Nike’s Vaporfly shoe line has been around since 2016 and has been a favorite of athletes and runners ever since. Made with specialized material and designed for all types of runners (from every day to long distance to training), can these types of super shoes actually improve your overall run time?
Having the right clothing and accessories to support your body can make all of the difference for those of us who work out, whether you’ve been doing it for years or are just beginning to hone your routine. This is especially the case if you work out with high frequency, as you tend to put more wear and tear on your shoes and your clothing at a faster pace. And for those who are serious about their output and improving their stats, investing in specialized gear is one way to achieve those goals. Enter the super shoe.
A “super shoe” is a shoe that is designed with a runner in mind, made with carbon-fiber plates (acting almost as a catapult with a springlike effect) and midsole super foam, providing maximum comfort and stellar energy return. The popularity of the super shoe has taken the running world by storm since its arrival on the scene in 2016, inspiring runners of all levels to up their game – even elite athletes like Faith Kipyegon wore super shoes when she broke the women’s one-mile world record, clocking in at 4 minutes 7.64 seconds. People will often tuck their super shoes away for more important runs or races so that they last longer, and many will also purchase a longer-lasting running shoe for more regular day-to-day training so they can alternate; Nike makes cheaper (than the super shoe) longer-lasting versions for this exact reason, such as the Zoomfly.
Nike’s super shoes – including the Vaporfly and the Alphafly – have been tested and worn by thousands of runners over the years and have been studied by researchers interested in Nike’s claims that Vaporfly shoes “give you race-day speed,” “help you push the pace,” and deliver “exceptional energy return.”
So, are the claims true?
According to an independent study by Dustin Joubert, a running researcher and assistant professor of kinesiology at St. Edward’s University, the answer is yes.
In the study, the Nike Vaporfly 2 shoe improved run times by 2.7%-4.2% when running at speeds of 8-11 mph. This was compared to a variety of other shoes, including Hoka Rocket X, New Balance RC Elite, and Brooks Hyperion Elite 2, amongst others. Even though the Vaporfly performed better than the other shoes, Joubert – a dedicated runner himself – believed that the super shoes would not be as advantageous when running at slower speeds.
To test this hypothesis, Joubert conducted a subsequent study in which he and his colleagues compared the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next%2 to the ASICS Hyper Speed – a more traditional running shoe in comparison to Nike’s “super shoe.” According to the study, 16 runners (eight men and eight women) completed four repetitions on treadmills, each five minutes long, running at about 6 mph; they then repeated a similar number of repetitions, running at about 7.5 mph, with five-minute breaks in between.
The conclusion?
From these data, it appears that the VFN2 (Nike Vaporfly 2) still enhances running economy at 10 and 12 km·h-1; however, these benefits are smaller in magnitude compared with previous research at faster speeds.
Even when runners in the study were purposely running at a slower pace, the Nike Vaporfly still enhanced the running speed.
Connect the Watts’ Take
If you’re not convinced by the studies mentioned above or the records broken by athletes while wearing super shoes, there are plenty of testaments to Nike’s super shoe helping runners of all backgrounds to achieve a faster run time. It’s nice to know that the marketing claims and the high-tech-ness of the shoe design live up to its promise.
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