Nike’s self-proclaimed “fastest shoe” ever just got even better. The innovative Zoom Vaporfly 4% has been dominating the marathon running circuit as of late, with more than half of all the podium finishers at major marathons in 2018 across the globe having the shoe on their feet.
Now Nike Running has upped the ante on the speedy silhouette by constructing it with a Flyknit upper.
Initially built with mesh, the new Flyknit version makes the already-featherlight design even lighter as well as more breathable.
Designed in conjunction with Nike’s Breaking2 initiative, a special race in 2017 that included three elite marathoners attempting to break the two-hour marathon barrier, the Vaporfly 4% features the brand’s new ZoomX foam cushioning and a full-length carbon fiber support plate within the midsole that increases stiffness and provides a sensation of propulsion. Nike claims that the shoe delivers an average of 4% improvement in running economy for the wearer, compared with its previous fastest racing flat.
Like the initial mesh version, the new iteration is also expected to race off the shelves. The shoe releases Oct. 4 in North America, available at Nike.com, select retailers and the Bank of America Chicago Marathon Expo. In Europe, it officially releases on Oct. 1, while the markets of China and Japan get the earliest chance at it on Sep. 6.
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Nike’s lower-end version of the Zoom VaporFly, the Zoom Fly, is also getting updated with a Flyknit upper this fall. With the same React foam cushioning and carbon fiber plate it had before, the Zoom Fly Flyknit debuts in a black and orange colorway on Sept. 13.
