Anger Erupts as Nike’s Sold-Out £500 ‘Super Shoes’ Spark Resale Frenzy
Nike’s highly anticipated Alphafly 3 running shoe, famously worn by the late Kelvin Kiptum, triggered a wave of frustration among runners after selling out within minutes of its release.
Scheduled for general sale at 8 am on Thursday, March 7, the UK launch of the Alphafly 3 witnessed a rapid depletion of available sizes, leaving many potential buyers empty-handed. Priced at £284.99 by Nike, the carbon-plated shoe swiftly appeared on resale platforms like eBay at inflated prices, reaching over £500 in some instances.
Kiptum, who tragically passed away in a road accident in Kenya in February, had sported a prototype of the Alphafly 3s when he made history by becoming the first man to officially run a marathon in under 2 hours and 1 minute at the Chicago Marathon in October.
The Alphafly 3’s second release follows the January debut, which also sold out in record time. Described as Nike’s lightest model yet, the shoe weighs 218 grams with an 8mm heel-to-toe drop and a 40mm stack height at the heel.
The swift sell-out and subsequent appearance of the shoes on resale platforms drew ire from many aspiring buyers, highlighting ongoing concerns about the accessibility and fairness of acquiring sought-after footwear.
Nike is not alone in facing such demand; Adidas encountered similar challenges with its Adizero Adios Pro 1s following Tigist Assefa’s record-breaking performance in the Berlin Marathon. The Adidas shoes drew controversy when reports suggested they were designed for single-use despite their £400 price tag.
The allure of marathon shoes, particularly those featuring carbon plates like Nike’s Vaporfly and Alphafly models, has soared in recent years as runners seek performance enhancements. However, the proliferation of these high-tech shoes has also sparked debates about fairness and regulation in competitive running, prompting governing bodies to impose restrictions on stack heights for track and road races.
