Air Zoom Alphafly Next% 2

To second this - I buy end of life performance shoes to see if I would like them in their prime. I.e. Metaspeed Sky for $50 and 200 miles, Vaporfly 2s that have done two marathons for $40, and Alphafly 2s for $30 that are pretty beat up, but I’m willing to make a bet they have some life left for $30. Then occasionally you get people that just don’t know what they have. This week I should be getting a pair of Endorphin Speed 3s that I paid $10 for that someone had listed as “Stylish Pink Saucony Shoes”

I will say that they do feel different between brands and shoes. Personally I'd rather run barefoot than my alpha flys V2 at 5 min km or slower. They just feel so bad and unstable. But faster than that they feel pretty fucking great. Versus some other which feel much better faster but don't feel bad slow. So someone running slow in certain shoes may get less benifit than another but at faster paces the benefits probably converge

What pace were you running at? I'd rather run barefoot than in my alpha flys for anyislowrr than 5 min kms. I just feel so stupidly unstable. Going faster they feel great. Some are also more unstable than other with alpha flys being on the more unstable end. Also going from stability shoes to probably the most unstable shoe I've ever encountered is funny and means you probably don't need stability shoes.

I do agree, the biggest thing that it affects is the biomechanics. At least with the Nike alphafly 1 and 2, the higher stack height and foam changes my strides. I sometimes would get quad cramps with marathons that I don't normally see in my normal shoes.

I had a pair of Nike Alphafly NEXT% that lasted 880 miles. That version of ZoomX was fantastic. I actually wore through the outsole and the air pod in one of them burst (right in the middle of a 14 miler), but the foam still felt great. For shoes that are actually available now, I’ve had a good experience with several iterations of the Saucony Endorphin Speed. The foam feels good through 500+ miles and the upper and outsole hold up well. They are also good for any distance or pace.

Nike shoes are cheaper than comparable ASICS shoes. And plenty get rave reviews (Vomero line, AFs/VFs, Structure line). AFs are probably the winningest marathon shoes of all time.

I'll admit, I'm a shoe snob and I also love the EVO SL but not for a marathon. Personally I'm going with Alpha Fly or Pro 4, or something similar

My go race shoes at the moment are AlphaFlys and Pro 4's

I rotate between 6-8 pairs, so I suggest getting at least two pairs. As far as what to suggest; running shoes are extremely personal. Everyone is different. I’ve been loving Adidas Adizero EVO SLs, ASICs Superblast 2s, Hoka Skyward X for those middle distance easy runs, Adidas Boston 13s for threshold work, Saucony Endorphin Speeds for threshold, and I also have a stable of race shoes (Nike Vaporflys, Alphaflys) for intervals and racing.

Don't blast them until you try them. I love my big stack shoes. My favorite long runs shoes are the ASICs Megablasts and Hoka Skyward X. I also love Adidas EVO SLs. Race shoes are Nike Vapor Flys, Alpha FLys, and Adidas Pro 4s.