Nike's controversial Vaporfly shoes powered the world's 2 fastest marathoners to victory. When I tried them, it felt like running on rocking horses.

Aylin Woodward/Business Insider

• I tried running in the latest version of Nike Vaporfly shoes.
• It felt like running on rocking horses, with a little bit of Pogo-stick action thrown in.
• The fastest man and woman marathoners in the world both compete in Nike Vaporflys.
• Vaporflys give runners more energetic efficiency, but some people think the shoes' soles should be regulated to avoid unfair advantages.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

I walked into Nike's New York headquarters clad in Nike shorts, pants, and socks. But it was difficult to hide the offending triple stripe on my Adidas sneakers.

I was there to try the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next%, the latest iteration of Nike's controversial Vaporfly running shoe.

This class of Nike shoe confers at least 4% energy savings per foot fall, according to tests by Nike scientists and independent research labs. In 2019, runners wearing Vaporflys claimed 31 out of the 36 male and female podium spots in the six biggest marathons around the world. 

I had to get them on my feet to see what the fuss was about.

I've been covering the science of Vaporflys since October, when Eliud Kipchoge broke the 2-hour-marathon mark wearing a Vaporfly prototype.

Leonhard Foeger/Reuters

His pacesetters ran it in the same shoe I was about to put on at Nike.

During the same month as Kipchoge's marathon, Brigid Kosgei smashed the women's marathon world record by nearly 1.5 minutes in Chicago wearing Vaporflys.

When I opened the box, I was met by a blast of hot pink.

Aylin Woodward/Business Insider

The $250 shoes come in a rainbow of neon hues, including orange and lime.

The shoe's shape looked like a tapered spearhead.

Aylin Woodward/Business Insider

Less than 4 inches at its widest point, the Next% has the most razor-like heel I'd ever seen. It looked almost like you could shave with the edge.

 

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See Also:

• A controversial Nike sneaker worn by 2 record-breaking marathon champions is at risk of being banned. A decision may come within weeks.
• Nike's controversial Vaporfly shoes are helping runners set new records, but some think it's 'technology doping.' Here's how they work.
• Here are the top 14 venture-capital firms making deals in the cannabis industry, and where they're looking to place their next bets

SEE ALSO: A controversial Nike running shoe is at risk of being banned. A decision may come within weeks.

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