A Shoe so Good, I bought it Twice
Nike Vaporfly 3
The Vaporfly is a shoe so good, that I bought it twice! For my first Ironman 70.3 race, I used the Saucony Endorphin Elite shoe but got hotspots on the balls of my feet. I liked that shoe in training, but race day was a different story. I think it was a bit too firm to run in off the bike. So I was on a mission to find something comparable and slightly softer with just as much oomph. I had previously tried the Vaporfly 2, but felt it was a bit too aggressive. Reviews on the Nike Vaporfly 3 had stated that it was now more suited to the marathon distance, that the addition of a few millimeters of foam and tweaking the design made a huge difference. Needless to say I was sold, so I scooped up a pair. The blue color way was an exclusive color way, so that was all the more cool and I planned a whole race outfit around the blue shoes.
I started training in them and loved how fresh my legs felt after my long runs. It was a fun training period in the lead up to my 2nd Ironman 70.3 race in Florida. But then I decided I REALLY liked training in these shoes, so much so that I needed a new pair to match my now red & black tri-kit. Enter the red pair, and it’s also exclusive colorway (Dick’s Sporting Goods for the win).
Anyway, I raced down in Florida for the Ironman 70.3 triathlon there with the red pair pictured above. While my run was not up to my standards, the shoes performed better than expected. No issues with my feet, even at my substantially slower pace or as a true triathlete might say “my heat-adjusted pace” HA! I have around 100 miles collectively across these pairs, and I’m honestly considering buying a third if the Paris Olympics color way that I saw on r/RunningShoeGeeks is legit, they look AMAZING!
Down to the shoe. The Nike Vaporfly 3 is a great all around race shoe. I have a wide foot and I’m a heavier runner, and they accommodate my foot and then some. My pace is easily 30 seconds faster per mile in these shoes than any others I’ve tried. They want to go fast, and go fast is what they do! I don’t have a single complaint other than they didn’t get on my feet sooner. Great work @Nike!
More shoe reviews to come.