Nike Zoom Fly 3

Name: Nike Zoom Fly 3
Brand: Nike
Rating: 4.2 (21 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 8.9 oz · 8mm drop · 36/28mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Nike Zoom Fly 4 replaced it

How it ranks

The Nike Zoom Fly 3 trails most daily trainers in our data. Looks and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Comfort scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 22 runner reviews and 5 other rated shoes in the Zoom Fly product line.

Below average

67/100

Overall

Below average 67

Appearance

Excellent 95

Cushioning

Good 89

Durability

Decent 77

Value

Bottom-tier 54

Comfort

Bottom-tier 52

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

90/100

High 90

What runners say

“Traction in wet is awful—lose 10-20 seconds a mile slipping.”

4/5 Full review 5 mpw training for 5K and 10K

“Upper is awful—impossible to lace right; too tight causes pressure or too loose causes sliding.”

3/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a marathon

“Achilles tendon feels the best it has in years.”

5/5 Full review 90 mpw training for a marathon

“Super tight forefoot after a mile—burning sensation like mile 20 of a marathon.”

2/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the adidas adizero Boston 6

“Shines for faster long runs—copious cushioning keeps legs fresh with springy pop.”

4/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36

“Optimal shock absorption plus significant energy return.”

5/5 Full review 90 mpw training for a marathon

“The React cushioning is responsive and reliable and stays comfortable on long runs.”

4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a marathon came from the Brooks Glycerin 17

“Withstands almost 500 miles—you definitely get your money's worth.”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon

“Unique springy ride with a nice pop in every step.”

4/5 Full review 45 mpw training for middle distance

“Upper fit is tricky—either too loose or too tight, hard to get the lacing right.”

5/5 Full review 12 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

54% 14/26

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers praise a springy, well-cushioned ride for tempo runs and faster long runs, and rate cushioning 4.6 out of 5.
Several reviewers report 300 to 800 miles from a pair.
Three reviewers use it to train for racing in the Nike Vaporfly.

Cons

Several reviewers struggle to get the lacing and forefoot fit right, finding it either tight across the top of the foot or loose at the heel.
Several reviewers find it heavy and bottom-heavy for fast sessions.
Two reviewers report poor grip in the wet, one of them losing 10 to 20 seconds a mile to slipping, and one on light snow and ice.

Zoom Fly 3 rates 67. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Nike Zoom Fly

Each dot is one version of the Zoom Fly, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

64 2016 86 2017 67 2019 64 2021 92 2022 81 2024

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Zoom Fly 6

2024 · 27 reviews

81 Good

87 Confidence
Zoom Fly 5

2022 · 33 reviews

92 Very good

92 Confidence
Zoom Fly 4

2021 · 9 reviews

64 Below average

76 Confidence
Zoom Fly 3 This shoe

2019 · 22 reviews

67 Below average

90 Confidence
Zoom Fly

2017 · 90 reviews

86 Good

98 Confidence
Zoom Fly 2 (2016)

2016 · 2 reviews

64 Below average

47 Confidence

Reader Ratings

22 ratings

5/5 10

4/5 9

3/5 1

2/5 2

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 8.9 oz
Release: 2019 Q2
MSRP: $160
Stack Height: 36mm heel - 28mm toe
Drop Height: 8mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Heavy, but nicely cushioned, faster shoe that is a nice to prep in for racing in vaporflys

4/5

Overall

I use these for faster sessions to get the feel of running fast in a plated shoe. I've run 400 miles in them and I they still feel springy and very well cushioned. The uppers have held together well, and the shoes have proven surprisingly durable. They are heavy, but good for what I got them for. The only con I have is that their traction in the wet is AWFUL, you'll straight up lose 10-20s a mile slipping. Just don't run with them in the rain.

R&R · Apr 2, 2024

5 mpw training for 5K and 10K

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Good and comfortable ride but awful upper

3/5

Overall

The shoe is well cushioned and comfortable to run in. However the upper is awful, it's impossible to get the lacing right - either it's too tight and puts a lot of pressure across the top of the foot or it's too loose and the foot slides into the front of the shoe. Paired with a loose heel because of the way the upper is designed, it really does ruin what could be a good shoe.

Anonymous runner · Nov 3, 2020

40 mpw training for a marathon

Comfort: 2/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 3/5

This shoe was a gift from https://emerchantauthority.com

5/5

Overall

As good performing employee I got a gift from https://emerchantauthority.com and I am just loving this shoe: I rate it like: Comfort = 10/10 Cushioning = 10/10 Durability = 10/10 Appearance = 10/10

https://emerchantauthority.com · Apr 11, 2020

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 5/5

Cushion and speed

5/5

Overall

Upper does not fit that well, it's either too loose or too tight, it's hard to get the lacing right. Otherwise, it's great for longer distance, my feet don't feel the pavement at all. If you like the Turbo 2 and Next %, I think you will like this one. It's bouncy, great energy return, I like it, running feels a bit easier, I don't really mind that they are apparently a bit heavy. Before buying, I was a bit worried about the stack height being a bit too much, but it's OK.

Anonymous runner · Apr 7, 2020

12 mpw training for a half marathon