Nike Streakfly 2 Review
By Andrea Myers and Matthew Klein
Nike Streakfly 2Price: $179.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 4.5oz, 128g (men's size 9 / women's size 10.5) unisex sizing
Stack Height: 26 mm heel / 22 mm forefoot
Drop: 4 mm
Shoe Purpose: Mile-10k Super Shoe
Pros: Extremely lightweight, highly responsive PEBA ZoomX midsole, lower stack allows for greater ground feel
Cons: Shoe geometry may feel like a negative drop for heel strikers, narrow/snug fitting upper
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Nike Streakfly 2 is a mile to 5k (10k for those with strong feet) super racing shoe for those who want the lightest ride possible. An engineered mesh upper provides a narrow, low volume and secure fit that hugs the foot well. The midsole is ZoomX with a full length carbon fiber plate, providing an incredibly fast and responsive ride that enables high turnover. A fantastic, super-light (4.5 oz) racing shoe for fast miles on the road, dirt, and track, the Nike Streakfly 2 is the true super-light, super-racing shoe many people have been looking for.
SIMILAR SHOES: Adidas Adizero Adios
PAST MODEL: Nike Streakfly
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Matt: The Nike Streakfly 2 fits me somewhat true to size in my normal Men's US size 10. The fit is narrow with a mildly stretchy and comfortable mesh. I found these to fit close, but I would not want a half size up. Those sensitive to toe pressure or between sizes like Andrea (see below) may want to go a half size up. The forefoot fits snug/narrow although is rounded on the lateral side. This transitions into a snug midfoot with a non-gusseted tongue. The tongue features padding on the medial and lateral sides, which helps it sit secure across the foot. It takes some effort when putting on the shoe to make sure the tongue is in the right place. The heel is snug with no major heel counter and a contoured pad around the Achilles tendon. Those with sensitive heels or Haglund issues should do well here unless the person has irritable insertional Achilles issues too, which the padding may press on. This did not create any issues for me. Despite the flexible upper, I did not have to tie the laces that tight to get a secure fit. I took these on a variety of surfaces and the upper held my feet securely on the platform even while turning. The inner mesh is also quite comfortable and I had no issues wearing this shoe up to 10k without socks. So those wanting a little more room will be able to wear these sockless like a track spike without issue.
Typical Size: Men's US Size 10
Shoes that have fit Matt well: On Cloudboom Strike, Asics Gel-Nimbus 27, Xero HFS, Topo Cyclone 3, Adidas Adizero Evo SL
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Brooks Launch 11, Diadora Mythos Vigore 3
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon S/Lab Phantasm 2, Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra
Andrea: I received a men's 8.5/women's 10 in the Streakfly 2, which is a 1/2 size up from my usual men's 8/women's 9.5. Some Nike racing shoes have fit true to size (Vaporfly NEXT% and v3 and Alphafly 1) but I have had to go up 1/2 size in others (Vaporfly 2 and 4). I am glad Nike sent a 1/2 size up because it fit like a racing shoe should, snug but with enough length in the toe box that I did not have any toe nail irritation. The upper fits (and looks like) a racing spike, meaning it is narrow throughout its length and quite low volume. Normally, this would immediately cause irritation at my 1st or 5th MTPs, but the toe box is squared off enough that I had no irritation anywhere when running. I was aware of the low volume toe box when walking around in the shoe (such as before or after a race), which was particularly noticeable over the dorsum of my big toe, but I never felt it when I was actually running in the shoe.
The rearfoot features a tiny, semi rigid heel counter which gives the rearfoot mild structure, but overall the rearfoot is very thin and flexible. There is a small amount of internal padding that wraps relatively far forward on the medial and lateral side of the heel. I had to tie the laces relatively tight to keep my heel from slipping in the shoe, but they weren't so tight that my foot was uncomfortable. The tongue is very thin and non-gusseted, but is held in place by a lace loop. I did not have any issues with the tongue folding over when donning the shoe. The laces are thin and have a small amount of stretch to them and stayed securely tied during each of my runs in the shoe. Like most spikes, this is a shoe you could go sockless in, as the interior of the upper is smooth. I wore my usual thin Balega Hidden Dry socks and had no issues.
