First run in them today. They check all the boxes for me. Cushioning: check. Plate prevents feeling rocks and keeps the cushioned ride incredibly lively and fast: check. The collar is high, but I wore socks to prevent any chafing. I think I'll be coating that collar with aquaphore prerace when running with no socks, and gluing the insole down, as it would slide without socks. A lightly lower collar could be room for improvement. The heel cup is seriously on the level of a carbon cycling shoe heel cup in terms of how it holds the heel - this wasn't an issue running, but could be tricky in transition. They fit true to size for me, someone that has to go a half size up in Altra.
Unlike Altra, they have room for morten's toe and on a run tonight with tons of descent, I had not toe issues as I do with Altra half a size up - on that note, the Nike's fit true to size for me, someone with a very wide forefoot. Few NB, pre-2012 Brooks, and Altra have been the shoes I've been limited to. To think that Nike got the width right is pretty darn awesome and surprising, though it should be noted that beside the forefoot, the rest of the shoe is narrow, which is good for my feet. Also, the Altra Escalante were too little cushioned for me. The Zoom Fly shoes have a perfect amount of cushion. Today's run was on forest road for 18 miles with fresh gravel poured. That gravel, often quarter to half the size of a fist, would have been felt through my Altra Escalante's and caused nerve damage/pain and swollen feet in pain post-run. Feet feel very good tonight after my run. The base felt too narrow at first for the height of the shoe. I'm prone to roll my ankles when running on gravel that big, but had zero issues tonight even in the late stages of my run - I actually felt incredibly fresh towards the end of the run and my legs felt much less strained than compared to other shoes such as Altra, NB, Brooks.
There is no wear on the heel, but the foam has visible signs of compression. With the long-lasting shank/plate, I'll be interested in the possibly quick compressing foam is the limiting factor in the Zoom Fly shoe's lifespan.
Run: https://www.strava.com/activities/1074344241 (with photo of the shoes)
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