The Shoe That Could Make a Sub-Two-Hour Marathon Possible | WIRED

Meet the Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4%. It's the shoe Nike claims can make any runner 4% more efficient. The company is trying to prove this by attempting to break the last barrier in running: a sub-two-hour marathon.
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The Shoe That Could Make a Sub-Two-Hour Marathon Possible | WIRED

[@mcmangoofficial5336]

Here after Kipchoge's 1:59:40. Anyone else?

[@Huuntedd]

My light up sketchers make me go fast

[@Music-bj6gl]

John D'Orso actually its proven green timbs make you go 1000% faster.... science

[@dho]

funny actually bc the new skechers performance running shoes are actually really fucking good, lots of people run and race in them now

[@PrinceThe8th]

+Zadius895 it is a shame people look over Sketchers performance. I train in Brooks and Hooka but wear Sketchers on race day! they are amazing

[@dho]

there's kind of a cult following for skechers performance shoes now. i think they're bringing back validity to the brand by sponsoring the LA marathon. they're not the end all be all running shoe but they have a lot of pretty awesome shoes right now.

[@Ronsclassicphotography]

PrinceThe8th I had read somewhere that they had a former Nike person that was working for them , do you know if there is any truth to that ? I believe that it was in one of my old runners world Magazine!!

[@user-kd4mi8xb7p]

People saying certain shoes can't make you faster obviously haven't ran before. Take a look at track spikes, they allow you to run faster since they grip the track surface. Try running with heavier shoes for a long distance. I can tell you it's harder opposed to running with lighter shoes.

[@GaminGusTav]

El Blanco its about the percentage that Nike claims. Its bullshit.

[@jackbignell5392]

chr1s it's really not feeling

[@holyrope9182]

Nike is a shit brand for running. They suck. They fall apart and are horrible for your ankles.

[@damiansconberg4715]

HolyRope plus they look fucking boring

[@kingmars8817]

@@holyrope9182 i bet you dont even run

[@arthurmelnik1824]

Who else is here after seeing that he broke the record.

[@JoeCnNd]

Did he do it in these shoes?

[@JoeCnNd]

nice!

[@olivernovotny3856]

ProRed Bull no he didnt...the shoes he wore in Vienna are still unreleased and are an iteration of the Vaporflyes Next%

[@aniketjain2610]

He had people in front of him to block air

[@Tomas-sm9sn]

are you dumb? literaly everyone will come here after the event happened how could someone watch this before it happened you are stupid af

[@noahnoahnoahnoahnoah7576]

I heard if you wear your crocs backwards you can go sub 1 hour.

[@connor6703]

flarfo or in adventure mode

[@kejorafall]

+4% SPD

[@averageinternetchad1652]

kejorafall 100 like

[@benebeck5628]

Haha eher -4% SPD

[@noel.friedrich]

Haha eher -12% SPD

[@benebeck5628]

@@noel.friedrich Ja hast recht

[@2394098234509]

You know it's legit when he says "scientifical"

[@harrylo8558]

Lmao! Where

[@2394098234509]

Harry Lo 0:17

[@childpleaz85]

What is your point? Scientifical is a real word, but it's not commonly used.

[@satellite3253]

I call bs it's all about mentality

[@Regularboy89]

DaSo .

[@Extra_Mental]

A car can make a runner more than 4% faster

[@abrahamreyes1389]

Extra Mental I had to like can't be lieaving it at that number of likes

[@Extra_Mental]

Random Guy I don't run and I drive everywhere, im not fat

[@taimen6778]

Extra Mental than you get a driver and not a runner

[@eriksvensson2098]

well, if you give a runner a grip in the back of the car so he could use the cars speed to increase his own than yes a runner could very likely be over 4% faster due to a car

[@anjopag31]

+ulizinho *whoosh*

[@billnye191]

so if i were to wear 1,656,384 pairs, i would run %6,625,536 faster

[@anthonykessler5863]

nice marth

[@monkeyisveryasian8498]

nice sppeling

[@eggyoshi1379]

It’s Bill guys

[@DANIEL-ls5ku]

Nerd on the loose...

