Nike Alphafly 4 Preview | What to Expect

The Alphafly, the shoe that gave Nike an insurmountable lead in the supershoe arms race, and in the process became the ruler of all supershoes, is coming back with a renewed build.It has been over two years since Nike dropped the Alphafly 3. Recent years have seen other brands catch up, and even surpass Nike’s success. Adidas recently had two runners, Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha, break the elusive sub-two hour marathon barrier in the new Adios Pro EVO 3.

Has Adidas officially said “Adios” to The Swoosh? Or will “The King” Return?

Several Nike-sponsored runners have recently been seen in prototypes at major races.

Both Jacob Kiplomo, the third place finisher at the 2026 London Marathon with a time of 2:00:28, and Charles Hicks (2:04:05) at Boston were seen in Nike Prototypes.

Without an official announcement from Nike we’re left to speculate on what to expect. So let’s do just that, shall we.

We don’t yet have all the specs because much of this is leaked information, but you know as soon as we do we will be back with our complete review!

Alphafly 4 Upper

If we start with the upper, it appears Nike is still using their trusted Atomknit material for the upper. Atomknit is a very airy and breathable upper material. Earlier versions relied on external “padded” strips for structure and stability, but they added weight.

Promotional images appear to show the same structural layout, with one difference.

Images appear to show an almost translucent upper, meaning weight savings are a priority, especially since the aforementioned Adios Pro EVO 3 is by far the lightest supershoe ever. This will also likely mean durability may take a hit. But on the plus side, even during the hottest days your feet will likely stay cool.

Past version have had a sock-like fit, and version 4 appears no different.

Alphafly 4 Midsole

This is where most of the magic is, especially in racing shoes. Most people think it’s the carbon plate, but it’s actually the foam creating that energy savings and speed.

Nike’s PEBAX-based ZoomX was the gold standard for several years. Since its inception other materials have hit the scene and given ZoomX a run for its money. In some cases, and especially depending on preference, materials such as TPEE and aTPU have left PEBAX in the dust.

Images can be misleading, however. While available images show the wrinkled midsole that is a defining characteristic of PEBA, we won’t know for sure until Nike puts out something official.

The geometry looks different than in years prior. Nike looks to be taking a page from Mizuno’s book, in adding more midsole foam between the 75% and 12% markers to skirt the World Athletic limit of 40 millimeters under the heel.

This would put more ground protection between the foot and the ground, and potentially even more between the foot and the propulsive Air Zoom pods.

Despite the tape on the side of the midsole, it’s pretty obvious the tape is covering up Nike’s signature Air Zoom pods under the forefoot. Between the first and second (and third versions) Nike added ZoomX foam between the pods and the strobel board for added comfort and bounce.

Additionally this extra foam under the forefoot would mean a return to a lower drop of 4 to 5 millimeters, as was the case with the original Alphafly.

Alphafly 4 What’s The Same and What’s Changing

Nike signature and aggressive Flyplate looks to remain the same, mostly. Promo images show the midsole foam extending a few millimeters beyond the toe box, similar to what Puma did with the Fast-R Nitro.

It true, this could potentially add more pop at toe off from a shoe that is already plenty aggressive.

Gaining traction?

Outsole images are scarce, but one promotional image showed the imprint of the outsole in the dirt. The two small heel strips are still a thing, as well as a big rubber patch under the forefoot. The mid foot shows evidence of a big cutout, possibly bigger than the last couple versions, meaning Nike is really doing whatever they can to cut weight in version 4. Further evidence can be seen with the additional cutout in the forefoot.

What does this all mean?

No one outside of the testers, developers, and product team members at Nike really know. With everything available to us at this time we can expect a bigger, better, lighter, and hopefully faster Alphafly possibly dropping in time for Fall Marathon season.

We could possibly see the Alphafly become a shoe more like the original, which was more unstable but extremely fast. Nike made the decision to democratize their top of the line racer. Versions 2 and 3 saw a tamed, almost domesticated Alphafly.

Runners who loved the unchecked aggression of the OG Alphafly were let down by version 2, while version 3 bridged the gap between the two. We’ve tested them all and it seems to come down to personal preference, which means now we can’t wait to give a few folks the chance to test the 4. Nike Alphafly 3 vs Alphafly 2

Will Nike, especially given what we’re seeing in the supershoe arms race, make their next Alphafly the one to reclaim the throne?

This could mean it’s no longer a supershoe for the everyday runner, save for those with immaculate strength and mechanics. And it could also mean something like the Vaporfly or Zoom Fly step into the role of the Alphafly of recent years. And that might not be so bad at all.

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