It’s a big day for Nike Pegasus fans. Along with the announcement of the latest version of the regular shoe, the Nike Pegasus 41, the Nike Pegasus Premium has been revealed. This is an all-new addition to the Pegasus line with a different midsole set-up to the Pegasus 41.
The most eye-catching part of that midsole is the full-length, visible Air Zoom layer. Nike has used Air Zoom units in many versions of the standard Pegasus, including the Pegasus 41, but these have been small, flat pods concealed in the midsole. New tech has allowed the brand to create the sculpted Air Zoom layer in the Pegasus Premium, which curves in line with the foot.
There’s also a layer of Nike’s best foam in the midsole, the springy ZoomX used in the Nike Vaporfly and Alphafly racing shoes, plus some ReactX foam at the heel. The combination of the Air Zoom layer and two foams in the midsole should create a bouncy ride.
In comparison, the new Nike Pegasus 41 has a full ReactX foam midsole that contains a couple of Air Zoom pods, one under the heel and one under the forefoot. There’s no ZoomX foam in the Pegasus 41, and the Pegasus Premium will probably be the lighter shoe, too.
The Nike Pegasus Premium is not to be confused with the Premium version of the current Pegasus, which is very similar to the standard Nike Pegasus 40, just with exclusive upper designs that cost a little more.
The combination of materials and inclusion of ZoomX will have some, including myself, hoping that the Pegasus Premium might act as a long-awaited successor to the popular Nike Pegasus Turbo, which was surprisingly discontinued after just two generations.
Nike did release the Pegasus Turbo Next Nature two years ago, but this used recycled ZoomX and didn’t match the ride of the original, which was one of the most versatile and enjoyable daily trainers at the time. If the Pegasus Premium can reproduce that, it could be one of the best running shoes available.
The upgrades in the midsole of the Pegasus Premium lead me to believe that it will cost more than the Pegasus 41, but Nike is yet to give the price for either of the new shoes, nor an exact release date. The Nike Pegasus Premium is set to launch this spring, while the Pegasus 41 will come out in June.
