In a flash of sparks and flurry of feet sporting the latest Nike Pegasus Plus, over 100 runners took off in hopes of claiming a $1500 prize. Seemingly last minute, Nike Running, Heartbreak Hill Running Company, and Brick Layers Union Running Club organized an unsanctioned race around the Boston Chestnut Hill Reservoir. Runners that RSVP’d were able to race in the spiritual successor to the Pegasus Turbo and I was fortunate enough to demo a pair!
As a huge fan of the original Nike Pegasus Turbo model, which was out of production by 2020, I was excited to hear that the Pegasus Plus were releasing in August 2024. The original Pegasus Turbo was one of the first “super trainers”, shoes that use the same highly responsive foam as the popular Vaporfly and Alphafly, but without the carbon plate. It was super popular amongst the enthusiast running community but was cut out of the product line, likely because it was hurting both Pegasus and Vaporfly sales. Fortunately, they’ve brought the shoe back, and changed very little.
Silhouette
The new Pegasus Plus has a silhouette similar to the Vaporfly 3; Nike will often take aspects of the racing shoe design and trickle it down to the trainers for a consistent look. The midsole is fully ZoomX and tapers slightly to a chopped off heel.
Fit
The upper is now a much lighter Flyknit knit, rather than the stiff synthetic weave of the Pegasus 1 and 2. This upper felt like it hugged my foot a lot better. I found these shoes to be similarly roomy, they fit about a half size larger than what you would normally wear in a Pegasus. I wear anywhere from a 9.5 to a 10, and the 9 fit better for me.
Cushioning and Feel
The stack height is about 35mm in the heel and 25mm in the forefoot, but still shares the same “thin” feeling I found in the Pegasus Turbo. The ZoomX foam is incredibly light and quite responsive, but not as dense as Nike’s React foam. Without a carbon plate cushioning it, or Air Units within the heel or forefoot, it feels soft and a bit squishy. That said, it’s super lightweight and feels exactly like the Turbo, which I love.
Final Remarks
While I’ll certainly get a pair, I do wonder if they’ll be as popular as the previous Turbos. There are a lot of other shoes on the market now from other brands that feel similar, such as the New Balance FuelCell Rebel. They won’t replace my Pegasus 41, but I can see them fitting into my faster paced runs when I don’t want to wear out my Vaporfly.
