Nike Air: The Athlete’s Advantage, Dominating from the Track to the Court to the Pitch
In the five years since Nike, Eliud Kipchoge, and the groundbreaking Alphafly achieved the unimaginable — shattering the two-hour marathon barrier — the company has been relentlessly pushing the boundaries.
Driven by new research, enhanced capabilities, and an audacious innovation agenda, the brand has evolved its flagship Alphafly line to the Alphafly 3, a shoe designed to empower all marathon runners, regardless of their skill level. Currently, Nike is fine-tuning its proprietary Air technology — one of the three crucial components in its super shoe “speed system” — to deliver turbocharged performance to athletes on the track, court, and pitch.
Evolution of an Icon
“When the Alphafly was introduced, it took everyone by surprise with the debut of Air Zoom,” remarks Tony Bignell, Vice President, Running Footwear. “It was a divisive move, but our expert research in the world-class Nike Sport Research Lab, coupled with validation from Eliud Kipchoge, the world’s premier marathoner, provided evidence of its efficiency, responsiveness, and energy return — it was unparalleled in the industry. This speed system — our ZoomX foam, carbon plate, and Air Zoom units — remains Nike’s competitive edge.”
Since Eliud and the iconic Nike Alphafly prototype crossed the marathon finish line in 1:59:40, the Alphafly 3 has been refined to become the lightest model yet and more finely tuned. The Nike Alphafly 3 updates the shoe’s split sole to a continuous bottom that connects the heel and forefoot; now, regardless of where a runner’s foot strikes, they experience a smooth transition, irrespective of their pace. The Alphafly 3’s ultra-lightweight design is the result of listening to its broadest testing pool ever — spanning from everyday to elite marathoners — throughout the design process, from feedback on early 3D renderings to in-hand prototypes. Thanks to insights from athletes like Eliud, Nike designers strategically removed foam in the Alphafly’s midsole and heel to place it only where runners need it, helping to focus the load on the forefoot Air Zoom units so all runners could better activate them.
Throughout the Alphafly’s evolutions, there is only one technology that has remained constant: Air Zoom. “We’ve fine-tuned the other elements of the shoe to enhance engagement with the two Air units in the forefoot, ultimately allowing Air to do more of the work for you,” Bignell explains. This is proof that when you have something that works, you don’t change it — you improve it.
This approach has proven successful. In the 2023 Chicago Marathon, while running in the Alphafly 3 prototype during its official development window, Nike athlete Sifan Hassan recorded the second fastest women’s marathon ever, and the late Nike athlete Kelvin Kiptum established the new men’s marathon world record.
Bringing the Air Advantage to the Track
Nike has fine-tuned its speed system, powered by Air, to enable its renowned roster of track athletes to break records in events ranging from sprints to long-distance track races.
The Air Zoom units first made their debut in Nike track spikes in 2020, introducing a revolutionary cushioning innovation to athletes. Looking ahead to Paris 2024, the Nike Maxfly 2 — a spike crafted for sprinters racing 100m to 400m — and the Nike Victory 2 — a middle-distance spike designed for athletes racing 800m to 1500m — now feature a flatter ground-facing profile for a more stable ride with increased ground contact, while still delivering the energy return that only Nike Air can provide. Prominent diagonal lines, serving as a support base on the medial side, enhance the stability of both the new Maxfly 2 and Victory 2, enabling athletes to leverage the full power of their foot strike while providing stability on the track’s curve.
“Nike Air technology is not just transforming the speed at which athletes can run — it’s revolutionizing the sport of track and field,” states Dr. Emily Farina, principal researcher in the NSRL. “The introduction of Air Zoom in the Maxfly and Victory provided athletes with cushioned spikes that actually inspired some to attempt distances they previously wouldn’t have considered.”
As for the effectiveness of Air, the statistics from last year are testament to its impact: In 2023, track and field and marathon athletes set nine new World Records — with Nike athletes accounting for eight of them, in running distances from the 1500 meter to the marathon. Furthermore, at the 2023 World Outdoor Track & Field Championships, 50% of the medals were won by Nike athletes.
Nike applies its proprietary technology with precision and creativity. “There is so much you can do with Air — it can be the most protective cushioning system and also stretch to be the most responsive cushioning system,” says Leo Chang, Senior Director, Running Footwear Product Design Innovation. “We have all these different Air unit shapes and inflations because those shapes and sizes matter, whether you’re a person with a lower body mass who needs more engagement from Air or you’re in a sport or event that has a specific need.”
Bringing the Air Advantage to the Pitch
Nike’s research team understands that basketball players seek optimal energy return from the start of the game to the final buzzer. With this requirement in mind, they’ve developed the new G.T. Hustle 3.
The entire development process of the shoe was centered around enhancing the energy return for the athlete, achieving the ideal weight, and improving overall comfort, explains Dr. Elysia Davis, Nike Principal Researcher. The outcome: “We can confidently state that ‘the G.T. Hustle 3 conserves your energy,’” says Davis. “Our Nike Sport Research Lab (NSRL) discovered that an athlete uses less oxygen wearing the G.T. Hustle 3 compared to performing the same amount of work wearing the G.T. Hustle 2.” She adds that these validated savings are significant for any player, whether they’re a professional or playing pick-up games.
