In production · trail · Trail / Long run · $250
Nike ACG Ultrafly Trail: 38 mm heel stack, 11 mm drop, 278 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Built for trail, long run, at a target pace of 8:30–12:00 /mi on trail.
The midsole is ZoomX, tuned soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). The foam is highly resilient — it gives energy back rather than swallowing it, which is what makes the shoe feel eager when you push. 38 mm of heel stack is the modern daily-trainer sweet spot — enough foam for long miles without losing contact with the road. Combined, the ride reads as explosive at 5/5 responsiveness.
A full-length carbon plate stiffens the forefoot and works with the foam as a lever: it smooths the transition off the toes and cuts the effort of holding fast paces. It also asks for speed — at easy paces a carbon plate feels stiff and does little for you, and it is the main reason super-shoes wear out sooner than trainers.
A 8 mm drop is the mainstream middle — familiar to almost anyone coming from a standard trainer. The geometry is fairly traditional and flat, so the shoe follows your foot rather than steering it. Forefoot flex is middle of the road. It is a neutral platform with no built-in correction.
The toe-box is wide, with space for the toes to spread late in long runs. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 250 miles from the outsole, about $1.00 per mile at $250.
For the foams and plates Nike uses across its line, read the Nike brand guide.
Measured against the 542 currently-available shoes in the catalog. The bar shows where this shoe sits in that range.
Weight
269 g / 9.5 oz
6 g lighter than the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
38 mm
2 mm taller than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
8 mm
2 mm higher than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$250
90 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
5 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
5 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~250 mi
Catalog median ~400 mi
Within the Nike line it is lighter than the brand's median (295 g / 10.4 oz) and sits taller than its median stack (36 mm).
Current shoes with the nearest combination of weight, stack, drop, foam feel and plate.
Nike Ultrafly Trail
275 g / 9.7 oz · 39 mm · 8 mm drop · Carbon · $260
Carbon-plated trail racer with Vibram Megagrip and ZoomX cushioning.
Salomon Aero Glide 4 GRVL
276 g / 9.7 oz · 41 mm · 8 mm drop · — · $160
Salomon Aero Glide 4 GRVL: 41 mm heel stack, 8 mm drop, 275 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Brooks Cascadia Elite
255 g / 9.0 oz · 36 mm · 6 mm drop · Carbon · $275
Brooks' trail race shoe: PEBA DNA Gold, SpeedVault+ plate, Megagrip Elite.
New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trail
249 g / 8.8 oz · 36 mm · 10 mm drop · Carbon · $200
Carbon-plated trail racer with FuelCell bounce and Vibram grip.