Here’s what we know so far.
Last week saw World Athletics announce major changes in regards to its rules on footwear. The new rules state that after 30 April, runners will not be allowed to compete in prototype shoes and all shoes with more than one carbon fibre plate, or a sole thicker than 40mm are banned.
Following Kipchoge’s sub-2 hour marathon in Vienna wearing the Nike Alphafly prototype, the shoe has been the subject of speculation, with many runners questioning what the new rules mean for the brand.
Today, at their Olympic Summit in New York, Nike have announced the launch of the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly Next% – a shoe with a full length carbon fibre plate and zoom air pods. We don’t have an official stack height from Nike, but Nike have told Runner’s World, “We are pleased the Nike Zoom Vaporfly series and Nike Zoom Alphafly NEXT% remain legal. We will continue our dialogue with World Athletics and the industry on standards for performance footwear that meets the needs of elite and everyday athletes.”
In their release, Nike said, “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%.” The new Alphafly is not the same shoe Kipchoge wore, but is based on the technology he ran in.
Tony Bignell, VP of Footwear Innovation at Nike said, “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. 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.”
While it was rumoured that the prototype Kipchoge wore had three carbon plates, the brand has been quick to emphasise the new shoe only has one. According to Nike, the three ‘critical’ components of the Alphafly NEXT% are the full length carbon plate, the Zoom X cushioning and the two Nike Zoom Air Pods, which have been added to the forefoot for responsive cushioning and propulsion. These are all updates on the shoe’s predecessor.
Nike are also yet to announce when in ‘summer 2020’ the shoe will be released. According to the new World Athletics regulations, a shoe has to be on the market for a period of four months before it can be worn in competition. In order to comply with this, the shoe would need to be on sale by May 2020.
Alongside the Alphafly NEXT%, Nike will release updated training shoes based on the technology used in the Alphafly. This includes the Nike Air Zoom Tempo NEXT%, which is designed for higher mileage and more frequent use, so does not have a carbon plate, but still has the Nike Zoom Air Pods in the forefoot.
They will also launch the Nike Air Zoom Viperfly – their new track shoe. Designed for the 100m race, the shoe features a carbon fibre plate and was developed alongside the NEXT% with the goal of helping runners in the final 20 meters of their race. The Viperfly features a new Atomknit upper, a new version of Nike’s Flyknit.
