The Nike ZoomX Ultrafly is a carbon plate trail-running shoe built for covering big distances. Run Tester Nick is in training for his first ultra event later this year, and as part of his prep for that he tested out the Nike Ultrafly on a 51K run around the Gower peninsula in Wales. Here’s how he got on.
Our full multi-tester review of the shoe is coming, but for more details on the design of the Ultrafly check out our first run vid here:
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
01:21 – The Run
07:13 – Post Run
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Good morning from Wales I'm in the Gower In South Wales and the Gower Peninsula I'm going to go out and do a long run in The Nike ultrafly Trail shoes today Planning to do around 50k 51k mostly on The Wales Coastal path which is Exceptionally beautiful around here got A quite a sunny day the first sunny day Of my holiday so hopefully this is going To work out quite well in terms of the Weather try and work out which way the Wind's going I've done a couple of runs In the Nike shoes already and really Like them so far for just generally Quite easy runs on Trails like I did a Real mixed bag of terrains in them and They'd be really comfortable they felt Very light despite the fact they're not Very light and have felt really good After those rides like getting some of That energy saving benefits of the zoom X foam and carbon plate Tech in there so I've done about 30k in them across two Runs so far this will obviously be a Much longer run it'll be my longest run Ever both in terms of distance and time So that'll be interesting Um a few other bits I can test along the Way we've got the chorus HR monitor on The arm which has been very good for me So far in terms of ease of use and Accuracy using decathlons evidict trail Running backpack gonna use because all This has kind of been perhaps my first
Ultra event late this summer I want to Test out a few bits of gear I'm likely To use for that so yeah that's the main Bits going on 40965 on the wrist with The map and just generally really really Excited for it because it's a lovely day This is one of my favorite places it's Not my favorite place in the world to Run got a really nice route lined up Mostly on the coast after a little bit Of road to get there to start with and I Really like the shoes so far so I hoping They'll continue to impress me today Okay here we go So our very first 5k of the route gonna Apologize if the water sloshing around My backpack is too annoying it's too Loud in all these videos and we'll find Out later I guess so first four and a Half K all on road so good chance to Talk about the ultra fly on the road Where it performs really well as you Expect it's not got the longest logs in The world got that big comfy midsole Quite a high drop for a trail shoot as Well it is noticeable it's very Different to think of the Vape files It's not good that big squish under 30 Which you wouldn't want so it just feels Quite soft forgiving but not as bouncy And actually it feels on a trail like I'm on now or I'm on Hard packed wooden trail with some high Knees on top it feels a little bit
Softer almost on this kind of stuff and When you've got the extra softness of The trail as well but probably a good Roads you very good road to Trail shoe It's more likely struggle at the other End of the spectrum on more you know wet Wet Trails the width of the shoe is also Quite interesting for me so I have quite A narrative and the ultra fly is very Wide in the forefoot now this is good For feet swelling art people with wide Feet and in general it also creates a Lot of stability when you're going Downhills like if you're unreasonably Good to rain you can't just let your Legs go entirely and Trusted that wide shoe is going to catch You but the one thing I have noticed About it is it because I have got a Narrow foot what's that first prior Perception something like that your your Awareness of your own body I'm not aware Sometimes of how wide the shoe is Because my foot isn't that wide and if I'm looking over my shoulder for a car Or distracted I have clipped my ankle Sometimes with the front of the shoe uh The other ankle because she's not Expecting the shoe coming through to be That wide but most parts of the positive You probably get used to that over time But yeah it's a lot wider than my foot So about halfway through now I'll describe myself as quite pleasantly
Tired he's to the point when I normally stop on a long grinding guy The job well done you know we're every Two hours now But I've got a nice rhythm going on this Slightly more runnable stretching one Now which is on Cliff tops and it's Grass and murdered I think I'm done with sand running for a Little while which is good there is some More later I know that and a bit of sea Running as well potentially but Shoes really are comfortable I don't know They've got a big stack obviously going To get on there hang on Let's get directions yep So I'm right now I'm actually going down Quite a muddy descent So grip is better than you'd expect Uh for uh for Nike shoes because the Vibram is there Um I did go in some deep mud earlier and Messed them up a bit and they that was On the level though so Gripp was no Problem but yeah it's really comfort Thing and when you start ticking it Really does uh move you nicely the shoe It's got a good bit more of a rocker Than I thought it's quite a smooth ride Because sticking mostly to quite gentle Paces obviously and You can't just roll and Roll and Roll so It feels like when I do hit a nice
