The Vaporfly is not as narrow as the Alphafly. I had the exact same experience as you. I loved the AF's and PR'd in a half-marathon, but they killed my feet. Ended up selling them and getting the Vaporfly Next %2's.

Look at the Brooks Hyperion Elite's also. I used them for a season and liked them.

From published lit, the Alphafly, Next% and MetaSpeed Sky are the top tier, then all others are couple % lower in terms of economy. That doesn't necessarily translate to % increase in speed. From listening to a few podcasts with the guy who did a recent study, he said at faster speeds the gains are something like 2/3 of the % economy, so 3% economy gain would translate to 2% speed gain.

I'm saying this because you don't want to just go grab some other carbon plated 'super shoe,' because, thus far, not all are created equally. I can't speak to the Alphafly, but have had good results with the Next%.

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I had the same issue with the AF vs. Next%. Which sucked since I loved the AF upper. Was actually thinking about taking a pair of the AF and sole swapping the Next% bottoms. I got a pair of the Next% 2 and think the upper is the same so for me that seems like the perfect combo. I would go with the Next%2 and you should be good to go.

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If you like the Flyknit upper it looks like you can customize the Vaporfly NEXT% 2 and change the upper material.

I have both but they didn't bother my feet. I didn't feel both of them particularly narrow and I guess my feet are not that wide. My calves don't hurt that much if I wear Alphafly but Next% makes my calves hurt so bad next day. I think drop is slight different, so I have to use more calf muscle when I wear Next%? I do have Metaspeed Sky and they are not up there with Alphafly for sure. Metaspeed Sky is more comparable to 4%. Endorphin Pros are super comfortable to walk and run around, but they give you less springy feel compared to other carbon plated shoes.

I have looked at those when they are actually available but the VF isn't Flyknit it's Atomic knit. Is that the same on the customized ones? I like the Atomic Knit more than fly knit. But the upper of the Next% 2 seems very similar from the one time I tried on the shoes.

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The customizable Vaporfly gives you the option to choose Flyknit, at least that's all the description says. I really hated the tongue on the older Alphafly's and debate about getting the Vaporfly with the Flyknit upper, or the Alphafly. I'm fairly disappointed in the Hoka Carbon X2 and want something a bit more "super" than my Endorphin Speed 2.

Got ya. The Next%2 might be good for you. I love the Next% but the upper is not my favorite. Doesn't seem to have any give where as fly knit does have that and I hope the Next%2 have that same give too.

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Just listened to an episode of the scientific triathlon podcast that had someone on who tested super shoes & found that the Alphafly's, Vaporfly's, & Metaspeed Sky tested the best by a considerable margin. I would focus there.

How often are you wearing super shoes? I just do workouts & racing in them. Feel like any foot problems I would be getting would be exacerbated in a traditional flat. But I'm wearing regular trainers for easy runs & most long runs. Maybe cut back how many miles you run in them if that's an issue.

Was the adidas adizero adios pro 1 or 2 in this study? Just curious

no, none adidas shoes in the study