Nike is introducing the Apex, its most advanced marathon racing shoe yet, combining a whopping four Air Zoom units, a new ZoomX LT foam, a modified carbon fiber Flyplate, and Flyknit X upper into what the brand calls its most efficient racing system to date.
Performance running is in the midst of an even tighter innovation arms race, with brands fighting for milliseconds, marathon podiums, and increasingly sophisticated technology. adidas has plenty of evidence to claim its own place atop the category, from a run of dominant podium finishes to recently introducing footwear that can quite literally shift gears.
But Nike has history and pedigree on its side. The brand created the blueprint for the modern “super shoe,” fundamentally changing distance running in the process. Nearly a decade later, Apex represents Nike’s attempt to redefine the category it helped create.
The numbers laid out by Nike suggest this isn’t merely an Alphafly successor. According to brand, Apex delivers up to 40% more energy return than the Alphafly 3 while weighing more than 10% less in a men’s size 10. That’s significant enough to put the Apex in its own super-super-shoe tier.
At the center is a radical Air Zoom configuration featuring four units arranged in two stacked pairs at the forefoot, which is the most Air Nike has ever placed there in a running shoe. The system works alongside new ZoomX LT, a race-specific foam that’s softer, lighter, and returns more energy than ZoomX.
Above it sits a redesigned inverse-wave carbon fiber Flyplate engineered to direct loading into the Air units while aiding propulsion and stability. The Apex also introduces an unusual zero-drop geometry, reaching the 40mm maximum permitted under current racing regulations at both the heel and forefoot. Nike trims weight elsewhere through a sock liner-free Flyknit X upper and strategically placed GOATEK and Fast Shot outsole. It’s a lot of new tech and terminology that we suspect will be mainstays in the brand’s top-of-the-line footwear.
For all the technology packed inside, the larger statement is clear: Nike created the modern super-shoe arms race and with the Apex, it wants to raise the stakes again. Find these in stores in January 2027.
