Certificate of
Authenticity
Authenticity
0
Try on
View authenticity certificate
- Upper
- Atomknit
- Gender
- Unisex
- Released
- 2023
Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2 Eliud Kipchoge
Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2 Eliud Kipchoge
- Upper
- Atomknit
- Gender
- Unisex
- Released
- 2023
DELIVERY AND AUTHENTICATION
Includes Authentication Certificate
by Checkcheck global standards
Come see it in person
Culture Note™
Released on 31 August 2023 and part of Nike's Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% 2 line. This release has a atomknit upper in White/Chile Red/Coconut Milk/Black. Nike's racing programme changed distance running in 2017 with the Vaporfly, which combined ZoomX foam with a full length carbon fibre plate and, according to peer research, could improve marathon times by up to 4.2 percent. The Alphafly is the maximal expression of that project, built with Air units in the forefoot as well as the plate and foam. This NEXT% 2 carries Eliud Kipchoge's name, the marathon edition of a shoe designed for exactly one job. Nothing about it is casual: the company that began in 1964 importing Japanese running shoes because Bill Bowerman wanted lighter soles for his athletes ended up building the most scrutinised racing shoe in the sport.
Race in it, do not train in it. Save these for goal races and a small number of sharpening sessions, worn with the thinnest technical socks you own so the fit stays locked. Practise at least one fast session in them before race day, because the plate and forefoot Air change your foot strike and you do not want that surprise at kilometre five. Fit should be snug throughout with no heel movement; most runners take their usual race size rather than sizing up. Off road use will chew the outsole. Never machine wash, never dry near heat, air dry only, and store them flat rather than crushed in a kit bag so the plate stays true.
The plated shoe argument is the biggest technical controversy modern running has had, and Nike started it. The company's running credibility goes back to Steve Prefontaine, its first track athlete endorser, who still has a statue at Nike headquarters, and to Bowerman's waffle iron experiment that produced the 1972 Moon Shoe and 1974 Waffle Trainer. What changed with the Vaporfly and Alphafly is that the shoe itself became the story, forcing a governing body to write rules about footwear rather than athletes. Contrary to widespread claims, the Vaporfly was not banned: the rules set limits, and legal models kept racing. A marathon edition carrying a runner's name sits at the centre of that argument.
Three technologies stacked. ZoomX, Nike's altered Pebax foam and the lightest and most responsive in its range, provides the cushioning. A full length carbon fibre plate runs through it to generate extra spring in each step. Nike Air units, the same pressurised gas principle made visible from 1987, sit in the forefoot to add return where you toe off. The upper is a minimal engineered weave built to hold the foot with almost no weight, following the logic Nike established with Flywire: hold more, use less. World Athletics set the boundaries on 31 January 2020, capping sole thickness at 40mm with one rigid plate and requiring general retail availability, and compliant Alphafly models remain race legal.
- Upper
- Atomknit
- Gender
- Unisex
- Released
- 2023
Most asked questions
How we always
Guarantee the best prices?
Luxury marketplace
In luxury marketplaces, prices depend on demand — less popular items sell below retail.
.svg)
Competition between sellers
Our 5,000+ verified sellers compete with each other, giving you the lowest prices.
.svg)
Price comparison
We show you price comparisons across sellers so you always get better deals.
.svg)
Helping sellers, helping you
We help sellers buy smarter inventory, so they can offer you better prices.
Loading…