progress abound in running. Thresholds like the 10-second 100-meter dash, four-minute mile and two-hour marathon captivate athletes and fans alike. Once one barrier falls, a new benchmark is set and with it, a new aim for marking human potential.
For Nike, Breaking2 in 2017 unveiled a new approach to footwear design, a synergy between sport science, engineering and athlete which, highlighted by the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%, defined an industry-leading approach to improving running economy. Rather than a one-off experiment, the work kick-started an iterative design program resulting in a pioneering system informed by sport science and verified by the Nike Sport Research Lab: Nike NEXT%.
Long-distance efforts remain most tied to the Nike NEXT% program — Eliud Kipchoge broke the two-hour barrier in a prototype of the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT%. However, the introduction of training shoes, with the Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% and sprint and middle-distance spikes, affirm Nike’s commitment to breaking new barriers and underscore the value of NEXT% principles across disciplines.
What follows is a behind-the-scenes look at teams pushing NEXT% forward — inch-by-inch, second-by-second — as told by the athletes, designers, engineers and scientists who make it possible.
The Roots of NEXT%
Making athletes better has been central to Nike’s foundation since its founding. But the idea of making athletes measurably better was seeded in 2013.
“We started to bring together lots of the concepts about how to make athletes more efficient on race day,” says Tony Bignell, VP, Footwear Innovation. “That took many years of research and development and eventually, in 2017, culminated in the Breaking2 event.”
Eliud Kipchoge debuting the Nike VaporFly 4% during the Breaking2 event in Monza, Italy.
“We started to bring together lots of the concepts about how to make athletes more efficient on race day.”Tony Bignell, VP, Footwear Innovation
Run on a speedway in Monza, Italy, Breaking2 debuted the Nike VaporFly 4%, a pioneering running shoe worn by Eliud Kipchoge, Lelisa Desisa and Zersenay Tadese, born from deep scientific research into the limits of athletic potential, and how footwear can affect running efficiency. This includes baseline assessments, consideration of material elements, such as cushioning, and highly technical physical capacity like critical velocity.
“We look at variables related to a runners’ stride, impact and heart rate to understand how footwear affects their performance. The longer you run above your threshold, the more quickly you’re going to deplete your energy source,” explains Matthew Nurse, VP, NXT Sport Research Lab. “We can measure an athlete’s oxygen consumption to understand their running efficiency (RE), and their maximum aerobic capacity (VO2max). This helps us understand capacity and efficiency. Think about it as the size of your gas tank, and the miles per gallon you get out of that gas tank. In our research, we want to understand what that threshold is for how fast you’re going to deplete, or replenish, your reserves.”
The idea is that if you can help keep the reserves up, an athlete can go longer and faster. The solution is far more complex.
Understanding Goals
Time — as expressed in world records and major barriers — is a relatively easy way to understand running standards.
“In the U.S. we can all relate to the mile, because we did it in high school,” says 2016 1500-meter gold medalist Matt Centrowitz. “It’s one of the three signature events with the marathon and the 100.”
The events aren’t just signature distances. The barrier times (10 seconds, four minutes and two hours) are historically barometers of human potential. However, getting to grips with the nuances of other events is crucial to the NEXT% promise.
Consider Centrowitz’s signature event, the 1500 meters. The race is a mix of speed and endurance. Or as he explains, “It’s not just like the 100 where it’s right from the gun. You might find yourself running fast early on and then slow it down or vice versa.”
Laura Muir is a British middle-distance runner. For her, the peculiarities of the 1500 give it an undeniable drama. “It’s an event where you’ve got a mix of lots of different abilities. Some of the people will come from 800, 1500 background, and some people will come from up to 5K background,” says Muir. “It’s probably the only track event where the times that people run in the major championships can be far, far from what they’re capable of.”
Left: 2016 1500-meter gold medalist, Matt Centrowitz Right: Nike Air Zoom Victory NEXT%
“In the U.S. we can all relate to the mile, because we did it in high school. It’s one of the three signature events with the marathon and the 100.”Matt Centrowitz, American middle-distance runner
Speed in the distance is tied to strategy — the middle stages are critical for sorting how the final push will play out. Go out too quickly, one might get tired and fall behind an endurance specialist; go too slowly, a faster finisher may be favored to cross the line first.
