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- The Nike Apex sits above the Alphafly 4 as the brand’s new pinnacle marathon racing shoe, priced at AUD $500.
- Four Air Zoom units arranged as two stacked pairs sit inside a 40mm zero-drop platform alongside ZoomX LT foam and a redesigned carbon-fibre Flyplate.
- Nike claims the Apex delivers up to 40 per cent more energy return than the Alphafly 3 while weighing more than 10 per cent less in a men’s size 10.
Nike is going all in on marathon speed with the release of its new Apex running shoe. Now I know what you’re thinking: isn’t that how we described the AUD $400 Nike Alphafly 4? Yes. But it seems the swoosh has found a way to add another hundred bucks to its marathon-speed equation for what they’re calling the “pinnacle expression of race-day innovation”.
The all-new Nike Apex sits in a tier of its own, running well above the Alphafly as Nike’s most extreme marathon racer. For AUD $500, you get four Air Zoom units arranged as two stacked pairs in the forefoot, ZoomX LT foam and a redesigned carbon-fibre Flyplate. When it arrives in Australia in January 2027, plenty of runners will no doubt line up to see what all that hardware can do for their PBs.
Nike claims the Apex can deliver up to 40 per cent more energy return than the Alphafly 3 while weighing more than 10 per cent less (in a men’s size 10). While we’re certainly curious how it actually stacks up against the newer Alphafly 4, Nike is clearly positioning the Apex as the new top rung of its marathon range.
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The Air Zoom setup is the obvious place to start. Nike has installed four units in two stacked pairs, making the Apex its first racing shoe with two double-stacked Air Zoom units and giving it the most Air ever used in the forefoot of one of its running shoes. It’s the same new Air Zoom technology introduced in the Alphafly 4, only doubled up here for Apex.
As for the rather unusual 40mm zero-drop platform, the heel and forefoot sit at the same height. Compare that to the Alphafly 4’s 8mm heel-to-toe drop; the Apex has a far more radical silhouette before you even get to the rest of the construction.
The Air Zoom system is paired with Nike’s new ZoomX LT foam: softer, lighter and returning more energy than your standard ZoomX stack. A raised inverse-wave carbon-fibre Flyplate sits above the Air system, shaped to load those stacked units while supporting forward drive and stability.
A wider outsole and rocker geometry close out the Apex platform, while the upper uses lightweight Flyknit X with a fitted collar and no separate sock liner, all in an effort to keep the weight down.
Now, the Nike Apex isn’t here to replace the Alphafly outright. It’s more like Nike creating an even higher racing-shoe tier. The Alphafly 4 remains the broader marathon racer at AUD $400, while the Swooshfly will sit lower in the range when it arrives in 2027. It’s pretty clear to me that the Apex is the option for runners looking to shave every possible second off their PB.
Nike Apex – Key Specs
- Price: AUD $500
- Use: Marathon road racing
- Stack height: 40mm heel / 40mm forefoot
- Heel-to-toe drop: 0mm
- Forefoot: Four Air Zoom units arranged as two stacked pairs
- Midsole: ZoomX LT
- Plate: Raised inverse-wave carbon-fibre Flyplate
- Upper: Flyknit X
- Outsole: GOATEK and Fast Shot
- Release: January 2027
Nike will launch the Apex through Nike and select retailers in January 2027. At AUD $500, serious race-day money just got another hundred dollars more serious.
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