[@alexterrieur8834]

Quicks maffs

[@exomonxt]

Adias About to make a shoe that makes you 5% faster

[@mochageico]

loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool

[@juddy1487]

Yea and I'm about to make a 100% faster shoes so I can beat usain bolt

[@paulwhite8493]

Adias is way more faster than Nike and adidas

[@SupermotoNL]

Black Dot most underrated comment

[@paulwhite8493]

Space Cowboy yea and Adias is a underrated brand

[@carollai64]

If they break 2 hours, it will not be recognized as a world record due to the fact that they did not run in one of the certified races.

[@FERTUHG]

Carol Lai they are doing that race for publicity, not to break some record and it works from what I see.

[@mefnow]

thats racist

[@jacksillivan6138]

yeah, seems like cherry picking the conditions and adding a placebo effect to boot to me. As a runner, I'll have a hard time legitimizing whatever times they pull, good or bad. No disrespect to the runners, just Nike and their shoes that fall apart before mile 20.

[@jeremypitts8778]

mefnow it's just not racist

[@sidfarkas5586]

It's essentially a track race. Distance running has both road and track records. So it could be recognized as a track marathon record, which probably has been run before by some idiots who felt like running 105 times around a track.

[@eastonnida8213]

Why are you guys complaining? I thought his was cool and they're not saying the shoes will make you flash. They are trying to beat a record and the shoes look to be a major part in that, these shoes are literally amazing

[@ellisonbrenda1289]

baby steps of progress. I think it's great!

[@eastonnida8213]

***** ok 😂

[@eastonnida8213]

***** of course they are gonna make a difference, try running with bricks in your feet and that's gonna make a difference. I'm not saying he shoes are gonna make a huge difference in saying what they are doing is amazing

[@since4everrr]

Attack Helicopter what's cool is that these shoes just shattered the record

[@satellite3253]

I call total bs it's all about mentality

[@SMBBM92]

Are Nike trainers good? Here are some Nike employees to tell you yes.

[@robinsss]

ooops

[@allanklein4014]

Which one is good

[@ziva6245]

I heard this story the guy was 2 seconds late I felt so so so sorry for him as I am a runner so I understand how it feels to be off your goal by only a few seconds. Never tried a marathon but I have done triathlons and I was 4.32 seconds off my target and i was so upset. A week ago I done a 5km I tried for 19 mins but got 20. I was sad, but I done another 5km yesterday and reminded myself if my time, so I pushed harder and got 19 mins and 5 seconds. I was so happy!!.. It teaches you to keep going, keep reaching and keep striving for your goal. Let this be a reminder, keep trying and you will succeed

[@VolvoOceanRacer]

Eliud was 25 seconds over the 2 hour goal. There is a very nice National Geographic documentary here on YT. Cheers!

[@danieladshead9867]

Z I V A well said , also it’s important as we get older to remember that something is more important than time. The sheer pleasure in running 🏃 just being outside, slow or fast , just running with the wind 😀👍

[@duor277]

you need to keep trying and buy the latest edition of running shoe. :)

[@edwardbristow2276]

Z I V A *

[@willfranklin1327]

Z I V A I

[@jackcoburn787]

The video said that this shoe wasn't on the market, yet people still call this marketing bullshit.

[@jacksillivan6138]

Perhaps they mean for the Nike brand in general.

[@IceX92]

Jack Coburn Because they will sell it later on

[@jackbignell5392]

Icex Aoki no they wont

[@williamnavarro5526]

Jack bignell yes they will, look at the Nike website

[@joshjohnson602]

Jack bignell guess what there selling them

[@bdhjzbcdhz971]

I wore this during a race and I did something wrong, I slowed down by 4% and I lost the race. Thanks a lot

[@shinobieuc]

Ur suppose to put 1 foot in front of the other

[@evanyoung6993]

Nike shoes are garbage for running

[@nick5422]

@@evanyoung6993 if you’re slow, they certainly are.

[@DBCOOPER888]

If they wanted to break the record without regard for actual race conditions they should have just found a downhill course and used trampoline shoes.