Stretch even if it's slight uphill I can Recover quite a lot in this shoe just Moving to a relaxed pace so yeah so far Very comfy see how things go from here Into the unknown now because I haven't run longer than Three hours for a long time so let's see How that goes All right so we've just gone through the Mouth About three hours 45 officially the Longest time I've ever run now I think As long as I was on before was my first Marathon which is at 3 29. so it's not Long left now I've got a bit of a Sandy Stretch now flat and then the biggest Climb on the whole route which There's a we're gonna not gonna be that Fun I imagine I've just basically gone From Russia down to put iron in and Preparing in the lock twitch now I'm Just gonna go over Kevin Bruin to get Home I apologize to any Welsh people or Anyone knows how to pronounce things How I'm pronouncing all these things They're probably wrong so yeah together I've got a steep climb and then the last 5K should be down here actually that Should be nice but I'm just gonna get Through this climb Shoes still feel good I had a really Nasty staircase up and down around the 41k mark which God didn't feel good but Yeah I think it's still I'm feeling in
Great condition they're very comfy the Issues for sure I don't like I think the Uppers leave a lot to be desired like There's been several points on the Run Where you know I've had to just drag my Feet through some You know it's a little bit of foliation Like that nothing too crazy I'm not Being like plowing through thick stuff And they've you know catch little thorns And things like that and hold them any Foot and they go through the upper so That's not great but broadly speaking They're great underfoot has some muddy Stretches let's go to that fine pace is Obviously very slow now probably between Uh probably around six okay something Like that occasional speed up when I get Scared by a horse Um but mostly just planning on now so Just gonna get up this hill Coast home And then I'll check in then probably and I here comes some sand So I'm all done I'm absolutely knackered that last Hill Was not the way to plan the route to do That on the way back it was very long Very hard on grass but please do get up And over I'm going to uh practically get Something to drink because I run out of Water a little while back and then I Will check in later with some thoughts On shoes gear General distances
Um but yeah that was for the most part Very very fun last bit bit tough kind of What you expect really So morning it is the morning after the Run I did yesterday I didn't have any Time yesterday to film so I'm just going To do my wrap up now had more of a Chance to reflect on everything that Yesterday and the gear used and how it Went in general so overall I really Loved it um I mean it was perfect place To be I love the Gower I think it's my Favorite place in the world to run every Run I've done here has been amazing and For the first 40K yesterday I was having The best time ever and then like I say I Had that big climb at the end yesterday Which was a lot bigger than expected Because the elevation on the garmin's Route planner in particular is always a Bit of a lie and that last Hill just Went on and on and on and actually I Thought it was a couple of K up then 5K Down and actually it was 5K up and a Couple of K down so it really slowed Down and um got very tired towards the End a few other rookie mistakes didn't Help along the way and they would run This far before like I say like almost Two hours longer than any other run I've Done and it's didn't have enough water By the end things like that but I had a Really good time I really enjoyed all Different scenery around here the Gower
And Wells has just everything it's also Was Beach running there was some sand Running there was some Forest running Some rocks a lot of grass a bit of Road So it really was a little bit everything Some Big Muddy patches as well elevation Overall was about a thousand meters so You know nothing too big in terms of one Climb that last climb at the end I think Was probably 160 200 meters something Like that but nothing overall was very Long but lots of little climbs lots of Ups and downs lots of fun basically a Few cows that scared me a bit when I was Tired but overall I had a really good Time and obviously great chance to test Loads and loads of gear we'll start with The ultrafly which For the most part really impressed me Like I really like this shoe like it's Really expensive and I'm sure they're Probably shoes that can do what it does For less but I'm not very experienced in This area I think we should caveat a lot Of this by saying like I say it's the First time I've run that long yesterday I'm not a very experienced Ultra Runner Take that into account with My Views We'll have our full review down along With Kieran as well who obviously is an Experienced Ultra Runner but as someone Who went out you know fairly Inexperienced Rand for like I say an Hour and 45 minutes longer than I have