“Different people are good at different things for how the race is run,” says Muir.
Strategy also defines success in events like the 400-meter hurdles, where pure sprint speed (like in the 200) must be matched by an 800-meter runner’s endurance distance and a jumper’s knack for timing.
“In the 400 hurdles, you definitely have to be fast. But I think there’s so much more that goes into the 400 hurdles other than speed,” says world record holder Dalilah Muhammad. “Up into this year, I think I had probably the slowest 400 flat time out of all my competitors and was still able to come away with multiple victories. Sometimes speed can almost be a detriment when you’re trying to set a perfect stride pattern.”
Understanding the nuances of individual disciplines also helps with understanding the individual’s goals. “There’s the opportunity to think more broadly and say, Hey, are you trying to win the season? Are you trying to win the event? Are you trying to recover and do this one? Are you trying to be better acclimated to the heat?” reminds Nurse.
Collaborative Innovation
Individual goals cannot be achieved without a collective spirit. When Nurse and the Nike Sport Research Lab draw conclusions about cushioning, they know there’s a materials team beside them ready to put the same effort into their respective field of expertise. “The first step is just make sure we’re in close enough proximity to have regular contact and a frequent intersection of ideas,” he says.
From there, creating a shared vernacular helps the merger of different sciences. “In the case of foam, we tried to understand what role compression, resiliency, energy return…all of these things play on performance. We want to be able to share with a materials team or footwear team, ‘If you meet these specs, you’re going to have the best outcome for the athlete,’” says Nurse.
Custom-crafted for each athlete during Breaking2, the Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite featured Nike ZoomX foam for responsive cushioning and a full-length carbon fiber plate to increase stiffness and provide a propulsion sensation.
“In the case of foam, we tried to understand what role compression, resiliency, energy return…all of these things play on performance.”Matthew Nurse, VP, NXT Sport Research Lab
The specs help define the NEXT% formula. But the scientific data doesn’t define the technologies to be used. Instead, it helps Nike designers and engineers push new boundaries. It helps make clear how interactions between stability, traction, cushioning and more influence what an athlete does in the shoe.
“The groundbreaking research that led to the original Vaporfly unlocked an entirely new way of thinking about marathon shoes,” says Carrie Dimoff, Senior Footwear Innovator. “Once we understood the plate and foam as a system, we started thinking about ways to make the system even more effective.”
Harnessing Running Economy
From 2017 to 2020, experiments with Zoom Air yielded a series of prototypes (revealed by Kipchoge) and produced another significant leap forward in running shoe design.
“The combination of a really highly resilient foam and really responsive plate worked well with athlete’s strides and helped them spring into the next step,” says Dimoff. “When we added Zoom Air, the whole system advanced further, to an even better performing product.”
The system hasn’t just defined marathon shoes — its reworked expectations for equipment from sprinting to training. The eye is toward helping athletes like Centrowitz, Muir and Muhammad reach new potential.
Carrie Dimoff, Senior Footwear Innovator, discusses prototypes with Eliud Kipchoge.
“The groundbreaking research that led to the original Vaporfly unlocked an entirely new way of thinking about marathon shoes.”Carrie Dimoff, Senior Footwear Innovator
“An essential part of your body is, in a sense, the equipment, because that is what you’re running with,” says Muir.
Extension of the body is where the design, engineering, materials, science and stride join forces. Get the equation correct and an athlete’s critical velocity is supercharged.
“It just puts you on the balls of your feet, into positions with your foot that you might need to put more of an effort into doing otherwise,” says Centrowitz of his latest first-choice footwear, the Nike Air Zoom Victory NEXT%.
In reducing effort required, the spike helps keep gas in the tank for the ebbs and flows of the 1500 — giving Centrowitz the combined physical and mental boost of elevated running economy.
Imagining the Future
Working with athletes like Centrowitz, Kipchoge, Muir and Muhammad, among other elites, has put Nike NEXT% firmly into the competitive landscape. And while time is connected to their goals, the nuances of each discipline remind of something more approachable for all runners: pace and endurance often define aims.
