Mike, Tom and Nick hit the town last night to take on the RunThrough Olympic Park 5K and test out some of the top carbon shoes of 2023, or 2024 in the case of the Nike Alphafly 3 Nick used. Mike was in the Hoka Rocket X2 and targeting his first sub-20 5K, while Tom was in the Saucony Endorphin Elite and aiming to unleash the beast.
JUMP STRAIGHT IN:
00:00 – Intro
00:02 – Pre-Race
01:26 – Post-Race
05:20 – Post-Race: Nike Alphafly 3
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Hello hello how's it going welcome to The Olympic Park we're about to do our Annual little Christmas race yeah 5K 5K Here today Park was down for 10K that Was incorrect two laps it's just a Little root wrecky and there's a couple Of pitch black bits so that'll be good Fun I'm in the Ali 3 first race test for Me in those uh you boys are in your Favorite 5K shoes right what you in I'm In the hocky rocket X which I haven't Been able to race it cuz I got when I Was bloodly injured but I'm not I'm now Glad I'm be able to go out running this So uh yeah know looking forward to doing A 5k running them and a little see how Get on Tom I'm wearing the so Elites Which are almost torn apart now with my He issues about to break his El might The last last going for a PV we'll see How that goes I'm not going for a PV Going for a PB i' got the sunto race and the Garmin 965 on and my Grinch socks other than That nothing too much going ones wise no I've got the Vantage V3 P Vantage V3 and The 965 and I also got some headphones I'm not allowed to talk about yet So and then afterwards we're going for One very fast drink cuz all of Tom's FR Got canceled so that's ruined ruined Looking forward to that yeah yeah Merry [Music] Christmas instant reaction the sub 20
Man still not sure happen I mean it Doesn't say on my watch but that's cuz It took me ages to Stop I'm very happy I mean that's the First race found the rocket I did a half And The Rock X2 and I wasn't fly fit and I did enjoy it when I was good I mean These felt great these felt absolutely [Music] Great all right we are in the in the PB Afterwards look at this daughter loves That um well I think we was only one Place to start here and that is this man Running his first sub 20 Micha Got M we I was going oh I don't think He's going to do it the clock was like Ticking up 9050 and then out of the Gloom emerges this man sprinting at home First to 20 Mike how does it feel it Feels pretty good I'm still it's not Really sunk in really I've been close Very close a few times he messed it up Before out basically but um that's a That's a I mean of course I've done Variations of that of course the Olympic Part but it's very different and there's Some weird slippy that sub that sub 20 Is worth a lot more elsewhere cuz it was Dangerously slippery in the last like Turn dark Zone as well where they could Have may put some temp you don't like Sprinting around the door Howard uh but No felt good uh and yeah very happy and We come on to your shoes a second Tom
What did you run good day bad day uh Fine day I wasn't I wasn't going all out Uh I I think I did about 1840 or Something which is long way off my PB But also I wasn't I wasn't racing it Really so no once you once you go around The course you kind of probably weren't Going to push that's well there's a when We got into that slippy bit I was Actually doing pretty well and I had a Bit of a slip and I thought n nah not Worth it not worth it relax I was pretty Sim I had a pretty fine day as well not The best day out around a 16 25 odds Where first 2K are right and then I just Held like 320 got enough I haven't got Enough speed in the legs at the moment So I felt like I could do the 10K even At the end of the five pushing but I Didn't really feel quick and yeah slippy A bit so it was second in the end some Run a sub 16 on that which is pretty Great cuz it was it was a bit tonight Shoes then Mike rocket X rocket X2 first Time I've done a 5k kind of quick I've Done some like speed sessions in it Track sessions and I really enjoyed Running it in in it in general and I've Done the hacking half marathon and it Was pretty good I've only thing is I Think maybe there's it's maybe missing That little bit of pop that I wanted but Ultimately I love how light the shoe is It's a great you know in terms of what
HW has done with the shoe it feels a Much better accommodating RI than the Rocket X and every time I put it on I've Had a good run in it so Out I would say though yeah I meanly I Think everyone kind of was slipping Around but the outso for me was you know I was a little bit kind of holding back In those bits where it was a little bit I will say rocket X2 is might like go-to Slick fast running outside I think it's I think if that outside was struggling No super Shi would have done well so I Do think it's really good Tom elite norn Elite used it a few times today you have Churned up the outsole even more you got Any outo left on it wasn't too bad Actually on on this course cuz it's Mainly ice yeah ripping it up um take Qui hands uh and doely I I said this in My top five shoes for the year video I Have a love hate relationship with this Shoe it's not comfortable it's really Really fast it's a great 5K 10K shoe Wouldn't go over it it's quite Slippy um fair enough yeah so there you Go fine fine anything else for testing Watches are both great no problems at All um yeah distance wise was fine mik Can't talk about his headphones next Week uh my Sho my shiu socks did a good Job did they fantastic I was wearing my Grinch socks which also Did a fantastic job even though they're
Not running socks so the problem um we Think I'll probably wrap it up though I Can't think any other thoughts there it Was basically we've only got about 10 Minutes of time us to catch a train and We've got to finish p and a half so see You soon see bye [Music] Bye so you probably noticed that there Wasn't any talk of how the alphafly 3 Performed uh just in that video just Then I did talk about it there but the Sound of video quality and everything Just got a bit too bad so I've thought I'd quickly do it here and now and catch Up with how the Ally 3 performed last Night which is really good like it's Obviously an excellent carbon plate Running shoe it felt very fast and Impressive and it's the lightness you Have with the shoe did mean it feels a Little bit more capable of there's one Ramp on the course and you can turn your Feet over and nip up it a bit better in This compared to the AL 2 which is that Little bit heavier still got all that Booming bounce and I think that is still The key feature of it like early on in The race I was running well really Thought I get put a lot into the shoe Load the plate really get a lot of Explosiv bounce back from it and then Later on when I was tiring I was kind of You know turning my feet over still very
Quickly but maybe not running with such Purpose and drive and I feel like those Situations you don't get necessarily Quite as much out of it I think you get More from this version of shoe because It is so light and has more of a Tippy Forward feeling than past versions but I Think in that kind of situation in a 5k For a runner like myself as a high Cadence Runner not a very big bounding Runner I might get a little bit more of An edge from The Vapor flly just being a Lighter shoe or some other lighter Carbon plate shoes and then when you're Running well bounding or a bit more Control like in a marathon for example I Think the AL really comes into its own With That Bouncy feel so yeah certainly Still very enamored of it um I think Probably Runners with a different St to Myself might get a bit more out of it on Those shorter distances who are slightly More boundy uh I put a bit more Force Into it in general throughout the race Whereas I tailed off a bit towards the End as I ran out of steam but obviously It was still great to run in last night I'm looking forward to doing a 10K in it In a couple of weeks as well finally Will say thanks to run through who Sorted Mike and Tom's places for the Race the Olympic part route is a new one For me that last year I tried it had a Dead turn knit and they've got rid of
Those now so it's kind of you're running Two Loops there are some small uphill Sections but yeah nothing too bad so Worth checking out on probably a Slightly less icy night than we ran on It massive he's done it it He