Done for five years something like that I feel really good the next day I felt Throughout very comfortable very Supported I do think you're getting that Little efficiency boost that certainly Leg saving Boost from the zoom X foam And the plate that just means you can Recover a bit quicker like I'm feeling Okay today I'm not going to run for a Few days but I do feel okay today and I Felt like I could keep ticking over There were points in the run where I Really could get into a nice Rhythm even Really tired running on grass just feel Like I'm ticking over now I'm ticking Over the pace obviously isn't high but I Can feel like I can keep going I can Sustain this and it really felt deep Into the run yesterday that I felt Really comfortable I've had no problems With my feet no rubbing uh just very Supportive comfortable shoe that's Basically the big strength of it I don't Think it's very far shooting it's quite Big and wide and that width is a Definitely a blessing at times in terms Of providing some stability and Hopefully maybe stopping you thinking Too deep into sand and hard but mostly It's for that stability going downhills You can let loose you're on good stretch Where you're not really looking out for Anything too um tricky like roots or a Big rock here and there you can just let
Your legs go and the shoe will catch you And support you thanks to that wide base The wide base is a problem like I talked About on the run I did catch myself a Few times just because it is so much Wider than my foot that four foot there And I did have to adjust to that and if You get distracted I did catch my ankle A few times but and sometimes you know When you are going down you will catch The edge of something that you didn't Necessarily expect to land on because The base is so much wider than you maybe Thought but overall really brilliant Underfoot and the grip was fine Everything I went on yesterday like I Said there's some muds some muddy Descents lots of grass some slippery Rocks some slippery staircases those Little wooden things on at the end of Which you know are a bit skittish Sometimes some roots Byram is a big game changer for Nike Actually I was just walking around the Outside of a holiday Cottage in the Nike Vomero which also has a Nike outside and Slipped on a rock and like four steps Near a house Vibram is a big upgrade for Nike for sure so that's very good to Have on there underfoot yeah no problems At all and also no problems with this Midsole nothing's been chunked out of it Like I was running through some foliage At times some sharp reads some sharp
Little thorns and the little fabric wrap Around the midsole doesn't mean that Nothing has been taken out of that in Terms of chunks or anything like that's Really well designed I think it will be Nice and durable upper I'm less keen on So I think it probably is gonna be quite Durable this Vapor weave is almost like A slightly rip stop star material but It's so thin there are no overlays and Just like several points in there on Yesterday I had like a little Thorn just Come through the upper and just knit my Toes and just stay there to try and work Out where it was pick it out it's it's a Road Upper really um it's just got no Protection at all and For the most part that was fine Yesterday Lots I say lots of running on Grass lots of clear areas but if I went Slightly wrong or the worst sections Were really narrowed and there was loads Of trees and bushes and I did basically Have to push through them and I just Don't feel like this upper is giving you Enough protection for a trail shoe I Think that'll be more of a concern in Some terrains than others It was fine yesterday it's very Comfortable and holes will fit well at The back and the fit is fine for me Despite the fact it is it's such a wide Shoe but even now there's a thorn Sticking into it okay
Um yeah and so I think that can be Beefed up a little bit obviously we'll Add a little bit of weight but it's Quite heavy shoe already weight's not a Massive concern I think and it's it's Just not strong enough I think in the Fourth hopefully it'll be durable I Haven't had any problems with it Actually ripping or tearing after that I've done 80k in the shoe overall now The fair few sections where I've run Through Reeds or bushes or spiky ghost Things and it hasn't ripped up and like Even towards the end of the run you Still have to go right off the trail Into some thick um like kind of Gauzy Stuff to let a few horses through I Didn't want to upset and it's been okay For that but yeah it does catch thorns And holds them against your foot and That's really annoying if you're running For a couple of k or something just Pricking you and you have to stop and Work out where it is but overall I think It's a great shoe it's a shoe I'll Probably use for the my the ultra I'm Kind of training for at the moment I'm Doing an ATK Ultra in September on Fairly runnable terrain and I think this Will be the perfect shoe for me for this Because it is comfortable I like the Fact it's got a higher drop than a lot Of these trail shoes which I prefer Generally it's it's very much a shoe