The key to these scientifically supported results is a new Nike Air Zoom unit in the forefoot, specifically designed to meet the demands of basketball. This new Air Zoom unit, combined with a sewn-in Nike Air Zoom strobel, creates a double-stacked layer of Air underfoot for enhanced energy storage and return. The Air Zoom in the forefoot is paired with a soft and resilient heel, along with a higher offset, to facilitate a smooth heel-to-toe transition. In the upper, the Nike Radial Knit, a new soft, lightweight, breathable knit, provides zonal containment and support without adding extra weight.
A unique aspect of the G.T. Hustle 3 story is that the NSRL research for the shoe was led by women from the outset.
“I believe there’s a compelling narrative here about innovating for women — it doesn’t mean creating a separate shoe in a different color,” Davis points out. “It’s about listening to women’s perspectives on sport and tuning into the descriptive feedback they provide. This approach enables us not just to create the best women’s basketball shoe, but the best basketball shoe, period.”
Bringing the Air Advantage to the Pitch
In order to cater to the needs of its worldwide football athletes, Nike has adapted the same Air innovation and execution used in court running to pitch running, overcoming several challenges along the way.
One such challenge was constraint. On the court, athletes need to run, jump, and cut, and the cushioning from an Air Zoom Unit can stack higher to facilitate this — up to 30mm in the G.T. Hustle 3. However, on the pitch, athletes need to be as close to the turf as possible, capable of quickly stopping, accelerating, and cutting in any direction on soft ground that absorbs energy. Compounding this challenge was the traditional view among footballers that a stiff, hard boot was better constructed; adding cushioning was seen as both literally and figuratively soft.
To engineer Air for a footballer, Nike’s solution was to store energy in a compact package. This involved creating a 4 mm Air Zoom Strobel. In 2022, the Mercurial franchise reintroduced Air Zoom to football with the first football-specific Air unit, and the results were astounding. Nike athletes were amazed at how much energy they could recover from the pitch. The athletes’ trust in the brand enabled the company to introduce the innovation and witness its successful adoption.
For the upcoming summer in Paris, the Nike team aimed to discover how to enhance its fastest boot even further for its athletes. By fine-tuning its Air innovations, the Nike 2024 Air Zoom Mercurial delivers 10% more energy return than its predecessor.
Once again, the Nike teams achieved this by optimizing Air. Flex grooves were removed from the Air Zoom Strobel unit and tuned flex zones were added to the underfoot of the 2024 Mercurial. The removal of the flex grooves allowed for optimal rebound, while the addition of tuned flex zones in the forefoot was designed to increase the athletes’ engagement with the Air Zoom. Underfoot, the 2024 Mercurial’s plate and stud design were also designed to allow for more engagement with the Air unit in the midfoot while maintaining the reliable Mercurial traction. Additionally, the chevron and blade stud pattern allows athletes to move efficiently in all directions and make sharp cuts while swiftly moving around the pitch.
Many footballers emphasize the importance of their boot feeling like a natural extension of their foot, and that they perform their best when the boot moves with them, not against them. In response to the athlete, Nike focused on making the fit of the 2024 Mercurial as sculpted as possible. The team reduced the upper from five layers of material to three, making the boot softer and lighter. This cut the upper’s thickness by nearly 30%, so it could more easily mold to the athlete’s foot, creating a more natural feel.
Finally, the engineered lining was strategically placed in the boot to ensure ample lockdown where players need it most. And where they don’t need grip and lockdown, Nike introduced AtomKnit — a durable, lightweight yarn commonly used in the brand’s elite track and field spikes. This helps reduce weight to keep players even lighter on their feet.
The Future of Air for Athletes
The future of Air is unfolding right now, as Nike harnesses the power of cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced digital tools to co-create unique, tailor-made products with its athletes through A.I.R. — Athlete Imagined Revolution. A.I.R. is a collaborative initiative with 13 visionary athletes, envisioning the future of Air. By skillfully employing AI and algorithmic tools, and tapping into Nike’s unique scientific expertise, creative empathy, and design curiosity, A.I.R. is not just about Nike listening to its athletes, it’s about amplifying their potential.
As John Hoke, Nike’s Chief Innovation Officer, articulates, “A.I.R. is fueled by hyper-personalization, limitless collaboration, and unmatched creativity, opening up infinite possibilities. We’re reaching new pinnacles of innovation by harnessing the power of data, design, and dreams. We’re ushering in a revolutionary new era of sport — a blend of art and science where innovation is boundless.”
The Nike Maxfly 2 and Nike Victory 2 are currently available in limited quantities at nike.com. The Nike G.T. Hustle 3 and Nike 2024 Air Zoom Mercurial will be available at nike.com and select retailers in July.
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