Nike Apex racing shoe debuts first, double-layer air cushion and lightweight design refresh the limit, gathers the world's top runners to join forces for actual testing

Swedish long-distance runner Andreas Almgren wore Nike Apex to compete in the New York Marathon and won the championship in his first marathon challenge.

As the fall and winter marathon season begins, runners are not only actively preparing for competition, but the racing shoes under their feet have also become the focus of special attention. At the 2026 New York Marathon, Swedish long-distance runner Andreas Almgren challenged the marathon for the first time and won the championship with a time of 2 hours, 06 minutes and 1 seconds. The mysterious black running shoes he stepped on immediately became a topic of conversation. They are Nike's new racing running shoes, Apex, which will be launched soon. It features lightweight design combined with innovative air cushion technology to showcase racing aesthetics.

The biggest breakthrough of Nike Apex is the "slimming" of running shoes. The R&D team re-adjusted the structure of the upper, midsole and outsole, reducing the weight of the prototype shoe from about 176 grams to 120 grams. The appearance is a neat black shoe body with a technological woven texture. The upper uses ultra-light yarn derived from track and field star Faith Kipyegon's 1 mile and 4 minutes challenge plan; the midsole adopts a 40mm zero-drop design on the front and rear soles, and is equipped with two sets of double-layer stacked Air The Zoom air cushion provides propulsion through compression and rebound. It is understood that the energy return is up to 40% higher than that of Alphafly 3. The outsole combines GOATEK and Fast Shot technologies to provide both grip and durability, and low-density foam provides a softer cushioning feel.

The outsole uses GOATEK and Fast Shot technology, and its special texture and zone configuration take into account both grip and durability.

The new Apex also gathered the practical experience of many world-class long-distance runners. For example, Ugandan half-marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo once wore an early prototype shoe in the London Marathon and reported that the inside of the shoe slipped easily when cornering, prompting the team to improve the coverage. Nike then went to the training base in Kenya and invited marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge and former women's marathon world record holder Brigid Top players such as Kosgei participated in the test. Kosgei even tried out four prototype shoes in turn during 12 sets of 1,000-meter interval training to help the team adjust weight, cushioning and traction performance. After actual combat tests at the three major marathons in London, Chicago and New York, Apex is about to move from exclusive equipment for top runners to the public and is expected to be officially launched in January 2027.

Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge also personally participated in the testing and improvement of the new generation of Nike Apex racing shoes.

Nike Apex marathon racing shoes, 11,700 yuan, expected to be launched in January 2027.

Photo courtesy: Nike

Please refer to the announcements of each brand for the prices and specifications of the above products.