The long anticipated update to the Next% is finally here. The Nike Zoom Alphafly Next% will release on Thursday, July 2nd at Heartbreak Hill Running Company. If you get yours at Heartbreak it will include a special gift with purchase: the Alpha Merp Virtual Racing Systems mask (more on that later). If you're not familiar with the Alphafly, in the running world pre-February 28, 2020 there was virtually nothing talked about more than this very shoe. Is it too fast? Will it be legal? I heard from a guy it had 53 carbon fiber plates and it can even help your bench press. Kidding about that last part. Runners came out of the woodwork with opinions on it. A new sub-elite category of runner was born, one whose raison d'etre was complaining about the shoe's unfair advantages. Remember back when every brand hoped to design a shoe that would help runners go faster and would vaguely claim as much in their marketing? Who knew success would be the only unacceptable outcome?
Since February, the world has changed and some questions have been answered: it has one carbon fiber plate, it's legal for international competition, you should wear a mask, and being anti-racist is the bare minimum (do more). Eliud Kipchoge, the first person ever to run the marathon in under two hours, did it in this shoe. I got to touch a pair last October and what's so striking is the chunkiness to weight ratio (not scientific). It looks beefy and thick (which it is) but that ain't beef - it's ultralight, super bouncy foam, carbon fiber, and Zoom air bags. One of the coolest features is the fact that the tech isn't buried. The shoe's design shows you its secret powers, you can touch and feel the air bags and the carbon fiber plate.
The 4% was a game changing shoe developed with the Breaking 2 Project. The Next% improved on that. Now, we have the Alphafly Next%.
Fast is fun. Get yours on Thursday, July 2nd at Heartbreak.
Oh, and the Alpha Merp mask? Just a little something fun from Heartbreak. Take a look at this and use your imagination. More on that before release. - DF
