LOS ANGELES (USA): A retail version of Nike’s Zoom Alphafly NEXT% footwear was unveiled, only days after new World Athletics rules-tightening on prototype shoes.
The Air Zoom Viperfly is aimed for the 100m sprint crowd while Nike’s Air Zoom Victory is designed for 800m to 10km races, with sales expected to begin this summer.
Just five days earlier, the global track and field governing body introduced tougher rules on footwear for competitors.
Nike’s controversial Alphafly prototype shoes were worn by Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge when he broke the two-hour marathon barrier in Vienna last October.
According to nike.com, the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% will be launching February 29 in the USA – for Nike Members only, so it figures that the EMEA region will get it ever so slightly later, but still well within the time limit proposed by the World Athletics.
Given the publicity these shoes are getting already, it would be quite surprising if Nike would sell it for cheap.
The NEXT% designs are aimed at maximizing sports science with design to boost body performance through technological enhancement.
The latest version adds air pods in the forefoot and foam in the heel.
“The groundbreaking research that led to the original Vaporfly unlocked an entirely new way of thinking about marathon shoes,” said Carrie Dimoff, member of Nike’s Advanced Innovation Team.
