For a shoe to be on its 39th iteration, it must be doing something right. The Nike Pegasus is a workhorse of a shoe — designed to cope with miles and miles of training. It’s one of the best Nike running shoes and one of the best running shoes on the market full stop, but when will the new Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 39 be available to buy, and what’s different from the Pegasus 38?
The Pegasus has undergone some changes in the past few years — when the Nike Pegasus 37 hit the market with Nike’s React midsole foam, Pegasus fans were divided. Some loved the ‘pop’, others longed for the slightly less responsive midsole foam of previous versions.
With the Pegasus 38, Nike attempted to fix some of the fit issues reported in the 37 — the toe box was wider, the laces do up slightly differently and there was cushioning beneath the tongue for a comfier fit. Nike also fixed the shallow heel cup of the Pegasus 37, which many runners found caused blisters on the run.
Read on to find out more about what Nike says it has changed in the Pegasus 39.
Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 39: Price and release date
The Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 39 is available to buy for members on its UK website right now, but it’s thought the wider release date is later in April. It is widely rumored that the shoes will be released on April 28.
Like previous releases, the shoe costs £109 in the UK and $120 in the U.S. Similar to the Pegasus 38, it’s also likely the shoe will be available in a wide variety of colorways, although at present in the UK, the shoe is only available in a light blue and black in the men’s colorways, and a white and pink, pale pink, white and black colorway in the women’s version.
It’s also likely the sizing will be the same as the Pegasus 38, which runs from a U.S. size 6 to a U.S. size 15 in the men’s version; and a U.S. size 5 to a U.S. 12 in the women’s.
Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 39 vs Pegasus 38: What has changed?
While we’ve yet to run in the shoe (we will be updating this page as soon as we have) at a first glance, the Pegasus 39 looks similar in design to the Pegasus 38, with a wider forefoot for stability, a good amount of React foam for underfoot cushioning, and a hardwearing outsole for durability.
But what has changed, and why would you invest in the newer version of the shoe? Nike says the upper is lighter on the Pegasus 39 than it is on the Pegasus 38, making it more comfortable to wear in warmer running conditions. While the shoe still has the same padded collar, Nike has said it has added engineered mesh throughout the upper for a more lightweight, breathable feel.
We’d say the biggest difference is likely to be felt underfoot, as Nike has added a second Zoom Air unit to the midsole. The Zoom Air unit first appeared in the Pegasus 37 under the ball of the foot, in an attempt to give the shoe more of a snappy, responsive feel underfoot. In the Pegasus 39, Nike has added a unit to the back of the shoe, under the heel, for what it is calling an “energized heel.”
Without running in the shoe, it’s impossible to draw any conclusions, but it’s likely that this will remain a decent all-rounder. For beginner runners, it’ll be a comfortable shoe to help you add to your weekly mileage, for more experienced runners, it’s likely to be the shoe you reach for on those long, easy training miles.
Watch this space for our full impressions.
Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 39: What we want to see
Every runner will have his or her favorite Pegasus, for me, it was the Pegasus 36, which despite not possessing the React foam, had a wonderfully relaxed feel I enjoyed on my long runs. It definitely takes a few years for a brand to tweak a new design, so in the Pegasus 39, I'm hoping for that same lightweight, responsive shoe, that'll get me through my next marathon training schedule.