[@jasonc4742]

that's a *lot* of trampolines for a marathon

[@scottdepue2405]

lol no not trampolines all the way down the course. I mean shoes that give a trampoline bouncing effect that are banned in actual races.

[@shawtyshorts]

i think their point is sort of like: this shoe makes you faster, we want to give you proof

[@dilly2047]

Find a 20km downhill couse haha. It wouldnt be possible unfortunatly but good thinking.

[@rooiboquality6603]

Running downhill is much worse than running on a more flat surface, otherwise you can really hurt yourself. I say that for if you want to start running.

[@crayzk0]

It's 2018 and the old record still stands.

[@frank4page]

"The *'Nike'* Shoe That Could Make a Runner 4% Faster"

[@sean3578]

its actually a nice fucking shoe.

[@Logicrupted]

Who's here after eliud broke the 2h barrier?

[@SKYBRITE27]

All I know is PF Flyers promised they would make me run faster and jump higher...which I did over the next couple years.I was 12yo and growing fast at that time,which may have been a critical factor

[@cmil432a]

my pumped up kicks make me run 1,000,000% faster

[@Eniramos619]

%4 doesn't sound like a lot but seriously feels like that with the cushion, support & all

[@dushyant1728]

These shoes: I am the fastest spikes: hold my beer!

[@simonebonfanti3983]

I saw them today in Monza... Half a marathon in 59'41'' Crazy !!

[@aruneshraina]

Eliud Just broke the barrier of 2 hour by running the marathon in 1 hour 59 minutes and 40 seconds

[@MrChronicpayne]

The interesting thing here is now that metal plates and probably more things to come are going to be in running shoes, where do the Olympics and professional events draw the line with what's legal, and whats considered a performance enhancing tool.

[@frostbite7955]

This was filmed a few months ago. The 2 hr marathon has already been broken

[@rajdehoo6993]

Kipchoge 2 hr 25 seconds

[@shikanyota]

Bull

[@clqliveson]

To all the idiots saying shoes are irrelevent and blablabla. Just go to a running store. Just try on a pair of expensive (higher quality) shoes and you'll see the difference right away. But dont buy em obviously

[@xRawp]

well, running 4% faster wouldn't make that big a differnce, would it? they still need to run at least 21,09 km/h and they can do that already, the problem isn't the speed, the problem is to keep that speed for 2 hours, so 4% more speed wouldn't make it any easier, they would still have to run at least 21,09 km/h for 2 hours

[@KevinTheVegan]

4% more efficient means a 4% energy saving which can help you sustain speed for long times

[@dragade101]

I think we need to talk about cutting off legs next. You know, the proper augmentation to enable their gate to be hyper fast. Think cheetah fast, just on 2 legs though. (Not saying this would double the human's speed but possibly give the few added differences to gain even a 5 to 40 minute improvement to the 2hrs they are competing against.) Of course this is all voluntary or aiding people who had life changing events brought upon them, war/accident/etc.

[@ciclopropano]

It is 4% faster compared to what? compared to other shoes, if that is the case, which shoes? or compared to barefoot?

[@johnbarthalameuwhaler]

Adela Covarrubias A. The shoes are supposed to make runners 4% more efficient. According to Nike, if they become that much more efficient, they can break the record.

[@superasim101]

Where to buy it?

[@TheVoNation]

Nike's wear is fucking overpiced as shit smh

[@jackbignell5392]

DjX Vosun maybe because it makes you run 4% faster

[@ethan9553]

could the foam be better than boost? in terms of comfort

[@akihitoserection3621]

I wear thirty pairs, and double my speed.

[@KZ-hu9uj]

He just reached a 2:00:23 marathon. Its so incredibly close they must reach it this year

[@ameerbashar5887]

Who's here after Kipchoge's sub 2-hour marathon?

[@durianriders]

the shoes are legit. The truth is you are NOT running these times unless you on some serious EPO etc.

[@Oxyleya]

Yeah boost is still better

[@jcrc6918]

Leominos boost is okay.

[@jasur4578]

Leominos not for running tho

[@tyzxcj34]

Interesting. Thanks Wired journalists for sharing this.