Andrea's Typical Size: Women's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit Andrea well: Brooks Hyperion Max 1 and 2, Topo Cyclone 2, Nike Vaporfly 3, ASICS Novablast 4 and 5, PUMA MagMax Nitro
Shoes that have fit snug: Altra Escalante 4 (toe box width and volume), Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 2 and 3 (length), Saucony Endorphin Speed and Pro 1-4 (length)
Shoes that have fit large: Adidas Boston 12 (length), Adidas Adios 8 (length)
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: No
Is the Forefoot Flexible: No
How Flexible is the Shoe: Not Flexible
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Maybe
Recommended for Haglunds: Yes
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: No
Recommended for Sockless: Yes
Durability Expectation: Below Average
PERFORMANCE
Matt: The Nike Streakfly 2 is a super-light super racing shoe for shorter distance racing. The midsole features ZoomX foam with a full-length carbon fiber Flyplate. The midsole is both soft and incredibly responsive, thanks in part to the incredibly light 4.5 oz weight (men's size 9). It is slightly softer in the heel and a bit firmer in the forefoot. No matter where you land, the shoe feels light and turns over extremely well. While there is a 4mm drop listed, where you land may change that perception. Landing at the rearfoot makes this shoe feel like a zero or negative drop shoe. Landing at the forefoot makes it feel closer to a 2-4mm drop shoe. The offset certainly feels low but changes depending on where you land. The heel transition is super smooth thanks to the softer feel. This transitions quickly through the midfoot into the slightly firmer and quick transition forefoot. There is a forefoot rocker with some late stage toe spring. Despite the stiff plate, there is still some mild flexibility in the heel and midfoot. The forefoot is stiffer but is not an appropriate shoe for those with toe mobility issues. It feel smooth and is noticeably better when running faster.
While the Streakfly 2 can handle some slower miles, it only fully comes to life at high speeds. I have found it does best at 200m-400m repeats up to 5k pace. At half-marathon and above it doesn't come quite alive. I have done tempo paces in mine (Threshold Intervals 3 x 5 min) but I personally would prefer a more cushioned shoe for that effort. It has done best doing short interval fartleks and track workouts where I can really move quickly. I personally would use this shoe for mile to 5k races on the road, track and XC surfaces.
The traction does well on softer surfaces like dirt and bark dust. I have run several times on some of the trails in Newberg, OR where I work and found the shoe to grip well on mildly softer surfaces. Those who do not do well in XC spike will find the Streakfly 2 to be an awesome, potentially better alternative. On softer surfaces it feels softer, compared to feeling slightly firmer on road. The traction is not good enough for aggressive or technical terrain but light dirt and bark dust it does fine. On road and track the outsole nubs grip well even with wetness. I am surprised to note that the durability is quite good despite the lack of major outsole coverage in the midfoot and rearfoot. The extensive outsole coverage in the forefoot is doing well but despite 20 miles in my pair, there is no major wear on the outsole outside of dirt. I still expect a lower number of miles for a super shoe given the lighter frame and more exposed outsole but I may be wrong given how things are holding up.
Andrea: I have been very excited to test the Nike Streakfly 2 ever since the details about the shoe were released. I enjoyed running in the original Streakfly, but found it a little too soft to choose for a race, and primarily used them for hill reps. Streakfly 2 is very different than v1 and is a true short distance super shoe. It feels like what a short distance super shoe should feel like - very light weight, highly responsive but not too compliant, with a more explosive toe off and more ground feel than a longer distance super shoe. For previous mile races on the road, I have worn the On Cloudboom Echo 3, which was fine, but the forefoot felt too high stack to allow me to load the forefoot the way I would load a track spike. The Streakfly 2 is very much a track spike upper and geometry with a road outsole. It feels completely tuned to midfoot or forefoot landings and designed for fast turnover.
