If you have run in both how do they compare?
I have been running in both Nike for a couple years and considering buying the Asics without trying them on first. They are not available locally.
Mark,
I recently got the Metaspeed - only one short run in them. I can talk a bit more about them when we chat this evening, but they seem as responsive as the Next% with a bit more support. My plan is to get in a longer run in them over the weekend.
formerly used Alphafly; fully committed to the Metaspeed sky now. More stable, feels as fast if not faster (I know thats a subjective thing). The more ‘normal’ shoe shape for me makes it much more comfortable and allows me to settle into running into them normally, and I feel they really compliment my mid/fore foot stride in a way that supported and accentuated the natural stride unlike the alphafly where I felt like I was teetering on the edge of control of an alien movement. (Yet again all subjective).
also significantly less blisters, easier to put on/take off, and easier transition between it and my stable of training shoes
formerly used Alphafly; fully committed to the Metaspeed sky now.
easier transition between it and my stable of training shoes
What is your “typical” training shoe?
If you have run in both how do they compare?
I have been running in both Nike for a couple years and considering buying the Asics without trying them on first. They are not available locally.
I’ve been using the ASICS Metaspeed Sky in tandem with the Nike Alphafly and the Nike Vaporfly this season. This super shoe study was the impetus:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUAMVAILM8d/
I’ve used the Metaspeed and Vaporfly more over the past few months, primarily for long runs and faster paced long intervals. I like them both, and do feel as if they save the legs from the usual beating of a marathon build. The Metaspeed feels most like a normal shoe, the Nikes feel a bit more freaky.
Further, the Alphafly feels least like a normal shoe compared to the two others, possibly due to the inclusion of the forefoot air pod, and conveys a feeling of higher stack height.
Ultimately, I think it comes down to fit. They are all expensive, but appear to be worth it from my results. The best explanation for this tier of footwear I heard from a friend in the business was this: these shoes help delay fatigue. That has been my experience. Best thing to do might be to simply try them on, see how they fit you.
Lol at Hoka being same as a regular control shoe. People keep asking about carbon shoes and forget it’s the foam, where Hoka still use ancient tech.
I have virtually all of the super shoes. No Alpha Fly because I hear them in my sleep. Those who own them will understand that statement. In my work I see a great deal more feet under duress (crushing the sole or rolling way to the inside of the bit toe) in the Vapor Fly Next % than any other shoe. That might simply be that I see more of them on a daily basis in my work. I will tell you what I told Asics about why people are switching to their shoe.
It is the closest shoe on the market to the feel of the Next %. The heel fit and overall fit on the Asics is better and the platform feels more balanced. Those two things alone make it a worthy challenger to the dominance of the Nike shoes.
I raced St George last fall in the New Balance RC Elite 2 because I felt it was the best shoes for the downhills. I have very happy with how I felt running hard down the last downhill. I raced Muscat, Oman earlier this year in the Meta Sky. I had great energy the entire run and never thought about my feet. I ran a couple days later after arriving home with no side effects.
I have not worn all the shoes but was in a similar situation to you where the super shoes just aren’t sitting in shoe shores waiting for people to come in and try them on. We have both a Nike outlet store and an Asics Outlet store 10 minutes from where I live so I checked there as well as the local running shoes stores and had no luck on any super shoe being available to try on. So I had to take a change and just order a pair.
I have been a loyal Asics runner since I got shin splints from a pair of Nike Pegasus 25 years ago. So I though the Metaspeed Sky might be the best shoe for me but with no one doing a start-up business to test people in the various super shoes to verify which one was right for them it was really just a crap shoot. I had found a few different studies on them and had seen reviews and picks from people who had run in all three. Most of the reviews said they were all good and you couldn’t go wrong so I just shopped for the best deals. I ordered a pair of Vaporfly Next% but they got lost in the mail and the next deal that came around was for Alphaflys to that is what I ended up with. My first run in them was about 6 weeks ago. It was a 13 mile marathon race pace run. 9 Miles into the run I was 15 seconds a mile ahead of my goals pace and felt that I could defiantly hold that pace for 26 miles. Then something weird happened and I started to feel like I was working against the shoes for the last 5K of my run. I was able to talk to a former pro runner sponsored by Nike and a pro triathlete at our Team Tri Camp a week later. They had worn out multiple pairs of all three shoes. They mentioned that the Nike shoes have an S shaped plate that pushed you backwards if you are a heel-toe runner but that there are other brands of carbon plated shoes that have a C shaped plate. The C shaped shoes tested really poorly in the studies I had read but a light bulb came on as to why the shoes respond so different for different people and what I had experienced in the shoes. At tempo speed and faster I strike at the mid-sole but on my long runs of more relaxed paces I strike at the heel and roll to the toe. So for the Nikes to work for me I have to be going at tempo pace or faster. At my marathon the next week my average pace was 21 sec/mi faster than my goal pace. I made sure I was never anywhere close to dropping below tempo pace. I PR’d by over 20 minutes in the Marathon and was first place overall Master. So for my first pair of Nikes in 25 years I was very happy. Note: The former pro runner at my team camp didn’t like the Metaspeed Sky. I was not surprised since he is a Nike guy. He said that the Nikes were just a better put together shoe. I think that if it had been the other way around and Asics had been his go to shoes for the past decade that he would have been saying that the Asics was the better shoe.