[@AZREDFERN]

Why not just try 4% harder?

[@TheNormanmurk]

Since I was a teen playing soccer I always said if they manufacture custom shoes for the individual and to the specific use you can definitely increase the athletes performance through the shoe alone. I can always see the answer to these problems because of the way I think. Most people can't so when I explain things to people they don't understand. They believe you need experience in Every thing to know about it. I don't. I can solve everyday problems including business related and sort out issues like you'd find in a courtroom w ease. I'm for hire.

[@makeyoumoved8532]

Who needs running shoes when u can run with slippers

[@_p3539]

I need this shoes but not getting .who is retailer and where.

[@lachlanvanzyl1679]

Who is here AFTER THE 2 HOUR MARATHON RECORD WAS BROKEN

[@gmjacinto630]

Anyone know when the race will happen?

[@drawn6927]

Two words, one name... Barry Allen

[@nickwhereyouat]

Where can i show you my drawing of the Nike Vapor Fly Elite 4

[@James-zu1ij]

These could actually prevent a 2 hour marathon. Anything which alters the biomechanics of the foot or dissipates energy will be detrimental. The foot is a complicated spring. You just need thin soled light shoes which protect you from the road.

[@codiserville593]

James This guy knows

[@saneelahaseeb8375]

True!

[@kooyis]

Basically a Hoka One One shoe with a swoosh on it. Look up any Hoka One One shoe online and I 100% guarantee you the Hokas are better than these. The specific model is the Bondi 5. Feel really cushiony and I can go running for hours non-stop in them. They may look ugly, but they 100% perform the same at a cheaper price.

[@ozzy7751]

He misses it by 23 secounds

[@leoalmendarez9167]

The ráramuri people of Mexico can run up up to 400 miles non stop,in fiber sandals or the more common style, barefoot. They don't have as many problems with their feet as you would think. No collapsing of heels and etc.

[@tyler77x11]

They have scientifical foam people FOAM

[@User-rq4id]

What foam does the shoe have?

[@Deezissus250]

If shoes that allow you to go 4% faster are legal might as well allow rocket skates

[@ewanlorimer1152]

Where can I get these and how much does it cost

[@JustStayPositive27]

He's trying so hard not to say they have ultraboost in the heel

[@superinggoneil]

this is very effective, i used this to my wife and she is now pregnant.. thnaks nike..

[@Chrissummerill]

I think it's more likely the EPO and steroids that will get them under 2hrs

[@SubodhKhanal]

He did it!

[@joshv8509]

I'm getting a pair of these.

[@PoetWithPace]

its not the shoe that makes us faster, its attitude and training....simples!

[@stevensseagull]

Rain drops, drop tops, sweatshops :(

[@kole_spencer1174]

where can I get these

[@HelloDeluxeCombo]

I can’t even run for 2 hours

[@janiecechan2078]

I cant even run for an hour

[@benh.5213]

UB 19’s are great as well

[@Digitaldelboy]

I smell BS

[@jjthan8772]

Did you not watch the video? They said the specially fitted shoes wouldn't be in stores...

[@ahmadsoliman9919]

These shoes are so sick especially for a very high level avid runner my self, also my boy Eliud Kipchoge

[@Rcnln1]

Getting my ass chased makes me go faster...

[@RichAveClothing]

What are the ones with the collar called

[@capri4682]

AM FAST AS FUCK BOI

[@elijourolmon3996]

These are some hardcore athletes

[@abdikhaliq.yussuf]

Bare foot is the best no need for all this expensive boots.

[@_hector__]

Neighbor I would if the floor is flat and clean

[@savannajmaddin5050]

then run circles in a gymnasium

[@팩맨-h9m]

Is this on sale? If it weren`t, could someone can advice me to get that or similar one?

[@DonLibero]

its called vehicles

[@justinsmith7744]

I see you workout. Its called forklifts

[@rainingpirate409]

*Not sponsored*

[@unextro]

Yeah, sure, the best scientific term... "magic". What a marketing bullshit. -> *Unsubscribe*

[@karigrandii]

Ondřej Pokorný wow chill tf out.

