Nike Alphafly vs Vaporfly

I prefer the upper of the VF over the alpha.

160 cadence? What are you measuring it with?

What size shoe do you wear? i may have an unused pair of Vapors I can sell you.

Alpha only has a 4mm drop if that affects your decision.

Just a warning:

The AlphaFly has an incredibly narrow mid-foot. I learned that the hard the way when I ran a marathon without properly vetting them. Finished with two tennis ball size blisters on my arches and shoes literally dripping blood. Couldn’t walk right for over a week afterwards.

Ive heard the Vaporflys are a little wider but haven’t actually tried them.

This is not true.

Forerunner 235, and it is same if i count in my head.

It goes from 150 on easy runs (7:45) to 170 at 3k pace (5:20).

Until now i used Zoom fly3 to race.

In our lab testing, most people respond well to both, but some are larger responders to Alphafly. Can't say without testing you, but based on your specs and our lab data, I'd bet you are an Alphafly man.

lab rat do you have any articles that you can share on research done in your lab?

I prefer the AF. They beat up my legs less and make running marathon pace feel easy/smooth. Best way to describe the difference to me is that the VF makes you want to move fast but you have to always push whereas the AF makes it easier to get into a rhythm and let the shoes do the work. Sports car vs high performance luxury sedan.

Go order them off nike. Try em out and return the one you don't like. They are very different shoes, see how you like em. I ended up keeping both (but that may not be possible if you're not yet a working adult). My general preferences used to be low, hard(er) shoes. Now, I get excited for these long tempo runs when I get to wear my alphas after a long hard day of work. For quicker, shorter stuff, say <=5k, I prefer the vaporflys.

Our study was focused more on comparing shoes but we get into the issue of individual responsiveness more in the preprint.

Published Paper:

tandfonline.com

A comparison of running economy across seven highly cushioned racing shoes with carbon-fibre plates

Recent advancements in running shoe technology, particularly in the Nike Vaporfly, have been shown to improve running economy. Other brands have now also developed new, advanced shoes with thicker ...

Open link

Aside from what's in the preprint there, I can tell you for the Alphafly specifically, the lower cadence (170 low) and heavier guys (150-160 lbs) responded most. The really lightweight (120-130 lbs) guys and fast cadence (180 plus) seemed to respond less to AF. Maybe something to do with amount of ground reaction force and loading the foam if I were speculating. Need more research in this area of individual responsiveness though.

The Alphaflys are objectively inferior as they compromise the design for the sake of aesthetics and marketing.

Dude you need to work on your cadence. 😳

I prefer to race in Alphafly. Especially for Half and full marathon! I absolutely love the Alpha.. The vapors are great too especially training.. But I guess its a matter of the person you ask. I am sure you will not be dissapointed by any of them. But choose the Alpha. :)

I prefer the vaporfly. It’s more versatile if you plan on racing 5k-10k, and it’s actually preferred over the alphafly for the marathon by most elites.

I'd agree if you were talking about the Air Zoom Victory compared to the Dragonfly, but there's nothing to suggest anything has been sacrificed in the Alphafly. If anything I remember them testing for more efficiency boost than the Vaporfly, but don't quote me on that as it's been a while since I looked.

I wish I could still weigh somehow 150 at 6'1wow

I am 6'1 170-180 depending on the day and I still run about 30 mpw at age 28

Well thanks for all the reply's guys, it looks like it really comes down to personal preference. So i might order both of them and keep the ones i like the most. My final question is about size (i cant try them anywhere in my country) are both of the shoes true to the size or should i order one number bigger/smaller (if anyone can compare them to Zoom fly3 it would make my day).

Lab Rat thanks for the article, I will give it a read when i have a bit of free time.

Objectively inferior, as in, shown in studies to be as good or better for most runners.