Mens Air Zoom Alphafly Next% 3 ‘Ekiden’ – White/Habanero Flames

Nike’s pinnacle racer continues to set the marathon scene alight. The most technologically advanced runner from the Swoosh, the Alphafly 3 is build to go faster than ever before.

Where the Alphafly 2 sported extreme cut-outs, the latest version closes the gaps to secure a wider carbon plate inside the fully connected ZoomX foam midsole. Even with the increased carbon under-foot the Alphafly 3 is able to be lighter than the previous version—clocking in at a mere 174g in the men’s version.

This comes in-part thanks to the revised AtomKnit uppers and more refined Air Zoom forefoot units, along with the ever-tweaked contoured ZoomX cushioning under-foot. If history has shown us anything, new AlphaFly is likely to power athletes to ever-greater heights in the pursuit of absolute speed.

Hakone Ekiden Edition

“Ekiden” (駅伝) is a Japanese word which refers to the unique sport of long-distance relay racing. Ekiden could be roughly translated as ”station to station”. The original meaning of the word is reflected in race rules, where each runner at the end of their run has to pass a sash to the next runner.

The colourway draws direct inspiration from the Nike Zoom Streak Spectrum Plus, originally released in 2003. With an iconic flame treatment there’s few shoes which compare when talking about pure swagger.