Should the alphaFLY be allowed at CIM?

At some point this will get out of hand (many think it already is). I wonder how many carbon fiber plates Nike will stuff into the next version of the shoe. The Omegafly will have 4 plates and be cushioned to make the runner 5 inches taller and tigger-bounce down the road. When will lines be drawn?

I no longer think anyone is safe for Boston without a 10 min cushion

wait for the next month and see if any elite athletes use the alphafly in any major/money race. if yes, use it. if no, don't use it

Portlanders have been running racing in these and other prototypes for years with some pretty impressive results, I can't believe this hasn't come up before.

I ran the Eugene marathon in April, and noticed some dudes in blacked out Alphafly prototypes at the start. I don't know if it made them any faster, but I can say with absolute certainty that it had a 0% impact on my race or result.

One day the hysteria over the VF/Next%/AlphaFly will go away as the simple explanation is the right one: the shoes don’t bounce or push or artificially make you faster. Most everyone runs faster in the shoes because they keep your legs significantly less beaten than on other shoes.

They have massive, super soft foam that is also light. The carbon plate just keeps the shoe from being a floppy mess.

The further you race, the more time you’re going to gain because your legs are fresh. In a marathon, runners report their legs feel like they ran 20-21 miles instead of 26.2.

Just a few days away.

Will your friend be racing in the AlphaFlys? For the sake of his integrity, and that of the sport, I certainly hope he does not wear them.

Regardless, I can’t wait to read his upcoming book (ie blog post) about his heroic efforts at CIM.

"If you're focused on our shoes, you're missing what makes us fast."

This is only partially true. Running an OTQ in the marathon or near an OTQ in the marathon requires a lot of sacrifice, hard work, and strength. However, being a part of the BTC elite group gives you an undeniable advantage over many other potential OTQ's. One of these advantages is having access to shoes that are not available for everyone. This violates the universality of athletics. Many runners who are trying to get an OTQ and are not part of your training group will not have the opportunity to test prototypes or race in unreleased shoes, as you did in Boston with the unreleased Next % shoes. It is difficult for us not to focus on your shoes when you address it first.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxZy8FTngMY/

reed wrote:

you think Bekele doesn't have custom vaporflies? the greatest distance runner of all time?

Greatest 5k and 10k runner. Please specify the distance that he is greatest. But he is nowhere near the greatest marathoner and half marathoner.

His latest Instagram post (https://www.instagram.com/p/B55xdulnIcB) misses the Nike Swoosh. So it isn't really a production model, though fakes it out like the Green Next%.

e10n wrote:

His latest Instagram post misses the Nike Swoosh. So it isn't really a production model, though fakes it out like the Green Next%.

Hard to know exactly without looking at them, but at Rock & Roll San Jose, Bromka was clearly using a non-production Nike.. black upper (not a big deal) with a much thicker midsole (perhaps a big deal).

Not sure if that's what he's using at CIM, but clearly it's some midsole with a random green upper, possibly to make it look like a standard Next%.. not sure. Regardless, it doesn't appear like he bought a pair, or was given, of standard Next%. Which is b*llshit, especially given all the controversy lately which he has addressed directly in his IG post above. And how he runs with/for Nike in some regard.

Makes me like Nike even less. I'm a fan of Bromka, or was.. if he was using non-production gear in violation of the rules to help him get that last 30sec and an OTQ, then yes, that is poor sportsmanship.

Wtf are these giant pillows he's running in?

When is Derek at Marathon Investigation gonna start going after people using shoes that aren't legal?

Just like having an edge with a training secret. Outwit, outlast boys. Don't be salty

Karma got Bromka, plain and simple. He's a runner of the IG social media generation and doesn't understand hard work. I don't see a single 130-140 mile week in his build-up, just a lot of sessions with his "boys."

Maybe HAD he raced in the AlohaFly’s he might have qualified.

Clearly he did not. Compare the outer sole and the mid sole to the real AlphaFly.

It's also interesting with as much as he writes and talks about his running, he has NEVER, NOT A SINGLE TIME, mentioned the shoes he has raced in. He had access to the 2016 prototypes and every version since then, so his time drops line up with the new shoes, but I would be really curious to hear his take on how much the shoes since 2016 have contributed to his drop in times.

Specify distance wrote:

reed wrote:

you think Bekele doesn't have custom vaporflies? the greatest distance runner of all time?

You need to specify distance. Maybe greatest 5k and 10k runner. But not half and full marathon greatest.

#1 5000m

#1 10000m

#2 Marathon

Easy call

FrenchDawg wrote:

Specify distance wrote:

You need to specify distance. Maybe greatest 5k and 10k runner. But not half and full marathon greatest.

#1 5000m

#1 10000m

#2 Marathon

Easy call

Don't forget all the World XC! 4K and 12K.

What is this Bowerman Track Club? Must be different from Jerry Shoemaker's group?

Those shoes look crazy - but he's only running 1:08? I thought it was an elite team? If I knew a 68 min half would get you unreleased Nike prototypes, I would have joined years ago.

UA Runner wrote:

if he was using non-production gear in violation of the rules

There is nothing illegal about running in prototypes.