Just a few days after I made a blog post about the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% becoming available in limited quantities at Nike Park Fort, Nike sent me my very own pair! Naturally, I was quite excited to slide my feet into their most-hyped new release this year — especially after I saw some friends go in search of the rare Vaporfly 4%.
You can watch my hands-on vlog review below.
Sadly, these NEXT% shoes weren’t meant to stay with me. Due to the limited quantities in which these shoes were available, I was out of luck when I discovered I needed a larger shoe size. Hopefully they find a home with a runner (with smaller feet than mine) who can push them to their maximum potential.
Still it was nice to see the Vaporfly NEXT% in the flesh and experience the unique ride they give. Some quick notes, if you plan on watching the vlog later on but want to know what it was about:
- The Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% are available in a unisex format, with the box displaying both the men’s and women’s shoe size.
- Vaporweave is a new, breathable yet water-repellent material used in the upper, but it’s not as forgiving as Flyknit or other materials Nike has used in other shoe models.
- The placement of the ZoomX foam encourages you to land on your midfoot; it cushions well on landing, but combined with the carbon fiber plate makes for a very energetic push-off. However, the stack height of the sole makes turns feel weird and unstable.
- The toebox is quite low and narrow, lending a sleek aerodynamic look to the shoe that can also leave larger feet feeling squished.
- With outsole material covering only the forefoot and small rails on the heels, the Vaporfly NEXT% favors runners with efficient biomechanics.
Check out my gallery of the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT%:
If you’re an early adopter and someone who already picked up the Vaporfly 4% previously, I’m pretty sure you would move Heaven and Earth to acquire these shoes. However, if you’re a recreational runner who aims to complete rather than compete, I’m not sure you’d need this much tech in your shoe or even be able to take advantage of all its features. But then again, I only got to run in these for five minutes because they were too small for me. Your mileage may vary.
While the Vaporfly NEXT% is currently out of stock at Nike Park Fort, you can still try to order a pair of them (take note of the sizing issues I experienced) over the Nike US website and ship them to a forwarding address or a relative who will be flying home to the Philippines soon.
In summary, if you’re a fast runner with good biomechanics, these shoes are going to feel heavenly especially if you want to go fast over long distances. There’s a reason Nike’s elite runners are all rocking the Vaporfly NEXT% and winning races in them.