[@nelumbonucifera7537]

I believe he said "scientifical".

[@meremortal4416]

wired isnt marketing this, plus that man who said this, "Matthew Nurse" litterally in the beginning of this video, is the Nike sports research lad director, he's no marketing manager. You could've easily solved your conumdrum within the first 20 seconds of this video you fool

[@unextro]

Mere Mortal​​ You're so not ready for today's world it'd almost be cute if it didn't cause Trumps, Brexits etc. You have no idea how marketing/PR works, do you? Anyway, bullshit is bullshit no matter who said it or what title Nike gave them.

[@meremortal4416]

I have got no clue about how marketing or pr works but i do know the facts, your statement was false, and by the way you realize theirs no marketing at play here right? They said these will not hit shelves, its merely an experiment.

[@actionbraxton]

Eliud Kipchoge came close to the goal, finishing in 2:00:25. Shave a second off each mile and he & Nike will shake up the world.

[@gh7213]

Assuming these work, there's no way these would be legal. This is a marketing opportunity for Nike.

[@sidfarkas5586]

Yes, it would be like those swim suit records in the Olympics, but I don't know how these shoes could possibly help. I would think striking the surface as solidly as possible would be the most efficient way to run, so in the past most runners have used a minimal racing flat that just protects their feet from abrasion.

[@__-ali-__1889]

VeganAF Prototype just like the adidas predator, 0% fair, 100% legal

[@MilanSmore]

Guess again

[@thenarrator1921]

Look at how many people are saying this is an ad. I mean, the name Nike just really stands up for itself when they do things like these. It's like saying Porsche is advertising their LMP's.

[@gentjanh8581]

My neighboor dog made me run 100% faster

[@devmathur5003]

Found you

[@devmathur5003]

Saw the video on you you do have some determination 😀

[@gentjanh8581]

@@devmathur5003 yepp

[@devmathur5003]

@@gentjanh8581 i was playing with a peahen baby once and it's mother started chasing me i ran in circles till the peahen left me The adrenaline helped me run fast i can't run that fast normally What if all track atheletes had a dog chasing them. We would see many world records shattered. P.s we have a lot in common😀

[@2gyi718]

1:16 wow wtf names across different languages are awesome

[@rotatorcuff3036]

The shoes don’t make you 4% faster, it makes you 4% more efficient at running.

[@jackmaguire8303]

Ok where do you get them

[@bigstunna2049]

adidas boost > Nike tech

[@bigstunna2049]

Justin Lao I agree it's probably better for basketball but I personally like running in boost for cross country compared to Nike cross country sneakers

[@ikeikeforty]

both are terrible shoes with almost no support. Asics and Brooks are better.

[@skoobdoob5660]

Asics are the best for cross country

[@bigstunna2049]

Skoob Doob they are the best but personally I fit better in adidas xc shoes

[@cadenrobl473]

boost tech by adidas has already added a 1% reduction in energy use and it feels like 50% over long distance so im interested to see what these can do or if theyre bull shit.

[@mvrts]

Ssssseeeelllouuuutt, ccllllllliiickbait

[@dvr2474]

mvrts aaarrreee yyyooouuu eeeveeen aaa nnnooorrrmmmaaalll hhhuuummmaaannn bbbeeeiiinnnggg???

[@flamingfuel5232]

DeadpoolClone b

[@Enixooo]

DeadpoolClone L

[@theonlyaveragetroll]

Some people say 4% isn't that much, but when you're going up from 0% it's quite a jump.

[@Labbestuss]

How about Nike pay they factory workers a decent wage and support them, instead of this marketing bullshit. Makes me sick!

