On Wednesday at around 4:00pm Nike released invites for a Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite Flyprint experience for the next day. As well all know the Nike App is rubbish, and my app wouldn't load the page to book an appoiment. I contacted NikeUK on twitter who replied that all places were taken but gave me a website page to go on to check if any possible openings came up if someone dropped out. I spent the next day checking the web page every 15 minutes, and by 3:00pm I got luckly. Someone had missed their time to get a size UK9. I'm a size UK10, but I hoped that they might have a UK10 left.
When I got to the entrance to the store (it was shut for an event happening later that evening), there was a bit of confusion as both me and another guy (nice bloke who is aiming to go sub 2:45 at London at the weekend) were not on the list for the shoes, but after showing our confirmation emails we were allowed in and treated like royalty. We were greated by a group of ten people, including four head designers of the shoe .Before reciving my pair to try on, the designers went through the shoes... will they would have but my knowledge and just pure excitement of the shoes fascinated them. One of them said they had wished they could have filmed my reaction. I also got very lucky as the other guy there to pick up a pair reserved a size UK10 but was a size UK11, and they had a size UK11 for him so I got his size UK10.
After having a great chat with the designers, I got to tried on the shoes. My first reaction was that I had worn them for years (A designer who works with Kipchoge noted that my feet is shaped just like Kipchouge and so my feet fit just like his in the shoe). They are like a glove for my feet.. it feels amazing. Also you can't show in pictures how the shoe and graphics changes in colour between red and green due to the flyprint. They look much better in person. The designers warned me on durability (they are built just for race day), but that Kipchouge had done 200km on a pair.
Both the designers and Nike UK recruitment both asked for my contact details. I was also given the same singlet Mo Farrah is using at the London Marathon on the weekend. The shoes cost me £500 ($700), but the experience was priceless. Nike know how to put on a show.
Some interesting facts:
One difference that the elites have from the 4% is that the insole/sock-liner is also made from ZoomX.
The carbon fiber plate used in the Vaporfly series is made up of layers of carbon fiber. During tesing there was a ton of atheltes using different layers due to it making the shoe stiffer or softer. The final plate is made up of the avearge amount of layers used by the atheltes. Kipchoge still uses two layers less on his carbon firbe plate than the standard plate in his shoes.
The sole writing print on the vaporfly 4% was changed due to the first print not being legal in some countries. The flyprint's have the first print on them.
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