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An Early Look at the Nike Vaporfly 3 Supershoe

This article originally appeared on Triathlete

If running shoes had a king, the Nike Vaporfly would wear the crown. When it debuted in 2016, it created a new class of racer, the supershoe, which quickly made all other racing shoes obsolete. Supershoes' ability to enhance running economy caused world, national, and personal records to fall faster than a neatly organized string of dominos.

Like all monarchs, however, there comes a time when the current ruler must step down to usher in a successor. The first heir to the original Vaporfly 4% was the Next%, which shared the essential DNA but had a different build, with 15% more ZoomX foam underfoot and three millimeters less heel-toe drop. The second version of the Next% only introduced a refined upper. But the Vaporfy 3's accession to the throne promises more substantial changes.

When a running shoe develops a loyal, cult-like following, change is not taken lightly. We saw this when Nike updated the beloved Alphafly last season. Significant changes to Alphafly, specifically the increased heel-to-toe drop, were received with mixed feelings. The changes to the Vaporfly, however, appear less drastic than those made to the Alphafly. According to Nike, here's what's new and what's the same.

RELATED: Ask A Gear Guru: Should I Buy Supershoes?

A low shot of the Nike Vaporfly 3, reviewed for this article
(Photo: Courtesy Nike)

Nike Vaporfly 3 Review: What's different

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