Vaporfly Next% 2

My most recent race shoe purchase is the AP4. Haven’t run a full in them yet, but have done some shorter races. Previously, I’ve raced halfs and fulls in the Clifton 8, Vaporfly 2, Alphafly 1, Endorphin Speed 2, Adios Pro 3, Zegama 1, Topo Specter 1, Endorphin Trail, Endorphin Pro 3, Endorphin Speed 3, and Tyr Valkyrie Speedworks. AP3 has been my favorite of those. Ran 2 halfs and 2 fulls in them plus an ultra and then put a lot of miles in them as a daily trainer. Great shoe. AF1 was great too, but I did a lot more daily miles than races in those.

Lots of opinions here. I say get what you like, but if you want to go vapor, you might enjoy the feel of the VF3 (and have more color options at that price or better) than the VF4 (which to me is definitely more of an aggressive feel). I'm sure others will disagree, but I think between the outsole and generally more comfortable fit and stability of the 3 over the 4 (which is much closer to the VF2 for me), you'll get more value and enjoyment out of them. But yeah, like others have said, the vomero plus is going to give you a lot of zoomX fun, way more comfort and way more versatility for all your day to day runs. I just took them out on the trail for an 8ish minute pace tempo and they did fine. Did not feel held back at all at that pace.

Heel striker here. Similar weight but nowhere as quick as OP. My PRs for 5K, 10K and Half have been with Vaporfly 2 and most recently in Adios pro 3. AP3s are very durable and forgiving for heel strikers.

Shoe tech peaked at Vaporfly 1 & 2 and Speed 1 & 2. Everything since then has been minor progress at major prices.

Hello I can’t seem to find a nice and slightly durable (probably can last 600k? or 1-2 seasons of workouts) shoe for longer track workouts. This pair will be used for the long tempos (3:45/k), intervals, and reps down to 5K pace at around 3:00-3:05/k. It doesn’t need to have a plate but I hope for some kind of pep in step and bounce with some firmness for the faster reps. I have tried these shoes: 1. ⁠Nike Vaporfly 2 - Firm and nice cushioning. I really like these but the shoe falls apart really easily in my humid country. Rain shreds the sides of the midsole. 2. ⁠Nike Vaporfly 3 - Same as VF2 but softer cushioning. I really prefer this shoe for my workouts but the shoe fails really easy. 3. ⁠Asics Magic Speed 3 - Felt overly firm (which I don’t really enjoy) but fast reps feel nice. 4. ⁠Li-Ning Feidian 5 Challenger - Slightly better than the Magic Speed 3 in terms of cushioning but hoped for more cushion underfoot. 5. ⁠Dynafish Xiaonian - Perhaps got a wrong size because my foot was swimming in the upper even when I got 1/2 size down. Difficult to go fast in the really soft foam. 6. ⁠Xtep 160X 3.5 Pro - Probably got the wrong size as it was really tight. Really nice and responsive but didn’t have any allowance for slower reps. (Basically the same as a Nike Streakfly but thick and bouncy. Becomes quite blocky on bad days.) 7. ⁠Endorphin Speed 1/2: Really nice shoe for tempo and faster stuff back in the day but the new versions (v3 and v4) seems lacking. 8. ⁠Adidas Takumi Sen 10: Nice as a trainer but the shoe feels bottom heavy for some reason. 9. ⁠Qiaodan Plaid 1.5: Nice and cushioned for the longer tempos and slower intervals. Becomes chunky and blocky and difficult to run with at faster paces. 10. ⁠Nike Streakfly 2: Really good for shorter reps. Light and fast. Cushioning abit lacking on longer reps. Durability is not really good. I’m thinking of using the Streakfly 2 for faster paces (5K and under) but I cannot find something that I like for broken up tempos/thresholds and longer tempo work at 5K pace and up. Are there any shoes that are worth trying out in the current market? Or are there any shoe that you have tried that you are satisfied from faster workouts? Thanks!

Coming from the Vaporfly Next 2's (which I loved), I tried the Vaporfly 4's, the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3's and the Fast R3's. I also look at the Metaspeed Paris range but it seemed that these other three would be better for me (and the Tokyo's weren't out yet). Conclusion for me: Puma Fast R3. The Vaporfly 4's were lacking underfoot cushioning/protection it felt like, and felt slower than the Fast R 3's anyway. The Nitro Elite 3's felt great, but I wanted the fastest and lightest and the Fast R 3's were that. I bought them and have done one 5km solo time trial in them and went 18:45 on a slow course. They felt great. But - as a slight pronator who gets more towards heel strike as I tire, I would have doubts about taking these past a half marathon. For me, at 77kg, I would definitely make these my 5km and 10km shoes, half marathon it would be between the Vaporfly 2's or the Fast R3's (probably would try the latter at least once). Marathon I'd look at something else (Alphafly or Asics Tokyo) or use the Vaporfly 2's that still have some life in them.

You could get a second pair on top of the Cliftons and rotate between them, and use them for different things. A Kayano or Wave Inspire or Wave Rider might be your easy day and long run shoe, and your other pair e.g. Clifton 9's could be your shorter/quicker run shoe. The comparison between the two can also help give you an idea of what you need going forward (though what you need, and want, may change with time of course). It's also good not to run consecutive days in the same pair, to let the midsole recover. And it's good for your body not to get too used to just one type of shoe I believe. There's no substitute for the strength work of glutes and core etc, and the gradual build of condition in a training cycle, but these types of shoes certainly seemed to help me along the way. Now I can mostly run in neutral and stable-neutral shoes, and race up to and beyond marathon distances in race shoes like the Vaporfly Next%(inherently not stable!).

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”