Best Road-to-Trail Nike Running Shoes: Nike Pegasus Trail 5
First thing first: This is not the Pegasus 41 with extra tread on the outsole. It’s a totally different shoe with some similarities and the same spirit of the famed winged horse, a spirit that wants to go (almost) anywhere at whatever speed you’d like. “Almost” because the Pegasus Trail 5 is not an overly technical trail running shoe; its lugs are shallow at 3.5mm and there’s no toe bumper. But those lugs are fully capable of taking on smoother trails and forest roads, and the shoe doesn’t feel half bad on pavement either so you can run to the trailhead and skip parking. ReactX foam in the midsole gives it a soft feel on all surfaces (softer than previous versions) and improved outsole rubber will almost make you forget there’s no yellow Vibram logo down there.
Best Nike Running Shoes for Trail Races: Nike Ultrafly
Pros
- Wide toe box
- Marathon-winning tech integrated into this shoe
Cons
- Shallow lugs might not be best for groomed surfaces
There’s not nearly as much fanfare around Nike’s trail running lineup as its road models, but there was significant buzz in 2023 when the company revealed it was bringing its marathon-winning tech to backcountry racing. It was deserved—the shoe made it into the top 10 at the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc that year—and runners are still splashing praise on it. The design that made the difference includes a toe box that’s wider than some of Nike’s other trail models and a Vibram Litebase outsole for ultralight traction. Speaking of traction, there’s one caveat here: these lugs are shallow, and best for dirt, gravel, and more groomed surfaces (there’s no toe bumper for technical terrain either). When you’re on those types of trails, ZoomX foam, a carbon plate, and a really great fit make these a joy to fly around outside in.
Best Nike Shoes for Post Runs: Nike x Hyperice Hyperboot
No, you won’t be running in the Nike x Hyperice Hyperboots, but if you are a runner and have almost a grand burning a hole in your pocket, we think these are a pair of shoes that should find a place into your footwear rotation. We did a full review on these compression boots already, but the TL;DR is that they use compression and heat to aid in the recovery process after a long session of working out on your feet, whether it’s because you ran, played tennis, or just spent a lot of hours putting the dogs to work. What we love about these shoes is that unlike other compression boots, you can walk in the Hyperboots so you don’t need to be immobile while your feet are getting the TLC they need. If peak physical performance is the goal, then the Hyperboots might be the secret to getting there.
Features of a Nike Shoe
Upper Materials: Flyknit was a major innovation for Nike when it first came out. Made of strong yet lightweight fibers, it allowed Nike to build zoned support into its running shoe uppers and reduce overall weight. Flyknit comes in different forms—the Vaporfly’s upper is quite rigid while the InfinityRN 4’s is soft and stretchy—but it’s always in a one-piece, sock-like design. Steamed and stretched, Flyknit becomes Atomknit, a lighter upper material found in Nike’s premium race shoes like the Alphafly. Many other Nike running shoes use engineered mesh, a shoe upper material that’s widely used across the industry.
Proprietary Foams: Much of running feel comes down to the foam, and Nike’s midsoles have enough fast-sounding names it’s easy to get confused. Starting from the top of the line, ZoomX is the company’s lightest, softest, and most responsive foam. To get technical, it’s a polyether block amide (PEBA) material originally used in the aerospace industry, but now it powers Nike’s top-tier racers like the Vaporfly and Alphafly (and some daily trainers including our top pick, the Vomero 17, and our favorite trail running shoe, the Zegama 2).
