Nike Vaporfly 4 Preview | Streamlined Race Line Up

Last Updated on January 10, 2025 by Amanda Brooks

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Not be confused with the originally named Nike Vaporfly 4%, this is the 4th iteration of that shoe and hence V4. The original name came from the idea that it helped you take 4% off your race time, based on testing with their elite athletes.

Nike Vaporfly 4 Preview — Images courtesy of Sneaker News

The Vaporfly has been a controversial shoe since it’s inception. Meaning that for each version there has been a 50/50 split of those who LOVE the new changes and those who prefer the previous model. What no one has been able to deny is they are a speedy shoe.

So will the Vaporfly 4 delight more or less than the average??

Specifications

Here’s what we know about the nitty gritty of the shoe. As soon as we receive them for testing, you’ll get a complete review with any updates to weight or colorways!

Heel Drop: 8 mm
Stack: 40 mm
Weight: 6.7 oz men’s size 10
Unisex sizing
$260
Available April 2025

Read our current full review of the Nike Vaporfly 3 >>>

And checkout our comparison of the Alphafly vs Vaporfly to know which is right for you.

What’s New and Different in the Nike Vaporfly 4

Nike has been doing a 2 year cycle of releases for these top end shoes, which we love to think means they’ve just been toiling away in the labs to find little tricks to make us faster than ever.

We know the stack can’t get any higher or it becomes an illegal race shoe for anyone attempting to win, which means the changes have to be in the design of the plate and possibly shifting the foam a little bit.

The text on the heel of the Vaporfly 4 Prototype seen at the Hakone Ekiden race in Japan in January, seems to indicate an April release date. As that approaches we’ll likely get even more specs from Nike to fully understand what the team has been up to in the design.

It’s about 10 grams lighter than previous versions
Heel is a little less extended than Vaporfly 3
Lacing appears to be along the top of the foot rather than slightly offset in the Vaporfly 3
Heel tab folds down, so if you don’t want it to extend as high up
Additional eyelet at top for lacing options and locked in fit
Upper looks to be smoother, will be interested to see how stiff or flexible it feels
Front outsole rubber looks like it may provide more traction (the outsole really needs some durability help, so we have our fingers crossed that was addressed)

You can see the racing line up is all taking on the same shape if you look at the Alphafly 3, Vaporfly 4 and Zoomfly 6.

We recently reviewed the Nike Zoomfly 6 which is technically a super trainer, but we find it’s a great middle of the pack racing shoe.

Comparing Vaporfly 4 to Alphafly

A few folks have called it a mini Alphafly.

We hope that’s not the case, as we liked that the 2 shoes were so different. But I guess we’ll all find out in a few months!

Who is This For?

If you liked the Vaporfly 3, well as we’ve said it’s really going to be a 50/50 shot if you like the 4. Once we slide our feet in to it we’ll give you more details to decide!

Wide Feet: Nope
Heavier Runners: Not a lot of stability
Long Runs: We still think the Vaporfly is generally for 13.1 and under, but some will use it for a marathon
Front of the Pack: 100% this is for the speedy runners

What do you think?

Are you excited? How do you feel about Nike distance running shoes? Have you tried them?