I ran a Marathon relay 7 days after my marathon. It was a ten man team where everyone ran 2.6 miles. I had done a 5K 6 days after a marathon once and the first 2 miles I was thinking the the run felt as good as any other 5K I had done on fresh legs. Then in the last mile that muscle damage came though and I was not fairing well the last mile. So I wondered if I would be able to get through 2.6 miles. I did my warm up in my Asics training shoes and my quads were screaming and very sore. I put the Alphafly on and the high stack height with tons of cushioning made all the pain go away. I ran that 2.6 mile run 7 days after a marathon at a pace that was 15 sec/mi faster than my PR 5K pace.
It took me three weeks to recover from my marathon but in the past week my run workouts have felt like they are back to normal. I have Duathlon Nationals in a month so I will take the Alphaflys out for a 5K race in 8 days to see how I do in them at that distance and what type of goal pace I need to set for Duathlon Nationals. I think It is going to be 15-20 sec/mi faster that what it was without a super shoe.
Sorry I don’t have a lot of information on the Vaporfly and Metaspeed. Here is what advise I have got on them 1) The Pro triathlete (former D1 runner) said that the Alphafly is her go to race shoe. She also said that she likes it for her long runs. She said that she will use the vaporfly in races with lots of sharp turns because she can accelerate out a turn better in that shoe than the Alphafly. All I have on the Metaspeed is that the former pro runner said that it was okay and he ran fine in it but that the Nike shoes were a better shoe in his opinion. The tests and reviews that I saw all had the Alphyfly as the top pick of the three but they all also said that they all were great shoes and that you couldn’t go wrong with any of them.
I had a pair of the Metaspeed Sky’s but I returned them. I agree, they felt fast, but I was between sizes. 10.5’s were a little too small and 11’s were a little too big. The upper on the 11’s was rough and tore up my big toe. If they had the fit/feel of my 10.5 Saucony Speeds and Pros I would still be in them.
I had similar issues. I went with the smaller (my correct size) and adjusted with ultra thin socks. I also set the heel of my foot into the back of the shoe with a heel tap. That seemed to do the trick. I do see how that may not work for everyone.
I currently race in HOKA Cliftons… how much benefit would one of these be for me? 5k and 10k times?
6 to 12 sec/mile
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I currently race in HOKA Cliftons… how much benefit would one of these be for me? 5k and 10k times?
I don’t know what version you have but Iused to run with Cliftons 1, 2, 3. That’s it after that, Cliftons feel heavier and not cushy anymore. You will love carbon plated shoes. You should definitely try them.
Can anyone share how the Metaspeed are sockless, especially for 70.3? I know this can depend on foot shape, but I’ve found the Endorphins very comfortable barefoot with some talc and wondering if its worth the move trying the Sky.
Sam Long said comfortable sock less running in the Asics was the reason he ran in them rather than the Vaporfly at Boulder 70.3 in 2021.
I currently race in HOKA Cliftons… how much benefit would one of these be for me? 5k and 10k times?
I don’t know what version you have but Iused to run with Cliftons 1, 2, 3. That’s it after that, Cliftons feel heavier and not cushy anymore. You will love carbon plated shoes. You should definitely try them.
I never really felt the benefit of my Alphaflys until recently. Tonight actually.
I’ve been training for an ultra in Clifton 8s, which are great. But I put the Alphaflys on tonight for a brick run and they were just magic, they finally made sense. They’re supposed to be suitable for any pace, but they definitely feel better when you’re pushing on a bit.
I think you would be guaranteed to feel a difference. They feel massively more cushioned than the Clifton 8s too, which is interesting so me the hoka are a relatively max cushioned shoe.
If you have run in both how do they compare?
I have been running in both Nike for a couple years and considering buying the Asics without trying them on first. They are not available locally.
The metaspeeds are wide! Having tried hola carbon X, Nike alpla fly, adidas Adizero pro 2, new balance. Metaspeeds by far the widest, the others.maybe being more narrow than normal shoes though, so keep that in mind! I have extremely narrow feet and could not even lace the metaspeed really
This is a good observation that at faster speeds the Alphaflys are great. But lower speeds where your foot strike may be different, there isn’t as much of an impact. Maybe it’s like having a disc wheel on the bike.
So, do you think in a Ironman marathon, the alphaflys would make much of a difference for the average athlete? A friend (Kona qualifier), went with Hoka carbon for the Ironman, said you start to use up a lot of energy bouncing up and down versus forward in the the Alphafly. I feel good in the Alphafly on longer tempo runs, but slow runs or when I get tired, they feel sort of sluggish. I thought it was the drop (4m) Vs VF / metasky (6m).
" curtish26 …At tempo speed and faster I strike at the mid-sole but on my long runs of more relaxed paces I strike at the heel and roll to the toe. So for the Nikes to work for me I have to be going at tempo pace or faster."
Check out my pro friend Renee’s carbon shoe review she’s tried them all.
https://reneekiley.com/youtube/
She like all the pro’s I know here in Australia all sold their Alphaflys not long after buying them and went back to the Next%. I personally find the Next% a bit meh and I think good for Ironmans as the cushion saves your legs for the back end of the run but I can get the 4% to work at around 4’/km pace being a heal striker and get a definite advantage at 70.3 and shorter races.
I too also almost sold my Alphafly’s when I first bought them when they just came out.
For me, they are horrible slogging along at 9:30/mile pace. However, I do like them if I’m moving along at 8:30/mile. This is because I’m more on the front of my foot. At the slower pace I think the pods act more like brakes than anything. The next%s can do the slower speeds better they will “roll” forward unlike the alphas. For this reason i will not attempt an IM in the Alphas.