By Paul Freary
Going on general sale in January 2025, I have been fortunate to get hold of pair number 281 of 500 limited-release pairs of the new Pegasus Premium.
The Pegasus Premium will be Nike’s range-topping model in the cushioning lineup, sitting above the Vomero and the regular Pegasus models.
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While the model is brand new, the name and the technology remain tried and tested by Nike. The full-length Air Zoom unit and ZoomX foam are taken from the Nike vaults, the former being a technology that’s been around for over 30 years, the latter being the prime ingredient of the brand’s latest road racing models.
Stats
Nike | Pegasus Premium |
|---|---|
Best for | Everyday, easy miles |
Support | Neutral |
Cushion | Max-cushioned |
Stack Height | 45mm heel / 35mm forefoot |
Drop | 10mm |
Weight | 9.1oz / 258g |
Suggested Retail Price | $190 |
Fit | True to size |
Rating | 9/ 10 |
Fit
The fit is true to size in both length and width, and I found my usual size, UK9.5, to be perfect from the word go. The upper, while it suited my foot shape perfectly, is rather slim. The fit in the midfoot is narrow, and the shape of the forefoot is a little ‘pointed’ or taped around the toes. Runners with broader feet may struggle, so it will be important to try first.
The upper is an engineered mesh with a circular knit, similar to the dynamic midfoot system used in the regular Pegasus. The upper is reinforced in specific areas of the lateral and medial forefoot that need more support during a run, and there’s a reflective tape that runs around the whole upper to increase your visibility to other road users in low light conditions.
The laces loop through folded-over loops, which add a little thickness to the upper in the instep area, although the padded tongue is plush with ventilation holes, so there’s no comfort issue.
The ankle collar is neatly padded, and the heel tab flares out, away from the Achilles, to reduce any potential irritation.
Nike Pegasus Premium
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Tech
Sculpted Air Zoom unit
The Air Zoom unit is sculpted and follows the natural contours of the foot, designed to carry a runner's power through the transition from heel to toe. The sculpted nature of the Airbag means it’s much more curved than the type you might find in Nike’s ‘fashion’ shoes that feature a full-length unit.
Nike says the Pegasus Premium returns more energy to the runner than any other model in the Pegasus line, and the shoe certainly feels this way. By comparison, the regular Pegasus feels rather ‘flat’ and unresponsive.
ZoomX foam
ZoomX foam runs the full length of the shoe, sitting directly below the foot and above the Air Zoom unit. ZoomX is Nike’s premium, highly responsive foam usually found in the racing and performance footwear models.
ReactX foam
ReactX foam sits beneath the Air Zoom unit at the heel of the Pegasus Premium. This combination of air and foams is designed to provide the support and cushioning that's become a family feature of the Pegasus while adding more of a springy, smoother ride.
To create a secure fit over the footbed, Nike engineers developed an upper with a circular knit reinforced in specific areas of the lateral and medial forefoot. That means you get support for your entire foot throughout a run, not just the parts of the feet that are absorbing impact.
Performance
I was very keen to pull the Pegasus Premium on and get out for my first run in them. Firstly, I love the look and styling of the shoes, as I’ve always been a fan of the Air Max models and that full-length Air Zoom unit.
The shoes were a great fit and hugged my feet very well. I do have a slimmer, more narrow foot, and although I wear regular width sizes in every shoe I have, those with a slightly narrower fit do tend to suit my foot shape very well.
I took the shoe out for an easy four-mile run. I’d run a mixed-tempo type session earlier in the day before the shoes arrived, so an easier effort was the perfect first test.
The ‘bounce’ from the Air Zoom was apparent from the very first strides, and this, combined with the ZoomX foam, makes for a very lively and somewhat entertaining feel.
At easier paces, I am a heel/midfoot striker and do tend to over-pronate a little. I often wear mild support-type shoes for my regular daily miles, but with some newer models featuring foams, such as the Brooks nitrogen-infused types, I can get away with neutral shoes, thanks to them being a little more inherently stable.
