Nike has announced a new race-forward running shoe, the Nike Apex, with hopes it could become another marathon record-breaker.

The Nike Apex will be available from January 2027, although like most high-profile Nike running shoe releases, it may be hard to get hold of for some time.

Its headline-grabbing change is there are stacked air bubbles, the Air Zoom units, in the forefoot. To accommodate those without breaking any athletics association rules — which limit stack height to 40mm — the Nike Apex ends up a zero-drop running shoe.

This means the midsole at the front of the foot has the same stack height as the rear. By comparison, the Alphafly 4 has a drop of 8mm, the Vaporfly 4 a drop of 6mm.

As such the Nike Apex will feel quite different to run in. Zero-drop running shoes are usually associated with brands that aim for a more barefoot-like feel to running, such as Altra and Vivobarefoot. But that’s not the aim here.

Nike says the dual Air Zoom units make this the “most Air ever applied in the forefoot of a Nike running shoe,” partly responsible for the claim of up to 40% improved energy return compared to the Nike Alphafly 3, first unveiled in 2024.

Air-based cushioning is also, of course, light. Nike has not yet revealed concrete weight specs for the shoes, but “weighing more than 10% less” than the Alphafly 3 suggests they clock in at under 200g for a US size 10.

Nike likely uses this older generation as a comparison point because the Alphafly 4 already weigh just 208g, and it of course doesn’t want to appear to besmirch what is a just-announced high-performance pair.

Nike Apex Versus Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3

The marathon world record was most recently set by Sebastian Sawe, who finished the London marathon in 1:59:30, while wearing a pair of the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 — a fact Nike is no doubt not too happy about. That shoe weighs just 107g in a US size 10.

“For decades, Nike has partnered with runners to better understand the demands of the marathon and turn those learnings into new performance solutions,” says Phil McCartney, Nike’s chief innovation officer.

“The evolution of Air has been central to that journey, serving as a catalyst for some of the most important advances in running performance and helping propel the sport into a new era of speed.”

As well as dual-stack Air Zoom units on each side of the forefoot the Nike Apex use a new ZoomX LT foam formulation, a carbon fiber Flyplate and Flyknit X upper.

The next major marathon lands on October 11, Chicago Marathon. Our last was Berlin marathon on September 11, whose men’s and women’s wins went to runners wearing the Adidas Adios Pro Evo 3, Tigst Assefa and Guye Adola. The Nike Apex has a lot to prove still.