I have tested it in a couple of track workout that included reps at 3k to a touch slower than 400m pace and I have raced it in two road mile races. For my workouts, I did not warm up or cool down in it the way I would if I were using a regular trainer (or even a regular supershoe like the Vaporfly) because the geometry of the shoe is not designed for jogging, similar to a track spike. I would do my warmup in trainers and put Streakfly 2 on for strides and then the main workout. The shoe felt perfectly tuned to 400-3k pace and I could absolutely see some track racers choosing to use it for mile-5k track races if they do not want to race in spikes. The ZoomX midsole becomes more responsive the more heavily you load it, so the faster I ran in it, the better it responded. The midfoot and reafoot base is quite narrow, but the distal lateral midfoot and entire forefoot are wider, making my lateral midfoot landings feel relatively stable. The apex of the forefoot rocker is positioned relatively early and as soon as I loaded the midfoot, I could feel the rocker and ZoomX spring me forward into push off. What I particularly liked about the shoe is that even though the entire shoe is very stiff, it felt like I could compress the midsole more than I can in higher stack super shoes, which I am sure is due to the 22mm forefoot stack height as compared to others in the mid 30mm range.
The mile races I did in the Streakfly 2 were very different courses: the first one was a point to point, net downhill race and the second was a hilly out and back with a sharp U turn at halfway. I was somewhat concerned that I had not tested the shoe at mile effort on a moderate downhill grade in training, but I decided I liked the shoe enough that it was worth the risk. Even though the stated drop is 4mm, for me it feels like a 0 drop shoe, and I think for heel strikers it may feel like a negative drop shoe. I was a little concerned that this would be more apparent even for me when running downhill, but it was not noticeable at all. The midsole responded beautifully to the higher force I was putting into it on the steepest downhill sections and I still felt like I got the propulsive benefit of the ZoomX and aggressive forefoot rocker. I had zero calf or foot soreness after the race. The second race, which was the following day, starts with a moderate uphill and then rolls up and down to the turnaround, and of course finishes on a moderate downhill. I loved how light the shoe felt on the uphill sections and again had no calf or foot issues on the downhill sections. I would definitely use the Streakfly 2 for up to a 5k race, and possibly a 10k, although I would need to test the shoe at that pace and distance before being certain.
The only complaint I have about the shoe is the upper does not have enough structure to properly stabilize the foot on the shoe for the sharp U turn. This would not have stopped me from using the shoe for this race, but might mean that the upper is not stable enough for the tighter turns of an indoor track (I have not tested the shoe indoors). To save weight, there is a waffle outsole design in the forefoot with a lot of exposed midsole in the midfoot and rearfoot, with only a couple of small rubber pieces at the very back of the heel. One of my track workouts was on a partially wet track with a small puddle on one of the turns. Every time I ran through the puddle, I could feel myself losing grip. I would not recommend using the shoe on a wet track and would need to test it on wet pavement before being confident using it in a rainy road race. I have 10 miles on my pair and there is some visible wear and creasing on the exposed midsole but almost no visible wear on the rubber forefoot portion. I think the durability of the shoe will greatly depend on your individual mechanics and how quickly the exposed midsole breaks down.
Find more of Andrea's thoughts in her full video.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Matt: the Nike Streakfly 2 is a neutral racing shoe. There are no traditional stability elements. There is a mild sidewall at the medial forefoot, which provides mild guidance. Combined with a lateral cut out in the forefoot that compresses more than the medial side, this provides mild lateral guidance at the forefoot. The central groove throughout the shoe does provide some mild centeredness. This groove also allows the medial and lateral aspects of the heel to compress separately, which for those that land highly lateral may create more lateral bias. I was surprised that this shoe did not feel overly unstable for me despite the extremely narrow midfoot, although this may be explained by how I naturally react well to forefoot guidance. Those with midfoot or significant heel stability needs will not do well here, but those with neutral mechanics or mild forefoot medial guidance needs will be fine.