[@1301407gl]

yeah no large manifactuore pays their workers decently

[@willy6245]

Do you like paying 200$ for basic running shoes? Didn't think so. Stfu and realize the world doesn't work the way you want it to. If everyone got payed equally across all countries, things would be so expensive you couldn't buy anything. Commie

[@daivdninjabiomech7888]

marketing helps sell more

[@DaSmiffsta]

There's capitalism, which I'm all for, then there's people like you. Do you honestly believe that the people that work in the factories are only worth the few dollars that they are paid a day? Nike's marketing budget is $804 million annually, following them increasing the budget by 10% last year. If, rather than increasing the budget for marketing, they had invested the $70 million (ish) into their workers in their factories, it could have a huge proportional effect on their wages. They didn't seem to be struggling on the previous budget, did they? Also if you had any awareness, you may have realised that productivity increases with increases in wages. If you don't believe me, Google "efficiency wage argument," so the effects these wage increases have on prices may have been even smaller than you make them out to be. All I'm saying is that if rather than greedy western multinationals investing all their money back into making commercial after commercial, they spent a little bit on their workers who are right on the breadline, it wouldn't have the effect of basic shoes costing $200 dollars which I'm guessing you just made up as it sounded like a nice big round number. I bet you voted for Trump.

[@dollarsignmo2421]

I'm pretty sure if they earn money from the marketing they would have more money to pay their workers

[@OiTzAsian247]

The record is now 2:00:25. Absolutely ridiculous...

[@moidhassan5552]

Imagine USAIN BOLT with THESE. He will dominate the olympics like never before.

[@moidhassan5552]

Thumbs up for USAIN BOLT.

[@Awesomeless]

there is a vast differences between a sprint and a marathon

[@karigrandii]

Moid Hassan last time i checked Bolt doesnt run marathons

[@swarlos1375]

Doesn't work like that cause hes a sprinter and sprinters use sprint spikes for more traction and speed so these would actually just make him slower

[@aarond9563]

These are built for long distance running.

[@Krebzonide]

I was watching this thinking "hmm they must be trying to beat that 2 hour marathon thing from a few months ago" but then they said the old record was 2:02:57 which I thought was faster then they showed the same people I saw in the last one even though 1 of them failed terribly but they I looked at when it was published and it was 8 months ago so now I understand.

[@holyrope9182]

Anyone that runs knows to not run in Nike. It's common sense.

[@_hector__]

HolyRope Whys that

[@thebeatlesrule234]

Calabi-Yau Manifold in my experience nike shoes suck. Maybe it's my feet or something but they are so uncomfortable and heavy and I get more injuries with nike then with saucony or Asics

[@_hector__]

Sounds reasonable

[@maeveconneely2203]

So true I got shin splints in nikes for the first time

[@hozay6552]

Owned two Nike shoes. Both were terrible and expensive. At least their spikes are good. =o

[@tyomias6906]

I think these shoes are also based on an illusion effect. When runners think the shoe can make them run faster they actually run faster without the shoe having an actual effect.

[@MightyKathulu]

lmao this is just boost with a carbon fiber plate

[@grantallen582]

Mozzi Fozzi which is actually better

[@a48717]

No

[@theroaster3702]

Mozzi Fozzi this isn't even close to boost but I guess

[@woah4843]

The Nike shoe is better for running then boost

[@confusedwhale]

This is saying that there is a physical limit, but even though there is a limit, with technology humans can surpass those limits... Just like I can finish a marathon distance in half an hour by running my car. It's amazing what technology can do.

[@mimeyman80]

UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YOU'VE CLEARLY NEVER HEARD OF ULTRA BOOST, THAT IS WAYYYYYYYYYYYY BETTER

[@garrettmain3712]

Or, you know, Hoka One One anything.

[@mimeyman80]

uhhhhhhhhhhhh I dont see boost there

[@garrettmain3712]

Mimey Man it's alright bud. It's over your head.

[@Skarth77]

Actually the foam in these shoes has been directly compared to ultra boosts, and in their tests this particular Nike foam did perform better in terms of energy efficiency. Granted, neither of us have seen or tried this new nike foam, so we have no way to compare the two. So how about you chill out, hype beast

[@mimeyman80]

Skarth they could be either lying or stretching the truth too, and, I'm not a hypebeast, I just really like oh it's teddy, and there's nothing wrong with being a hype beast in the first place

[@Chopwoodcarrywater]

"...but they're the difference between what is and isn't humanly possible." That's good writing!