Topo Athletic Ultrafly 3 Product Overview
Ultrafly 3 delivers a smooth and comfortable ride with light guidance for daily training. The moderately cushioned platform features a 2-density midsole with ZipFoam™ for more long-term resilience and a higher rebound than traditional EVA. The external TPU heel counter and EVA medial post offer rear-foot stability and light pronation resistance. The engineered mesh upper provides a seamless and breathable fit, while the molded foam collar and Ortholite® footbed offer additional comfort.
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Features
- ZipFoam™
- More Cushioning and Resilience
- Proprietary midsole compound which is springier than EVA and offers more rebound over the life of the shoe
- Multi-Density Midsole
- Allows you to access two levels of cushioning: soft against the foot and firmer/more responsive against the ground.
- Lightweight Breathable Materials
- For a ‘2nd Skin’ fit and feel.
- 5MM Drop
- Our highest available drop allows you to access natural running with more under-heel cushioning.
- Typical Use
- Road Running
- Stack Height
- 28 mm heel / 23 mm forefoot
- Heel to Toe Drop
- 5 mm
- Weight
- 9.4 oz / 267 g (M9.5)
- Price
- $130
Available Colors
Men: Black/Olive, Yellow/Black, Cobalt/Black, Ocean/Green
Women: Black/Blue, Violet/Blue, Emerald/Fuschia, Wine/Black
Topo Athletic Video Review from Tony Post
Summary
The Topo Athletic Ultrafly 3 maintains the same 28 mm / 23 mm stack height as the Ultrafly 2, but is almost 1 ounce lighter than its “bulky” predecessor. The weight saving appears to come from the updated engineered mesh upper (less overlays and slightly thinner material), and also the removal of a few small rubber sections on the outsole. Thankfully this doesn’t impact grip/traction on the roads, but if you do use this shoe on wet/muddy trails, plan for a somewhat slippery experience.
The lacing system is decent, with 2 loops on the tongue for a snug, no-move fit. There’s also the extra hole at the top of the stack if you need some added lockdown. I tend to use the method to avoid “heel slipping” as featured on the Topo Athletic website. The tongue isn’t bulky and fits really well on top of the foot – definitely nothing to worry about here.
Another update over the Ultrafly 2 is the external TPU heel counter, which gives some structure to the heel box and cradles the back of the foot to keep everything in place. The new heel counter fits snugly and is plenty comfortable thanks to the molded foam around the ankle collar. Again, another winner in my book.
The ZipFoam™ midsole makes for a slightly softer ride than previous models. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something to consider if you prefer the the slightly snappier feel of some of the older Topo Athletic models. The Ultrafly 3 isn’t a fast shoe per se, but it does allow you to cruise through long runs and easy days with ease. My legs never feel trashed after an Ultrafly run.
Of course, the fit is very similar to the other shoes in the Topo Athletic range – roomy in the toe box and sung through the waist and heel of the shoe. It fits true to size for me (Men’s 9.5) and thankfully there was no need to size up or down in this model. The Ultrafly 3 platform feels slightly wider than the Ultrafly 2 (I don’t own the previous model any longer, so difficult to know for sure), and is extremely stable without hindering your stride.
Priced at $130, the Ultrafly 3 is very good value. I logged over 600 miles on my first pair and am now enjoying some comfy training miles in the new Yellow/Black colorway. Give the Ultrafly 3 a try – I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
In The Press
Shop Now
- Topo Athletic
- Amazon.com – Women’s
- Amazon.com – Men’s
These look very comfortable, similar to altras