Nike Pegasus 41 Review

Not many working shoe fashions stand on greater than 4 many years of historical past. That’s exactly what you get with the Nike Pegasus 41 ($140). When you’re like us, you’ve in all probability run in at the very least a handful of fashions within the shoe’s lineage. However we are able to confidently say the forty first version is likely one of the finest but. Why? Broadly talking, it’s a workhorse coach at an honest worth. It’s sturdy, versatile, and improved its vitality return, particularly for heel strikers.

The shoe’s versatility is absolutely what made us fall in love with this explicit mannequin. That begins on the backside, the place Nike employs its waffle-inspired rubber outsole. It’s grippier than most street trainers, which gave us confidence working on a number of surfaces, from pavement to non-technical dust paths and gravel roads. The claimed excessive stack on the shoe’s heel of 37 millimeters and the 27 millimeters on the forefoot make it a greater shoe for heel strikers. The ten-millimeter drop is perhaps considerably off-putting for forefoot-first runners. And the precise weight of 9.9 ounces (281 grams) per shoe (U.S males’s 10) makes it solidly midweight in comparison with different street trainers.

Merely put, the shoe’s sturdiness and flexibility led iRunFar’s Bryon Powell to make use of them all through his course-record-setting win on the Extremely Gobi 400k in October 2024. The shoe made its means into a lot of our purchaser’s guides, just like the Greatest Nike Operating Sneakers, Greatest Operating Sneakers, Greatest Half Marathon Sneakers, Greatest Operating Gear, and Greatest Highway Operating Sneakers. We’ll dig into the nitty-gritty under, however the upshot is that this: There aren’t many (if any) higher each day working trainers at the moment out there.

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Keith Kilgore, Jr. runs within the Nike Pegasus 41 in Ventura County, California.

Nike Pegasus 41 Higher

Let’s begin with the higher portion of the Nike Pegasus 41. Nike upgraded this portion of the shoe to an engineered mesh materials. And the improve is actual. The 40s didn’t have glorious breathability — we regularly felt our toes getting heat, particularly when sporting thicker socks or working in summer season circumstances. This model does. Nike additionally claims the brand new higher materials helps lower the shoe’s weight.

Nike isn’t identified for sneakers with broad toeboxes, however the Pegasus 41’s toebox is broad sufficient. I’ve pretty broad, flat toes and didn’t discover the match all through the foot too slim or suffocating. Earlier variations of the Pegasus — and Nike trainers typically — run slim. That’s not the case with the latest model of the Pegs, making it a greater shoe for extra kinds of runners. The toebox and the mid-section of the shoe are extra of an everyday match, making it nonetheless work for these with slim toes and better arches due to its lacing system and construction.

General, we credit score Nike for bettering the higher of the shoe. It’s extra breathable, lighter, and extra comfy for a wider vary of runners. This helps the Pegasus compete with Hoka’s Clifton line, New Stability’s Contemporary Foam 1080 sequence, and Brook’s Ghost sequence when it comes to being the perfect basic coach.

The midsole and outsole of the Nike Pegasus 41 make it comfy, environment friendly, and versatile. Picture: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi

Nike Pegasus 41 Midsole and Outsole

The outsole — and moreso midsole — is the place the Nike Pegasus 41 actually shines. The spotlight improve of the Peg 41 is including ReactX foam. (For more information on Nike’s midsole foams, try our Greatest Nike Operating Sneakers information.) The ReactX foam is certainly one of Nike’s premium midsole foams. It’s an improve on the React foam, initially developed in 2017 and utilized primarily in Nike’s golf, basketball, and trainers to assist stop accidents. Nike engineers and designers spent 5 years creating the ReactX foam, which debuted in 2023 within the Nike InfinityRN 4.

The improve’s upshot is a foam with better vitality return and a smaller carbon footprint. We’ll spare you the nitty-gritty nerd stuff, however Nike claims the ReactX foam reduces its carbon influence by 43% via decreased vitality through the manufacturing course of whereas additionally bettering the vitality return by 13%. We didn’t measure the vitality return, however we undoubtedly felt the development from earlier fashions. This model of the Peg has extra spring and bounce, which helped us keep environment friendly in longer runs and runs after we needed to show the legs over at a barely quicker tempo.

The Nike ReactX midsole foam discovered on the Nike Pegasus 41 is comfy and environment friendly. Picture: iRunFar/Nathan Allen

The stack peak makes the Pegs on the extra cushioned facet, however the premium foam helps preserve them from feeling like boats or overly clunky. The ten-millimeter drop might be the utmost quantity I are inclined to want. Nonetheless, it doesn’t really feel completely overaggressive.

Shifting to the outsole, Nike employs its waffle-inspired rubber outsole. In our opinion, the outsole is what actually units it aside from high street trainers from different manufacturers just like the Hoka Clifton, Brooks Ghost, and New Stability Contemporary Foam fashions, amongst others. I run a combination of pavement, gravel and dust roads and trails, and rocky, technical singletrack, all from my doorstep. For many runs, I’ll hit a mixture of a number of floor sorts. I worth a flexible shoe that may deal with many terrain sorts. That’s precisely what you get within the Pegasus 41s. Sure, these are technically street sneakers. And, no, I wouldn’t make them my go-to sneakers if I’m working technical singletrack every single day. However, in case you are like me and sometimes run a combination of pavement, dust, gravel, or crushed limestone, you need to completely have the Pegs in your working shoe rotation.

This final level concerning the shoe’s versatility is that the Pegs have change into my go-to journey shoe. After I’m not checking a bag and making an attempt to avoid wasting packing house, I’ll typically simply put on the one pair of trainers I plan on taking to the airport and onto the aircraft. If I’m taking one pair of trainers, I prioritize versatility and aesthetics. Which means I need a shoe that may deal with several types of terrain and surfaces and doesn’t scream, take a look at my dorky trainers. (Sorry, Hoka.) The Pegasus 41s have been that shoe for me over the previous 12 months.

The waffle-inspired rubber outsole discovered on the Nike Pegasus 41 makes it a flexible shoe, in a position to deal with a number of floor sorts. Picture: iRunFar/Nathan Allen

Nike Pegasus 41 General Impressions

The Nike Pegasus 41 is a strong choice for novices to seasoned marathoners in search of an all-around strong coaching shoe. It should work for the runner coaching for his or her first 5k to somebody competing in a protracted ultramarathon on variable terrain (as our personal Bryon Powell did). Merely put: this shoe will work for many, if not all, runners. It’s a workhorse working shoe that’s sturdy, versatile, and at a fantastic worth.

From the underside up, you get a few of Nike’s finest supplies and expertise. The waffle-style outsole is a traditional and versatile backside in a position to deal with pavement, dust, gravel, and crushed rock. The ReactX is the perfect midsole foam Nike presents exterior of its premium racing sneakers. And the engineered mesh higher is cozy. All of this provides as much as making a enjoyable, environment friendly, and sturdy working shoe that we love.

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Bryon Powell runs within the 2024 Extremely Gobi 400k with the Nike Pegasus 41 trainers. Picture: Daniel Keppler