I picked up the AF 2 last week - I have a wide forefoot with developing bunions (yay), and not finding something that really works super well for me. I have tried nearly all carbon plated shoes (except the Hokas). I had to size up to 7.5 womens (US), my street shoe is 6-6.5. So a more than a full size. EU comparison 36.5 street, 38.5 in the AF. I wore them out of the box for a 20 miler yesterday - surprisingly good. Wide enough for my foot issues. I think they will be my CIM race day shoes. I ran my PR in the Adidas Pro 3 - also a great pair of shoes but the Alpha Fly 2 really has the most long-mile protection I have ever experienced. My legs were not the thing that was really tired at the end of the yesterday which is amazing. I did not love the AF first version but I think if you are a midfoot for forefoot striker, then you love that shoe. I loved the width but as a midfoot to heel striker, the first version felt like a negative drop and I was constantly having to think about my foot strike to make that shoe "work." The 2nd version really alleviates that problem for me. I also love the VaporFly (have ran in 2 and 3), but for the marathon I think the Alpha Fly is where it's at.
VF3 completely ruined my last marathon. They proved to have very limited support which gave me terrible pain on both my ankles after 30K. I had to practically walk. They are amazing shoes in terms of energy return but no support at all if you overpronate.
My alpha v1s feel faster than the vaporflys but on the latter stages of a race, my feet are literally hurting from them being so narrow and I cant wait to finish the race just to take them off. In the vaporflys however, after I finish a race my feet are in the same condition as they were before the race. Much better comfort on the vaporflys from my experience. Edit: Both pairs are in the same size
Kiptum also ran his debut marathon in Valencia in the same colourway Vaporfly 2 as London, in fact could've been the exact same pair. The Chicago course I think with perfect conditions on Sunday was faster than the London course so he probably would've improved his time in Vaporflys as well.
Yes plenty of variability’s but can’t be disputed that the previous 3 including the current marathon world record has been in the alphafly, that’s my reasoning:)
I'm looking at grabbing a pair of the Vapor Fly for 1/2 marathons and shorter races. Thank you for the excellent video, all the best in everything and run great in Seville in '24 !
I 100% agree with preference for the Vapourfly. I had the issues that you mention with the Alpha (shame) but fair play to Nike for allowing me to send them back after 20 miles with a full refund.
Thanks for making this! I need to replace my vapors before my next big race and was considering the new alphas that are coming out in January but now I don’t know!
I'm a 5-10k runner. I disliked my AlphaFly V1 pair because they're LOUD. It's embarrassing. It literally sounds like carbon smacking the ground. People will look at you when passing. Maybe the new pairs don't do that.
Did you notice any difference in the width of the Pro 3 compared to the Vaporfly? I found the Pro 3 quite narrow in the toebox in normal size. The Endorphin Elite is wider in normal size, but still too expensive i.m.o.
@@mikes5764 very tempted by the endorphin elite. Loads more follow up reviews sounding better than the first look ones… sounds like a shoe that gets better once it’s broken in. Personally, I have a very wide foot (I had to send alphaflys back, I get my Hokas in wide etc) but I haven’t had issues with either the VF or the EPro3. I agree the pro3 is a touch narrower, bit of tightness on my little toe but it’s bearable with the upper material.
Why the Alphafly 1?? I'm trying to figure out what shoe to get for a pair of December 70.3s. I've run in the Alphafly's & Vaporfly's. Rupp & Mantz both wore the Alphafly 1's in Chicago. Magnus Ditlev (triathlete) wore them for the World Champs in Nice in September. Kiptum wore the Vaporfly 2's for a while. Seems like elite athletes can more easily test to see what shoe fits them better. They also might have better access to previous editions. Just find it interesting that Nike sponsored athletes aren't even using the newest stuff
IDK, my personal ownership of the Alphafly suffered from punctures and quality issues. I've had bits of sole come off as well. Not exactly what you want after 2-3 runs....
Great video !! I’m running a half marathon in the end of November, and I’m in between these two. How much break-in do they need? Should I use them a bit in my speed work before the race? And do you use your race shoes for speed work as well or are they reserved for races?
Not often I'd agree with anyone fully but well done Ben 😂. 100% agree with you here. Love the alphafly and totally agree with all you've stated. Thanks for the video and good luck with your running. Just a random point for 5k/10k racing. I'm much faster in a Nike vaporfly or alphafly than the takumi Sen's. Good training shoe for me as 80kg runner but not a racing shoe.
I have previous versions for both Alphafly 1 and Vaporfly 2. Whilst Vaporfly was giving me PBs, my ankle was in pain for at least a week after running even a half. On the otherhand, Alphafly gave me a bit more stability, however it felt heavy and it seemed like I was running slower than running in normal shoes. It made no difference. Any advice? Is it due to it being heavy or the running form… Always constantly asking myself this question.
I can't fit the vapour, it's too narrow even a size up. The feet splay over the sole. And if your already paying close to that price, and do long runs, it's a better fit and your feet get used to the arch. Af2!!
I have the VP3 but only wear those during race days which is like 2x a year. I have to save those bad boys but I rock the NB fuel cell super comps as daily trainers.
Great question. For me they used to be the dominant supershoes but now ASICS, adidas and hoka have caught up. Pretty much even these days and is much more about preference than performance :)
I'm in the Vaporfly camp. I had a brief run in a friends Alphfly 2 and wasn't that impressed as felt heavy next to the Vaporfly but I guess the Alphafly is best suited to the marathon. Have not yet tried the Vaporfly3, but have both the first and second editions and preferred the original which felt a bit more responsive.
@@BenIsRunning thank you, that really helps 👍🏼 I have Alphafly 1's which I'm planning to now use as a long run shoe, and vaporfly 2's which I think have a little more racing miles in them. Looking for my next racing shoe now 👍🏼
I wore alpha in Boston and rained last 4km and were fine for me. Now that I own a pair of vaporfly 3 can’t decide which ones for my next marathon . Both are great !
I’ve had (unfortunately) the issue in my foot with the alphafly. I don’t have fleet feet at all, but I had to change shoes for my actual marathon block. I decided for the Adios Pro 3. It’s another brand but I’m really enjoying this shoe!
@@BenIsRunning I’ll give it another try with the new alphafly 3 🤪 I hope that the Adios pro will be lucky for me as they did for you in Boston and smash my PB 🤩 Thanks for your contents! Love it!
I must be a huge anomaly because I found both of these shoes feel terrible on my feet 🤷🏻♂️ The best carbon shoe I've found that works with my feet and my running style is the New Balance SuperComp Elite V3 🤝🏻 super comfy, nice level of bounce, not too narrow or unstable