Bringing NEXT% engineering into training shoes, as with the Tempo NEXT%, is an early example of pushing measurable benefit away from the stopwatch.
The Nike Tempo NEXT%
The Nike Tempo NEXT%
The Nike Tempo NEXT%
The Nike Tempo NEXT%
The Nike Tempo NEXT%
Bringing NEXT% engineering into training shoes, as with the Tempo NEXT%, is an early example of pushing measurable benefit away from the stopwatch.
“We used Nike React foam in the heel to provide more impact protection and durability, and we used a composite plate that is less stiff and designed for daily use,” says Bignell. “Our goal with the Tempo was to help athletes get to the start line in a better, more effective way.”
The shoe bridges the gap between those runners at the top of the performance pyramid and those who just want to reach a little further.
“Everybody who wants to get out and do something has their own challenges and their own definitions of better, and we need to understand them also if we want to serve a broad spectrum of athletes,” says Nurse.
In doing that, solutions emerge that may present a whole new range of measurable benefits. Faster times? Never-ending endurance? Sport without injury? Who knows. Or as Bignell puts it: “The best thing is to not put any limits on athletes.”
Men's everyday running shoes made in part with recycled materials
WEIGHT: 304 g (size US 9)
SNUG FIT: Adjustable laces provide a secure fit
CUSHIONED MIDSOLE: Cloudfoam midsole for step-in comfort and superior cushioning
MADE IN PART WITH RECYCLED CONTENT: This product features at least 20% recycled materials. By reusing materials that have already been created, we help to reduce waste and our reliance on finite resources and reduce the footprint of the products we make
The lightweight and minimal upper features breathable mesh at the forefoot. A translucent window showcases Flywire technology through the midfoot. The Flywire cables work with the laces to provide more midfoot support as you tighten them.
A textured foam midsole helps add durability where you need it and looks fast. Its increased heights add softer cushioning with every step.
A rubber outsole delivers increased traction. A ride rail on the lateral outsole acts as a cushioning device, while a crash pad enhances durability in this high-wear zone.
Soft foam in the heel provides comfort and support for your runs.
The mesh-lined tongue is connected to the upper's inner lining for a secure feel. A numeric logo at the tongue spells out Nike Quest.
The more cushioning that you have underfoot, the softer and more comfortable your running experience can be. Cushioning helps soften impact as your feet hit the ground. Full-length Nike Air cushioning gives you a soft, comfortable feel for your miles.
Engineered mesh—stronger and more flexible than regular mesh—improves hand feel and comfort, while maintaining a lightweight, breathable feel.
Overlays at the toe add a layer of durability.
Tongue is connected to the upper's inner lining for a secure feel.
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Call it the ultimate test run: When Eliud Kipchoge broke the two-hour marathon barrier in Vienna this past October, he was wearing a prototype of the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT%.
“For runners, records like the four-minute mile and two-hour marathon are barometers of progress. These are barriers that have tested human potential. When someone like Eliud breaks them, our collective belief about what’s possible changes,” says Tony Bignell, VP, Footwear Innovation. “Barriers are inspiring to innovators. Like athletes, when a barrier is in front of us, we are challenged to think differently and push game-changing progress in footwear design.”
The NEXT% platform is the ultimate expression of Nike’s ambition to engineer footwear with measurable performance benefit. NEXT% is all about creating more efficient intersections between the body and technology to enable athletes to shatter personal boundaries — and sometimes, as our athletes have shown, break records. It is the ultimate meeting of sports science and purposeful design.
The Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% evolves the learnings of the Vaporfly franchise, adding Zoom Air Pods in the forefoot, more ZoomX Foam in the heel and a lighter Atomknit upper.
“The groundbreaking research that led to the original Vaporfly unlocked an entirely new way of thinking about marathon shoes,” says Carrie Dimoff, an elite marathoner and member of Nike’s Advanced Innovation Team. “Once we understood the plate and foam as a system, we started thinking about ways to make the system even more effective. That’s when we struck upon the idea of adding Nike Air to store and return even more of a runner’s energy and provide even more cushioning.”
