Nike ZoomX Invincible

I tested my running economy in the Nike ZoomX Invincible, a shoe with a thick slab of ZoomX foam, against the Nike Alphafly. I didn’t really make this comparison to consider the two shoes as racing alternatives, but more so to explore the benefits of a shoe just loaded with ZoomX and no other added features.

Testing Methods

I ran in the Nike Invincible as well as the Nike Alphafly without added mass and the Nike Alphafly matched in mass to invincible for two reps each at 6:15/mile pace while measuring oxygen consumption and energy expenditure. Check out this link to see what running economy is, how it is measured, and how it impacts performance.

Here is a look at the differences between shoe specs.

And here is how I matched them for mass for the mass-matched trials.

Results

Even when matched in mass to the Invincible, the Alphafly still give me a 3.5-4% advantage.

Take Home Message

The airbags, curved plate, and overall geometry in the Alphafly obviously create some key differences beyond just the foam utilized. Before ever running in the Invincibles, I thought this one might be closer when matched for mass. However, after running in them for a few weeks (and while I like them quite a bit), it’s clear for me that even with all the ZoomX foam, they don’t have the same pop as the Alphas. Running economy data here would confirm this.

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