Andrea: The Nike Streakfly 2 is a neutral racing shoe with very little guidance features. Its geometry encourages forward landings and will therefore place higher demands on the calf, ankle, and foot. The primary guidance features in the Streakfly 2 are the extremely stiff platform, aggressive forefoot rocker, and mild midfoot and forefoot sole flare that is laterally biased. This will work well for those like myself who land too far laterally, but may be too aggressive for those with medial stability needs. The thin, flexible upper performs best when running in a straight line, and does not do a great job of stabilizing the foot in the shoe when making U turns. This may limit the shoe's use in indoor track due to the sharper turns.
Thoughts as a DPT: Streakfly 2 Characteristics for Short Distance Racing
By Andrea Myers
I have greatly enjoyed testing the Nike Streakfly 2 for some track workouts and in a couple of mile roads races. For me, it is the best shoe on the market for the mile distance - there is no other shoe that even comes close to its performance. I have written previously about the characteristics of 5k/10k racers like the New Balance SC Pacer 2 (see DPT section here), but what makes the Streakfly 2 even better than the Pacer 2 for the mile distance?
The number one factor for me is the lower stack height (26mm/22mm) of the Streakfly 2, which gives me better ground feel and the sense that I am able to put more force into the forefoot midsole foam as compared to higher stack super shoes. Some higher stack super shoes, particularly ones that have very aggressive forefoot rockers, feel like the geometry of the shoe propels me into push off before I am able to fully load the forefoot and get the full benefit of the responsiveness of the midsole. Streakfly 2 feels like the best of both worlds - it has a fairly aggressive forefoot rocker, a very stiff platform, but the lower stack height gives me that sense of hitting the ground harder, which I feel allows me to use the strength of my calves and hamstrings more extensively at push off. The drop of Streakfly 2, which is stated to be 4mm but due to the foot angle in the shoe feels more like 0 drop to me, also promotes midfoot or forefoot striking much more effectively as compared to most higher stack super shoes (Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 1-3 and Hoka Cielo X1 2.0 being notable exceptions).
Many runners, even those who rearfoot strike at slower paces, shift to a more forward landing pattern when running at mile pace, so the design of Streakfly 2 makes sense for its stated use. Nike advertises Streakfly 2 as a mile-10k shoe, so those who rearfoot strike at 5k-10k pace may find the geometry too aggressive for those distances. Runners who always land further forward, even at slower paces, may be able to use Streakfly 2 for distances up to half marathon (and I am sure there will be some runners with exceptional calf strength and foot/ankle mobility who use it for the marathon).
The final factor that makes Streakfly 2 an exceptional mile racer is its incredibly light weight. At 4.5oz for a men's 9, it is lighter than many track spikes and nearly the lightest super shoe on the market (the only shoe that comes to mind that is lighter is the 361 Miro, which comes in at 4.3oz for a men's 10). Shoe weight is known to correlate with running economy, with a 100g increase in shoe weight resulting in reduced running economy and performance in well trained runners (Rodrigo-Carraza et al 2023, Hoogkamer et al 2016). Streakfly 2 is so light that it is actually 100g lighter than some higher stack super shoes on the market today.
I hope more shoe companies will follow Nike's lead and make similar shoes designed for shorter distances, because there are many runners out there who have no interest in racing a marathon or even a half marathon, but want a shoe designed for their race distance.
Hoogkamer, W., Kipp, S., Spiering, B. A., & Kram, R. (2016). Altered Running Economy Directly Translates to Altered Distance-Running Performance. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 48(11), 2175–2180.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Matt: The Nike Streakfly 2 is an incredible update. I did not get to test out version 1 much but was not impressed when I did try it on in-store. Version 2 is one of the lightest racing flats outside of the 361 Miro and boasts far better durability and plate stiffness. It is aggressive, fast and still feels super in its own way. My only suggestion would be to consider widening the midfoot in some way and see if the negative drop feeling could be removed. The sculpting of the shoe looks like it was made for an equinus foot, or one where the midfoot and forefoot as stuck in a plantarflexed position. I would love to see this flattened out to reduce the negative drop feeling. My other suggestion is to consider widening the midfoot slightly. The midsole is tall for how light the shoe is and a midfoot that narrow may be troublesome for some people. Most people running in this shoe will transition through this area so quickly that they won't notice, but for those who stay there a little longer or when on unstable XC courses, a bit more width will be helpful from a stability standpoint.
