Nike Pegasus Premium — A shoe with style and substance
Weight: 330g (men’s); 278g (women’s)
Stack height: 45mm (heel); 35mm (forefoot)
Heel-to-toe drop: 10mm
Best for: Easy runs, long runs, some up-tempo efforts
The shoe
There are few running shoe names more prestigious than that of the Nike Pegasus. First launched in 1982, the Pegasus line has become a firm favourite among runners of all stripes, thanks to its comfort, stability and reliable good looks.
Now, Nike’s looking to shake things up by offering not one but three different Pegasus models: Pegasus 41, Pegasus Plus and Pegasus Premium. They all offer something different. Pegasus 41 is a neutral daily trainer; Pegasus Plus is a lighter, faster option; and Pegasus Premium offers supreme comfort and springiness.
It’s also the most stylish option of the three, with its baby-blue-and-orange colourway and full-length orange air bubble, and the most expensive at £185.
When I took the Pegasus Premium out the box, I wondered if it was a fashion shoe first, running shoe second. But, as I’ll explain below, there’s plenty of substance here to match the style.
Pegasus Premium vs Pegasus 41
They share the name Pegasus, but the Premium and 41 are quite different from each other. Thanks in part to its vertigo-inducing stack height of 45mm in the heel and 35mm in the forefoot, the Pegasus Premium is considerably heavier than the Pegasus. In a UK size 10, the shoe weighs in at 330g, which some runners might find off-putting. It also offers a springier, more premium-feeling ride. Personally, I really enjoyed this sensation, and found the shoe performed admirably well on up-tempo efforts as well as the easy running that it’s chiefly designed for?
How does the Pegasus Premium fit?
The Pegasus Premium fits true to size. I'm a size 9 in most shoes, and a size 9 in this. The toebox is fairly standard – not scrunching your toes together, but not offering Altra-levels of room, either. The tongue and lacing system are plush and secure, and the heel collar offers ample padding.
The upper is made form a combination of engineered mesh and circular knit; it feels breathable yet secure on the run, and I also felt no ‘hotspots’ or underfoot discomfort while wearing the shoe. I worried that the high stack height and relatively narrow shape might result in a feeling of instability, but this wasn’t the case, even when moving at swifter paces.
What’s the Pegasus Premium like to run in?
This shoe is really all about the midsole – and Nike has thrown the kitchen sink at it. It contains three different materials. The top layer is ZoomX foam, used in Nike’s popular super shoes, the Alphafly 3 and Vaporfly 3. In the middle is the Air Unit, essentially a full-length air bubble. It’s the first time Nike has put a full-length unit into a running shoe, and the result is a brilliantly springy ride. At the bottom is Nike’s ReactX foam, designed to provide better energy return and also increase the stability of the shoe.
On the run, this equates to supreme comfort and impressive responsiveness, given the shoe’s weight and stack height. I took it out on both easy runs and tempo efforts and was impressed – and a little surprised – by how well the shoe performed at faster paces.
Given the amount of comfort and cushioning, the Peg Premium feels like a shoe most people would be happy running high mileage in.
RW verdict
Having been initially dubious about a shoe that looks designed as much for the catwalk as the start line, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the comfort and performance creds of the Pegasus Premium. The negative aspects – its £185 price tag and relatively heavy weight – are, to me, balanced out by the premium touches in the midsole and comfortable on-the-run feel. If you're more concerned with speed, the Pegasus Plus will be the better option for you, while the Pegasus 41 offers some of the same benefits of the Premium, but with a slightly firmer feeling underfoot.
The Nike Pegasus Premium is on sale from 30 January at Nike.com for £185.
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