Stability
The Pegasus Premium is very much a neutral shoe. The Air Zoom unit ensures that. While it offers soft cushioning that ‘springs’ back into shape and provides a bouncy feel, it also feels like you are running with a balance ball under your feet. Because of this, any sign of excessive pronation is amplified, and you can quickly feel the shoe ‘wobble’ beneath your feet.
I did notice that, like in most shoes, if I picked my pace up a little and landed more mid than forefoot, the shoe was more stable. Perhaps because my ground contact time was reduced and, therefore, the opportunity for instability.
The instability is most evident in the rear of the shoe. This is perhaps due to the high stack of the cushioning. Coming in at 45mm, the shoe is truly of the maximal type and that naturally increases the instability.
If you have a neutral gait, you’ll be fine in the Pegasus Premium and will most likely enjoy the bouncy feel of the cushioning, which is quite amazing!
More Miles and a Little Tempo
My next run in the Pegasus Premium was a split-tempo run. I ran half a mile at around 5:20 per mile, followed by half a mile at 6:20 per mile. This type of session is one where I’ll typically wear a ‘fast trainer’ rather than a specific racing shoe. With that in mind, I felt the Pegasus Premium would be a good choice.
In my size (UK9.5), the shoe is around 320g, so it is heavier than my regular options, but I wasn’t put off massively as the shoe feels engaging enough to offer a little bounce and feedback.
At the faster pace of my interval session, the Pegasus Premium, although a little heavy, feels very capable, providing a nice level of cushioning and giving back with a subtle ‘bounce’. At the slightly slower ‘recovery’ pace, the cushioning remains excellent and, when trying to strike with the midfoot, remains stable.
Shoes Similar to Pegasus Premium
As the Nike Pegasus Premium will be their range-topping, neutral cushioned daily trainer, there are similar models from all the big-name brands.
The main competition comes from the following.
Brooks Glycerin Max
From Brooks, the Glycerin Max is the nearest competitor, but at the time of writing, I have only covered 5 miles in the shoe. We have a review of the Brooks Glycerin Max here.
My first impressions of the Glycerin Max are that it could easily become the best daily training shoe of 2025. (It goes on general release 1st January 2025)
The Brooks Glycerin 21 is a model I’ve logged plenty of miles in during 2024, and personally, it has the edge purely as it has a more stable feel than the Pegasus Premium. This is, of course, because I do prefer a more stable shoe.
Saucony Triumph 22
The Saucony Triumph 22 is a max cushioned alternative and uses a PEBA-based material, PWRRUN PB. This shoe has a very definite spring-like feel to its ride, and although neutral like the Pegasus Premium, it has a much more stable feel for a neutral shoe.
As the Nike Pegasus Premium has an almost ‘bouncy’ ride, another contender might be the ASICS Superblast 2. The ASICS is much lighter but does have a ‘fast feel’ to it and has gained legions of fans thanks to its ability to be used as an everyday ‘fast shoe’. It is lighter than the Pegasus Premium, so has that to its advantage.
New Balance 1080v14
The New Balance Fresh Foam x 1080v14 is another competitor. It offers a soft, max-cushioned feel and is the brand’s range-topper in the neutral training shoe lineup. The New Balance is again lighter than the Pegasus but perhaps lacks a little of the ‘spring’ of the Nike.
My Verdict
The Nike Pegasus Premium is the brand’s best cushioned, neutral shoe for several years. Where the Pegasus fell behind the mainstream daily training shoe options from all the other big brands in terms of cushioning, the Pegasus Premium brings the name back into contention. The Pegasus Premium is a much better-cushioned shoe than the Vomero too.
The shoe is a little on the heavy side, and that will put some people off. It’s also using the brand’s original AIR cushioning rather than a new ‘super foam’, and while the AIR does mean great cushioning, it is clearly the source of the added weight.
The shoe feels great when running, but it does come with a word of caution: it’s purely for the neutral runner.
The Pegasus Premium is a shoe that I was looking forward to trying, and I’ll continue to wear it. I’ll simply be using it on runs with a slightly higher tempo where I know I can keep up a midfoot strike and reduce instability.
If you have a neutral gait, are a fan of Nike, and simply want an everyday, max-cushioned model, the Pegasus Premium is the best Nike has to offer and certainly worthy of your consideration.
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