Nike invited me to their launch of the Pegasus 35 here in the Philippines approximately about a month ago, so I’ve been wearing this shoe since then. I was supposed to use this shoe for my first 5K in what feels like forever and I did all of my training in them — speedwork, mileage work, what-have-you. Unfortunately I got sick the week before the race so I never ended up racing and I never got to test how fast I could go in these shoes. What I can tell you is that they feel quite light and give that pop off the ground that make me feel really fast.
Before I get ahead of myself, some background: I don’t really have any previous experience with the Pegasus line but people tell me and all of the reviews say that the Pegasus is kind of like Nike’s everyday trainer, super versatile with a loyal following. They kind of redesigned the Pegasus for this 35th edition, but wear testers say that it still feels like a Pegasus at its very core, with just some upgrades and a facelift.
Watch the full review below:
The biggest changes from the previous Pegasus versions are the extension of the Zoom unit throughout the midsole of the shoe, the removal of the lowest shoelace eyelet, and the ankle collar that takes the upper material away from your Achilles tendon (inspired by Mo Farah’s customized Pegasus shoes with a lowered ankle collar). These go a long way towards making the Pegasus 35 a very comfortable shoe that will fit a wide variety of people.
The women’s version of the Pegasus 35 has further differences. It’s got a higher arch and a narrower heel built around the anatomical differences of women’s feet versus men’s feet, and a softer Cushlon compound for a cushier ride.
My first use of this shoe was during a speedwork session with Nike Run Club, and I found myself going way faster than I thought I could have at that point in my fitness. It was really easy to stay light on my feet and increase leg turnover to get that speed I needed. I was actually quite happy to reach for these shoes every time I would go running, which doesn’t always happen when I’m testing shoes.
The one con I found throughout the testing period is how easily the Cushlon foam retains wrinkles when compressed. This was the same complaint I had with the Nike Zoom Fly. However, because the Cushlon wasn’t quite as thick, and was more sculpted, the shoe hid the wrinkles better.
Another Pegasus has come out globally, although apparently in the Philippines it’s launching only in December. The Pegasus Turbo looks much like the Pegasus 35 except in a different colorway, but it does have some marked differences. The Pegasus Turbo has some of its DNA from Nike’s “Breaking Two” Project and the Vaporfly 4% shoe that came out of that endeavor. It also uses Nike React rather than Zoom and Cushlon.
However, if you’re already in need of a new shoe, I highly recommend just getting the Pegasus 35 right now. Its ride is comfortable yet fast, and it works very well for both speed and mileage.
And check out Nike’s infographic below to help you figure out what shoe of theirs will fit your needs best:
