Nike Vaporfly 4

Built for: 5K, 10K and half-marathon race day.

The Vaporfly 4 is the lightest super shoe Nike makes: 166 g on the scale, around 13% lighter than the Vaporfly 3. Nike got there by hollowing out sections of the ZoomX midsole rather than cutting stack height, then redesigned the tongue that rubbed on the v3 and added rubber coverage under the forefoot. In lab testing it returned 78.1% of the energy put into it — among the highest figures ever recorded for a running shoe.

Why it works

• Full-length ZoomX (Pebax) midsole, hollowed where it can be — 166 g, about 13% lighter than the Vaporfly 3.
• Carbon-fibre Flyplate for a stiff, propulsive toe-off.
• 78.1% energy return in lab testing, one of the highest results on record.
• Lightweight mesh upper with bonded yarns; the redesigned tongue fixes the v3's rubbing.

Race-day details

• Surface: Road, race courses
• Best for: 5K, 10K and half marathon
• Drop: 6 mm
• Weight: ~5.9 oz / 166 g (men's US 9)
• Ride: Light, sharp and fast — narrower than the Alphafly, and best under lighter runners

Colorway

A clean race-day execution of the Vaporfly 4. Save it for the days that count — like every super shoe, the outsole is built for speed rather than for daily mileage.