Breaking down the Nike NEXT% system
Nike NEXT% is a footwear innovation system engineered to give athletes a measurable benefit. Informed by sport science and verified by the Nike Sport Research Lab, the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% features three critical components, working together to help runners on race day:
Full-length Carbon Fiber Plate: Provides stability and a smooth transition; increases stiffness in the forefoot to provide a sensation of propulsion
Nike ZoomX Cushioning: Lightweight, provides optimal energy return, minimizes energy loss
Nike Zoom Air Pods: Added cushioning, increased energy return
Nike’s newest race-day shoe, the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% features two new Nike Zoom Air pods, more ZoomX foam and a single carbon fiber plate (all updates from its predecessor, the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT%), and an ultra-breathable, lightweight Flyknit upper – all adding up to improved cushioning and running economy.
The shoe is part of a suite of products releasing in summer 2020, including the Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% and Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% FlyEase, complementary training shoes that translate the principles of the Alphafly to rigorous daily use, and track spikes (the Nike Air Zoom Victory) that extend the NEXT% design ethos to new disciplines.
Designed for higher mileage and more frequent daily use, the Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% was created as a training complement to the Alphafly NEXT%.
Designed for higher mileage and more frequent daily use, the Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% FE was created as a training complement to the Alphafly NEXT%.
Designed for higher mileage and more frequent daily use, the Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% was created as a training complement to the Alphafly NEXT%.
Designed for higher mileage and more frequent daily use, the Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% FE was created as a training complement to the Alphafly NEXT%.
Designed for higher mileage and more frequent daily use, the Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% was created as a training complement to the Alphafly NEXT%.
Designed for higher mileage and more frequent daily use, the Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% FE was created as a training complement to the Alphafly NEXT%.
For the Tempo NEXT%, the NEXT% system is specifically tuned to training. The plate shifts from carbon to a composite — softer for added comfort over higher mileage — but still serves to provide stability and transition throughout a runner’s full stride. ZoomX, prized for its energy return and responsiveness, sits above the plate at mid and forefoot. For maximum impact protection and durability, Nike React Foam is used at the heel. The same Nike Zoom Air pods featured in the new Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% are also placed in the Tempo’s forefoot to offer responsive cushioning and a sensation of propulsion.
The Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT%, Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% and Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT% FlyEase give athletes of today an opportunity to stamp their mark and motivate athletes (and designers) of tomorrow to set even greater goals.
Full-length ZoomX foam offers an ultra-lightweight and responsive ride. It’s built for speed but also provides cushioning to stay fresh even in the late miles of a marathon. It offers comfort where you need it.
Full-length carbon fiber plate delivers a sort of roll-forward feel that makes you want to take on the next step. It gives you a propulsive sensation and helps you smoothly transition through your stride.
Part of the Flyknit family—Atomknit material on the upper has a contoured fit while being lightweight and super-breathable.
Specifically designed lofted heel pods use Flyknit yarns for secure, extended comfort and lightweight heel lockdown.
Nike ZoomX, our most responsive foam, just got a little better. Running from heel to toe, it unlocks even more energy return than before, giving you a springy, bouncy feel.
See how the midsole bulges out by the heel? We designed it that way to help reduce weight on the inside of the foot to give you a more stable ride.
Specifically selected Flyknit yarns and engineered zones in the forefoot bring a new level of performance to the Vaporfly. Ample breathability around the toes combined with soft, yet supportive yarns deliver our most customized upper for the Vaporfly. The result is a softer, cooler design that conforms to your foot.
Light padding on the tongue helps reduce lace pressure at the top of your foot. A new Waffle outsole pattern with perforations saves weight and delivers multi-surface traction in various weather conditions. Offset heel seam helps reduce friction in the heel area.
You will receive one pair of replacement Laces, approximately 6-7mm wide and 39"/ 47"/ 54"/ 63" in length for your choice.
The shoelace design is flat, the shape is similar to the serrated, compared with the ordinary shoelace is more distinctive, the color is classic, we have black, white, beige can choose.
Good compatibility,unique,similar to the original shoelaces.Multiple shoe types are available, like sports running shoes, cleats, soccer shoes, marathon Laces.
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Our shoelaces are the perfect gift for sneaker lovers. Share it with your friends and family and let them add personality to their shoes. We are so confident in our replacement strings.
