LOLZLetter Edition 3: Is the Nike Vaporfly Worth It?
That’s a great question and one I get many emails about each week.
One of the most requested topics for the newsletter was about the Nike Vaporfly. Last Week, I talked about racing flats and good flats for various distances.
This week I’m diving more into the Nike Vaporfly (IE: the 4%, the Fly, and the Nike Pegasus Turbo 25).
There has been a lot of controversy as well as confusion about the three shoes.
Is there a difference? Should I waste money on any? I’ve broken it down by shoe to give you pros and cons.
The Fly:
The Fly is the cheapest of the 3, now retailing at $160. The Fly uses an entirely different foam and doesn’t have the energy return of the Vaporfly (that’s why it’s $90 cheaper). I reviewed it here.
The Zoom Fly uses the “Lunarlon” foam. It’s different in almost every way possible. When you view the side, it looks a lot more dense and thick. That’s because it is! The foam is heavier and much denser than the “ZoomX.” It doesn’t crease and fold down like the Vaporfly.
At 9 ounces, it’s not the “best” racing flat, and there are much better options such as the Saucony Kinvara, New Balance 1400, or even the Nike LT Streak. The one thing it has going for it is it does fit similarly to the Vaporfly.
As Nike says, it’s the everyday trainer to the Vaporfly. It’s more durable and going to last 300-400 miles.
In summary, the only thing the Fly and Vaporfly share are the word“fly” plus both are released and updated around the same time. It’s genius really, because not everyone wants to pay $250 for a shoe, and more people are likely to pay for a shoe that looks similar and is cheaper.
Why Buy the Fly?
It’s the most durable of the three. You should get between 300-400 miles in the shoe.
It’s also the cheapest of the three
It’s a solid long run, fast workout shoe. It’s a good for tempos, for longer runs, or runs you are planning to go faster.
The Nike Pegasus Turbo:
The Nike Pegasus 35 has been around for 35 generations. It was many people, including myself’s, first running shoe. This year Nike made two versions (The Nike Pegasus 35 and the Nike Pegasus 35 Turbo). The Turbo contains the same foam as the Vaporfly 4%. You’ll feel faster in the shoe with a tag of “only” $180. The significant difference is the lack of a carbon plate.
I reviewed this shoe a while ago. I found it to be one of my favorite fast-paced and workout shoes. It’s not a shoe I would personally run easy runs or everyday runs in but it’s a great shoe for sustained efforts. I’ve grown to prefer it over the Zoom Fly. For $20 more than the Fly, you get a faster shoe.
So why buy the Nike Pegasus Turbo?
You’ll get more mileage. It won’t last 400 miles, but you’re more likely to get 250-300.
It’s $70 cheaper.
You like a shoe with a racing stripe. ;)
The Vaporfly 4%:
It’s now been pretty much proven that the Nike 4% does help you run faster.
Is it mental?
Is that because you’ve trained your butt off and now are tapered?
Is it the shoe?
All are good questions. If you’re anything like me, you want to know how and why a “carbon plate” could help you run faster.
Here is the short answer: most runners spend energy bending toe joints during impact. When you bend other areas such as your arch and ankles, they bend and spring back into the position ready for the next stride.
Your toes don’t do that, and the energy is wasted. The Carbon plate found in the Nike Vaporfly 4% keeps your toes straighter, which in turn saves energy. It moves with your foot. The curvature in the carbon plate almost functions as a spring. Combined with the foam midsole creates the “energy savings.”
So in short, yes the shoe has been proven to “work”. I ran in the Nike Vaporfly for the NYCM. I liked them, I didn’t love them. I PRed in NYCM but there were a lot of factors that led me to a PR, including the fact that I hadn’t run a marathon in 3.5 years. I don’t believe it was the shoes.
The question now will become: Will Curved Carbon Plates be Banned?
As a swimmer in a previous life, I can remember with lzr swim suits caused world record after world record to be broken. The swim suits made you slightly more buoyant, which gave a huge advantage. Ultimately, the full body LZR suits were banned from competition. You can read more on the easy to digest wikipedia.
Will these carbon plates be the same way? Only time will tell. I’m leaning towards no, because most shoe companies are projected to come out with a similar carbon plate design.
The Vaporfly isn’t ideal and here are a few situations; it’s not great for:
In bad weather. If it’s a torrential downpour and slippery, it won’t function well. If Boston is the same weather as last year, it’s foolish to run in the shoes. There isn’t much traction, plus you’re wasting mileage.
Shorter distance races: Do you see many milers or 5kers using this shoe? No. It’s more of a 13.1 and beyond shoe.
On the trails: There is minimal traction, so there isn’t a point to race on trails in the shoe.
Finally…I don’t know why this isn’t talked about more; the shoe only lasts about 100 miles.
It’s designed to optimally race two marathons. That’s it. No more. If you want to pay $250 for two marathons, that is fine, but know you aren’t going to get 400 miles on it. That’s why I typically advise people to only use them for racing.
And finally, I know RunningCo. of Haddonfield has some left in stock if you’re still looking (they ship too).
Hopefully, this answers your questions. If not ask away,
A Few Things I found Interesting this Week:
Many people know, but last week was National Eating Disorders Week. Before living in New Jersey, I worked in the public health field at SUNY Oswego. Eating Disorders are prevalent in many different sports, but runners have a higher than average diagnosis. Mostly because of the believe “lighter=faster”. Anyway, this week there have been several articles that I’ve read and appreciated.
What a Real Runner Looks Like:
While written in 2014, the article by Hannah is evergreen. Not only is it relevant to eating disorder awareness but also your comments on social media. This particular piece stuck out to me:
“So before you make an off-hand comment about someone on social media think about the person you’re looking at. Because they are a person. And they don’t deserve whatever comment you choose to make on your lunch break while flipping through Facebook.
Morning Shakeout Podcast Podcast: Episode 51 with Scott Gravatt, Jeremy Bresnen, and Pam Hess
This episode fascinated me more than most interviews. Working in run specialty, I’ve gotten to know our sales reps and tech reps well throughout the years. The Podcast discusses how for any running store to survive, it must be involved in the community. Our store is, and that is why we flourish.
What interested me the most was the Nike rep discussing this on the podcast. Nike is the least likely to help and be involved in the community. It’s such a pain when someone wants us to order a shoe because the person can typically order it from http://nike.com in 48 hours and the same shoe takes upwards of 10 days. Nike doesn’t help specialty stores like other brands but expects us to sell high end $200+ shoe.
I’m not bitter towards Nike; but I do believe they are out of touch with run specialty. As a customer, I wouldn’t want wait ten days or more for a shoe. As an employee, I don’t want to pull a shoe that I know is going to be more of a hassle than it’s worth. (As someone who isn’t paid on commission, I’m going to pull the right and best shoe for you. Typically it’s not the highest priced shoe).
It’s an interesting listen!
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