In production · trail · Trail / Race day · $260
Carbon-plated trail racer with Vibram Megagrip and ZoomX cushioning.
Built for trail, race day, at a target pace of 7:30–10:30 /mi on trail.
Nike tuned this midsole soft (4/5 on our cushioning scale). Energy return is above average: the midsole rebounds well without feeling unstable. 39 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 snappy at 4/5 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 rocker is aggressive: the sole is curved and stiff enough to tip you into the next stride on its own, which saves the calf on long runs but feels strange when you slow right down. The forefoot is stiff, so it rolls rather than bends — a lever, not a slipper. It is a neutral platform with no built-in correction.
The toe-box is standard width — comfortable for most feet without swimming. It fits true to size. Expect roughly 300 miles from the outsole, about $0.87 per mile at $260.
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
275 g / 9.7 oz
Level with the catalog median of 275 g
Heel stack
39 mm
3 mm taller than the catalog median of 36 mm
Drop
8 mm
2 mm higher than the catalog median of 6 mm
Price
$260
100 pricier than the catalog median of 160
Responsiveness
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Cushioning
4 / 5
Catalog median 4 / 5
Energy return
4 / 5
Catalog median 3 / 5
Durability
~300 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.
On Cloudultra Pro
275 g / 9.7 oz · 39 mm · 6 mm drop · Carbon · $270
On Cloudultra Pro: 39 mm heel stack, 6 mm drop, 266 g — specs from independent lab testing.
Hoka Tecton X 4(2026)
278 g / 9.8 oz · 40 mm · 5 mm drop · Carbon · $275
Twin carbon plates and a smoother ride for long, fast trail racing.
Hoka Tecton X 3(2024)
292 g / 10.3 oz · 40 mm · 5 mm drop · Carbon · $275
Dual carbon plates for trail racing — propulsive, but stable on uneven ground.
Nike ACG Ultrafly Trail
269 g / 9.5 oz · 38 mm · 8 mm drop · Carbon · $250
Nike ACG Ultrafly Trail: 38 mm heel stack, 11 mm drop, 278 g — specs from independent lab testing.