The Nike Pegasus 41 is considered one of our favourite all-around highway trainers, because it additionally excels on gravel, dust, and crushed rock trails. Photograph: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
Not many operating shoe fashions stand on greater than 4 a long time of historical past. That’s exactly what you get with the Nike Pegasus 41 ($140). If you happen to’re like us, you’ve most likely run in at the 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 a good worth. It’s sturdy, versatile, and improved its power return, particularly for heel strikers.
The shoe’s versatility is actually what made us fall in love with this specific mannequin. That begins on the backside, the place Nike employs its waffle-inspired rubber outsole. It’s grippier than most highway trainers, which gave us confidence operating 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 may be 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 highway 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 Working Sneakers, Greatest Working Sneakers, Greatest Half Marathon Sneakers, Greatest Working Gear, and Greatest Highway Working Sneakers. We’ll dig into the nitty-gritty beneath, however the upshot is that this: There aren’t many (if any) higher day by day operating trainers presently obtainable.
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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 wonderful breathability — we regularly felt our toes getting heat, particularly when carrying thicker socks or operating in summer time situations. This model does. Nike additionally claims the brand new higher materials helps lower the shoe’s weight.
Nike isn’t recognized for sneakers with extensive toeboxes, however the Pegasus 41’s toebox is extensive sufficient. I’ve pretty extensive, flat toes and didn’t discover the match all through the foot too slender or suffocating. Earlier variations of the Pegasus — and Nike trainers on the whole — run slender. That’s not the case with the most recent model of the Pegs, making it a greater shoe for extra forms of runners. The toebox and the mid-section of the shoe are extra of a daily match, making it nonetheless work for these with slender toes and better arches due to its lacing system and construction.
General, we credit score Nike for enhancing the higher of the shoe. It’s extra breathable, lighter, and extra snug for a wider vary of runners. This helps the Pegasus compete with Hoka’s Clifton line, New Steadiness’s Recent Foam 1080 sequence, and Brook’s Ghost sequence when it comes to being the most effective normal coach.
The midsole and outsole of the Nike Pegasus 41 make it snug, environment friendly, and versatile. Photograph: 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 Working Sneakers information.) The ReactX foam is considered 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 forestall accidents. Nike engineers and designers spent 5 years growing the ReactX foam, which debuted in 2023 within the Nike InfinityRN 4.
The improve’s upshot is a foam with larger power return and a smaller carbon footprint. We’ll spare you the nitty-gritty nerd stuff, however Nike claims the ReactX foam reduces its carbon impression by 43% via diminished power through the manufacturing course of whereas additionally enhancing the power return by 13%. We didn’t measure the power return, however we positively felt the advance 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 wished to show the legs over at a barely quicker tempo.
The Nike ReactX midsole foam discovered on the Nike Pegasus 41 is snug and environment friendly. Photograph: iRunFar/Nathan Allen
The stack peak makes the Pegs on the extra cushioned facet, however the premium foam helps hold them from feeling like boats or overly clunky. The ten-millimeter drop might be the utmost quantity I are likely to desire. 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 other than prime highway trainers from different manufacturers just like the Hoka Clifton, Brooks Ghost, and New Steadiness Recent Foam fashions, amongst others. I run a mix of pavement, gravel and dust roads and trails, and rocky, technical singletrack, all from my doorstep. For many runs, I’ll hit a mix of a number of floor varieties. I worth a flexible shoe that may deal with many terrain varieties. That’s precisely what you get within the Pegasus 41s. Sure, these are technically highway sneakers. And, no, I wouldn’t make them my go-to sneakers if I’m operating technical singletrack each day. However, if you’re like me and infrequently run a mix of pavement, dust, gravel, or crushed limestone, it’s best to completely have the Pegs in your operating shoe rotation.
This final level concerning the shoe’s versatility is that the Pegs have grow to be my go-to journey shoe. After I’m not checking a bag and making an attempt to avoid wasting packing house, I’ll usually simply put on the one pair of trainers I plan on taking to the airport and onto the airplane. If I’m taking one pair of trainers, I prioritize versatility and aesthetics. That means I desire a shoe that can deal with various kinds of terrain and surfaces and doesn’t scream, have 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 varieties. Photograph: iRunFar/Nathan Allen
Nike Pegasus 41 General Impressions
The Nike Pegasus 41 is a strong choice for newbies to seasoned marathoners searching for an all-around strong coaching shoe. It would 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 operating shoe that’s sturdy, versatile, and at an incredible worth.
From the underside up, you get a few of Nike’s finest supplies and know-how. 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 most effective midsole foam Nike provides outdoors 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 operating shoe that we love.
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Bryon Powell runs within the 2024 Extremely Gobi 400k with the Nike Pegasus 41 trainers. Photograph: Daniel Keppler