UKC

So, having returned my eagerly anticipated AF 3s to the Nike store after just 13km of road running (the soles of the shoes were showing signs of wear - first picture), I got hold of a second pair. I was assured by staff in store that this was likely a one off issue, so I took their word. 

I've just returned from a 10km run only to find it has happened again. Given the location of the wear it is a surprise as I am not a heel striker. Call me blunt but after spending nearly £300 on a pair of trainers I don't expect to see this kind of wear already. 

My Hoka Clifton 9s have done 1,000km and they are still like new. 

Has anyone else faced this issue with this model?

Isn't it just cosmetic where the softer foam is sitting proud of the harder wearing black foam? 

I reckon if you had the weight iteration sole unit you probably wouldnt have noticed it, but yeah, if I'd spent £300 on a pair of shoes I'd be miffed to

Unless you're a) an elite athlete, and/or b) have copious spare cash to burn, I'm stunned that anyone would spend £300 on a pair of trainers.

These shoes are not designed to be durable, they're designed to give you more speed - they're unlikely to do both. I doubt a professional long-distance runner would use a pair for more than one serious race.

Having said all that, that does look like some interesting/weird damage there.

Slightly weird that the wear is in the middle like that, but regardless, it seems purely cosmetic as it isn't the outsole. I have plenty pairs where the midsole is similarly worn (on the outer edge tho), but that is because the outsole has gone first.

In saying that, it does look like AF3s suffer from the scourge of the modern shoe in that the outsole is a wafer-thin bit of rubber. It is probably only a matter of time before it starts to disappear too. I am now only buying shoes that look to have a substantial outsole on the heel - its making them hard to find

They're an elite racing shoe designed to be used for PB attempts etc. The best you would expect to get out of them is probably <100km. If you want a shoe that will do 1000km buy one that is designed to do that!

I have the alpha fly 2. I used them for one 10km test run and one marathon. I'm hoping they'll do me one more marathon before they're retired, and hopefully that'll give me another pb. But they're definitely not designed to do 1000km! They're race shoes

That said, mine don't have the wear pattern yours do. I suspect that's a consequence of your particular gait

Bit gutting to get that much wear on the break in run. Clearly need brand new tarmac or a track to keep them in knick.

If you want a super shoe that holds up to a bit of battering try the adizero adios pro.