Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2 Review: 100 Miles of Real-World Running

Introduction

Some running shoes only make sense on paper. The Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2 made sense on the road, which is where it mattered. Over roughly 100 miles, or 161 kilometres, this pair was used almost exclusively for higher-tempo work, speed sessions, and racing. Two personal bests came out of that period: a 1:31 half marathon in Bristol in September and a 19:36 5K earlier in the year.

The pair in question is a UK 11.5 (US 12.5) in the prototype colorway, weighing 242 grams or 8.5 ounces. Picked up in early 2021, it has now earned a proper long-term verdict across upper, midsole, outsole, and value. The prototype colorway is also the strongest of the early releases: it skips the odd toe-box reinforcement and clashing colours that made some initial versions harder to love.

Upper: More Room Where It Counts

The upper is noticeably better than the first version of the Next%. The mesh and toe-box reinforcement create a more roomy shoe overall, which matters most if you are racing a marathon and your feet are going to swell over 26.2 miles. The original Next% felt tight in the toe box and squeezed the toes together, so the extra space here is a genuine fix rather than a marketing tweak.

The trade-off is sizing. The roomier fit means a half size down is likely workable for many runners; going forward, a UK 11 would probably have been the smarter pick for this pair. The upper also stretches out slightly over time and ends up roomier than it felt out of the box, which justifies a thicker sock than most recent running shoes.

Two fit quirks are worth knowing before buying. There is some bunching over the top of the foot, so the laces need to be cinched quite tight to get a good lockdown, even on a normal-width foot. The perforated laces looked dubious at first and were briefly swapped for standard ones, but the originals worked fine once dialed in. The padded section at the end of the tongue is perfectly placed and genuinely comfortable.

Midsole: The Reason People Buy This Shoe

The midsole is unchanged from the first version, and that is no bad thing. Two personal bests in one shoe is not luck. It works naturally with the runner’s form, and at 5K, 10K, and half marathon pace it simply sings. Some competitors are getting closer now, but this is still the benchmark midsole for fast road running.

After 100 miles the midsole sidewalls look surprisingly good. There is the usual paint chipping around the heel segments of the exposed foam, purely cosmetic and with no effect on performance. What is more interesting is how the foam has settled: it feels possibly a little more forgiving than when new, slightly less rigid. Whether that is a bad thing depends on preference, and it has not changed the verdict at all.

The midsole earns a full marks-style score of three out of three, same as the initial review. No shoe in regular rotation has displaced it as the king of this category.

Outsole: Light Duty, Known Limits

The outsole tells a more mixed story. Traction itself is untouched after 100 miles, with the pattern fully intact, but the softer foam behind the rubber has taken some punishment. Thorns have pushed straight through the rubber into the foam, and small screws, gravel bits, and stones have left plenty of little holes to pick out. Oddly, the left foot seems far more affected than the right.

Wet traction and wear resistance are not quite at the level of the adidas Adizero Adios Pro 2’s Continental rubber, which wears a little better. But this is a race shoe, not a daily trainer, so the trade is tolerable as long as you accept it.

The bigger practical limitation: this shoe is terrible on grass and mud. Full stop. That matters more than it sounds, because plenty of races, particularly in the UK, include short multi-surface sections, and the Adios Pro 2 is equally poor there. Keep this shoe on tarmac and it behaves.

Value: Versatile Enough to Justify the Price

Few shoes on the market come close at this price point. Seen anywhere between about £209 and £235 depending on colorway, the variation is essentially paying for paint, not durability. Compared directly with the Adios Pro 2, this one feels a touch more versatile: plenty of runners use it for 5Ks, which is not obviously the right call for the adidas shoe.

It has also held up well over 100 miles of hard use and will stay in the rotation, with more racing to come, possibly a marathon. That makes the value verdict easy: an improved score of 2.7 out of 3, up from the initial review, for a very capable high-pace shoe with very few drawbacks.

Buying Advice

If you race anything from 5K to the marathon and want the fastest-feeling shoe under your feet, this remains the pick. Sizing is the main decision: the Next% 2 runs roomier than the original, so consider going down half a size from what you wore in the v1, and expect to cinch the laces firmly. Choose a colorway you actually like, since prices vary by paint scheme. Avoid soft ground entirely and accept that sharp debris can poke through to the foam. Nothing here changes the bottom line: it is a consistent, reliable race-day staple.

Conclusion

After 100 miles, the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% 2 finishes with an overall score of 11.2 out of 12. The upper is a clear improvement over the original, the midsole is still the class leader, the outsole is the weak point but forgivable in a race shoe, and the value has improved with proven durability. A pair in UK 11 for the next racing season is a genuinely tempting prospect, and this shoe earns its place in the rotation.