Nike Alphafly 4 Goes On Wide Release

• The Alphafly 4 had an early, limited nike.com release on September 17, with broader availability from October 29 at nike.com and select retailers^[1]
• Nike says it delivers 10 percent more energy return than its predecessor and is 5 percent lighter in a men's size 8.5^[1]
• It retails for $280^[4]

Notable features

• New Atomknit upper, ZoomX LT foam (up to 17 percent lighter than standard ZoomX, 8 percent more energy return) layered with ZoomX around the Flyplate^[1]
• Carbon-fiber Flyplate with Alphafly's propulsive scoop, dual forefoot Air Zoom units and a Fast Shot outsole^[1]
• About 188g/6.6oz and an 8mm drop (men's US 8.5/women's US 10); $280^[4]

• Nike put the Alphafly 4 on sale in a small first drop on 17 September 2026, which sold out within minutes in Europe and North America; the wide release on 29 October brings it to nike.com and select retailers, and a U.S. running retailer lists it as orderable from that date at $279.95 (Nike model IU4686-002).
• The wait was long: roughly two years and eight months after the Alphafly 3 in January 2024, the longest gap between versions of the line, with Nike saying it held the shoe back rather than ship a minor update.
• Geometry stays within World Athletics limits: 39 mm of stack at the heel and 31 mm at the forefoot, an 8 mm drop, so the heel sits 1 mm under the 40 mm road-racing cap.
• Reviewers quote 208 g for a men's US 10, 188 g for a women's 10 and 168 g for a women's 8, so the 'about 188 g' figure depends on the size being weighed.
• The midsole mixes standard ZoomX with a new lighter ZoomX LT placed above and below the carbon plate; Nike says the LT foam is up to 17 percent lighter and returns 8 percent more energy, and that the whole shoe is 5 percent lighter with 10 percent more energy return than the Alphafly 3. These are Nike lab claims, not runner results.
• The Flyplate is wider through the forefoot with a more pronounced rocker, and the forefoot Air Zoom pods were rebuilt to be softer, lighter and quieter after athletes complained that the old pods squeaked in races.
• The Atomknit upper adds midfoot cables and open-mesh venting, the Fast Shot outsole is thin rubber for road grip, and Nike quotes up to 300 miles of use. Coverage frames the shoe as a race-day tool for marathon runners of all paces rather than elites only.