Andrea: The Nike Streakfly 2 has lived up to my expectations and then some. I am particularly impressed by how light the shoe is - coming in under 5 oz with a carbon plate and 26mm/22mm stack height is impressive. It is without question my favorite shoe for short distance road racing. The only thing that could be improved would be to provide a little more structure to the upper, perhaps with overlays, to help stabilize the foot when making sharp turns. It would also be helpful to have a little more rubber coverage on the outsole to improve traction in wet conditions, but of course the balance is not adding too much additional weight.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Matt: The Nike Streakfly 2 is a super-light super shoe designed for shorter distances like the mile to 5k for most people and 10k for those who are a bit more experienced. The track spike geometry will work best for those who are used to lower drop, aggressive, super light shoe that want something that can turn over as fast as possible. The ride is best for those with most stable mechanics who want a soft, lower stack height (relatively compared to other super shoes), super light and incredibly responsive feel. The fit is best for those with narrow feet or who want a track spike-like fit. The lower drop will require those not used to it to carefully transition in and work on their calf mobility and strength. It is one of the first truly short-distance super shoes that will be seen on the feet of participants in many mile, 5k and cross country races.
Andrea: The Nike Streakfly 2 is an incredibly lightweight super shoe designed for mile-10k road and track races. Some people may find the geometry too aggressive for anything over a mile, and others may be comfortable taking it up to the half marathon distance. The Streakfly 2 has track spike geometry with a road outsole and is designed for midfoot or forefoot landings. Runners who heel strike even at faster paces may find the Streakfly 2 to place too much stress on their calves, feet, and ankles. Runners who are natural midfoot/forefoot strikers will likely find the shoe very comfortable, as I have had zero calf or ankle/foot soreness from training and racing in the shoe. Those who need to size up in the Vaporfly 4 will likely need to size up in the Streakfly 2 as well. I am really excited that Nike has delivered on its promise to make a short distance super shoe, and I will definitely be racing more road miles (and possibly a 5k) in the Streakfly 2 in the future.
GRADES
Matt
Fit: A- (Comfortable, thin, secure upper that fits snug with a squared off toe box. Track spike-like fit. No heel counter but a little heel pressure from the padding at the Achilles)
Performance: A (Incredibly light and responsive. Perfect for short distance running, workouts and races)
Stability: B [Neutral] (Mild medial guidance at the forefoot with a neutral heel and midfoot)
Value: B+ (Surprisingly good durability for such a light shoe. A great performance tool, albeit with a limited scope but still functions at the absolute top of its game in this area. )
Personal: B+ (A bit too aggressive for my calf muscles right now, but would be my first choice for a mile race)
Overall Design: B+
Andrea
Fit: A- (I needed to go up 1/2 size for length, but otherwise fit was completely comfortable while running. Squared off toe box provides more room for MTPs than it appears.)
Performance: A+ (The best shoe I have tested for road mile races. Super light weight, highly responsive, increased ground feel and ability to load the forefoot due to lower stack height.)
Stability: [neutral] B- (A very neutral racing shoe that feels like a track spike for the road. Nice use of lateral sole flaring in midfoot and forefoot. Upper lockdown could be better for sharp turns.)
Value: A ($180 for a short distance super shoe seems like a pretty good price, even if durability is lower because it will take longer to accumulate mileage on these shoes when training for the mile or even 5k.)
Personal: A+ (My new favorite short distance racing shoe. No other shoe comes close.)
Overall Design: A
SHOP | SUPPORT DORNike Streakfly 2Price: $179.95 at Running Warehouse
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