That feels a lot like a road shoe coming Onto the trails but with good grip the Midsole is not overly squishy or Anything like that it's comfortable Stable and it just helps you tick over It protects your legs well upper I think Needs a bit of work but overall good Shoe uh yeah really good shoe uh don't Go anything too deep obviously with Those lugs they are very shallow but for The most part they do provide pretty Good traction and certainly an upgrade On what we've seen from Nike before Other few bits I did testing uh we'll Talk quickly about the Garmin 4 on a 965 Couple of notes on This brilliant watch For mapping it's so bright so clear on The AMOLED screen you know mapped all The way I only had a few wrong turns and Mostly they are because not because the Watch was showing me the wrong trash the Trail was indistinguishable from the Area around it all looked like it could Be the trail um so a couple of moments Like that one thing that's probably About did scratch the screen at some Point yesterday got a little Nick on the Front of that that is a difference to Some of the hardier sapphire screen Watches you can get in garmin's range That probably wouldn't have taken that Little scratch so that's something to Look out for with it it is geared more Towards Road running so in terms of
Battery life like in the morning I was At 99 I charged it the night before then Worn it overnight to track sleep so it's A 99 at the end of the day yesterday I Had 62 so out like I said running for Nearly five hours rest of the day as Well it's about 40 so it does chunk free Battery life if you have the always on Screen on and go out and do a long Activity like that but obviously I was In no concerns at all about the battery Running out chorus heart rate monitor This has been a really pleasant surprise Actually I don't really mind wearing a Chest strap so our man heart monitors You know don't have that big benefit of Comfort for me but it is very convenient This thing you pick it up it turns Itself on automatically you strap it on It links up automatically and it's Really accurate so I didn't have Anything to test it against in terms of Accuracy yesterday but before I came Away I was testing against a chest strap For a few runs and technically a track Session a rum with a long Tempo section Things like that and it was beat for Beat with the polar h10 chest straps I Thought this is the only heart rate Monitor I take away the battery life's Pretty good it turns itself off Automatically so it's a really easy Piece of Kit and I do think it's Accurate and actually it's probably
Going to be the hardware monitor I use Going forward just because it is so easy And I certainly appreciated having an Armband on yesterday compared to a chest Strap just because chest strap obviously Gets in the way of the um straps on your Rucksack if you're running a long way And have a rucksack on it's more notable Probably would be less comfortable Didn't notice this at all I've got good Heart rate readings from it I wasn't Using heart rate a lot but I've had to Look afterwards and it all looks like it Makes sense yeah really good little Piece of kit actually I'm surprised by How much I like it because normally like I say I don't really go for online Monitors but that that's probably now my Favorite heart rate monitor to use and Then the evidect trail running backpack From decathlon I used yesterday like I've got a lot of trail running Backpacks and this is the first chance I've had to use them over a really long Trail run and this is really comfortable Like don't actually have loads of Adjustment going on but you have those Three straps on the front and they're Key to adjusting it I had it full with a Full bladder another 500 meter flask in The back I had a jacket in there an Emergency blanket just because I'm Trying you know practicing the kit list For the ultra and then I stuffed the
Front pockets here with gels bars a Couple of different lip balms oh Jack Black pineapple and mint lip balm one of My favorite bits of Kit from yesterday I Will say that was delicious on the lips Tasted fantastic it has it has SPF which I needed um yeah that was really Appreciated is that yeah Jack Black good Lip balm yeah so it was really quite Full but felt very comfortable got a bit Of sloshing but nothing you know you Wouldn't expect from a bag enjoyed Wearing it the whole way no chafing no Rubbing it was soaked with sweat but has A waterproof pocket for your phone which Is really important so that kept the Phone dry the whole way just a really Good backpack comes a little bit cheaper Than others I didn't need to fit it to The brim it's got these expandable Things on the outside as well and you Can attach a quiver for poles but yeah I Really like that I'll use that again for The ultra I'm doing in September just Because I got on with it really well and It has this little magnetic thing for Your Uh hose hose there's no tube on your Bladder so you can unclip it you can Clip this anywhere on the backpack and Then attach the tube with that thing or Just take the whole thing off each time Which is what I was doing and then I was Clipping it into the side it's very
Handy because this thing can be very Annoying the tube the hose whatever you Call it Um if it's bouncing around so I've Chopped it down to make it shorter but You can do very easily and then um I Have a uh yeah you can move it around With the magnet to suit wherever you Want it at the time fantastic day out on The trails I've talked for long enough Now I'm going to go enjoy the rest of my Holiday I'll try overall didn't impress Me but yeah it is takes a lot from Road Shoes and brings it over and some of That's fine and actually some of the Adjustments made have worked out really Well the new outsole was certainly a big Win the fabric wrapped Zoom X works Really well but the upper is I think a Little bit uh lightweight for any kind Of rough trails