Nikes oldest and quite possibly most successful shoe – the Pegasus – returns with a 37th version.

The reliable neutral daily trainer has a major remake for the 2020 edition, but with everything different that has made it successful is still the same.

The most significant change is in the midsole with a shift to React Foam. The Zoom airbag which was traditionally full length is now only in the forefoot and is tuned differently for men and women.

The upper ditches Flywire for midfoot bands providing better adjustability and fit. A lighter and more translucent upper make it closer to the Turbo with a more airy, breathable feel.

True to form, the Pegasus 37 has a narrow fit. This was most noticeable in the forefoot when I placed the shoe on for the first time. This is an area of contention for me and often times can be a real deal breaker with a shoe, but with the 37 the more miles I put on the more this improved.

The switch to React is a game changer for the Pegasus. The responsive ride was impressively noticeable on my initial outings.

The slightly harsh ride I have experienced with previous versions was gone and replaced with a healthy pop that left my legs fresh after longer outings.

The front loaded Zoom units were really noticeable particularly when running down hill. It seems to me that this redesign is the wake up call the Pegasus needed.

No doubt about it the shining star of the Peg 37 is Midsole.

While React foam has been been around for several years it is new to the Pegasus. What is new is the more responsive ride that feels futuristic when compared to Cushlon. While both of these are a firmer foam React is a lighter and far more responsive and forgiving especially over longer runs and the perfect balance between soft and firm.

I would not describe the ride as bouncy but snappy and certainly more lively than before especially as faster speeds. What I really liked was that the responsiveness is just as consistent weather I was running fast or slow.

Undoubtedly the most famous part of the Pegasus has been the Air Zoom unit.

That said Zoom Air is still a major component of this midsole, but it too has a major shift in design.

When Nike started the update on the Pegasus they began to look at the preferences between men and women. What they found was women preferred a softer landing to men.

The importance of this plays into the tuning of the Zoom unit which is gender specific in the Pegasus 37.

As I touched on earlier the Zoom unit is no longer full length but is now top loaded and only in the front of the shoe. The bag is now 10mm thick, up from 4mm in the 36, and tuned with 15psi of air for the women and 20 psi for the men providing the women with the softer ride they prefer. While the bag is not a carbon plate the pillow added a very attractive pop in the toe off of the shoe.

This is a super well cushioned element that was dense and responsive at slower paces and really “popped” into action when my pace picked up especially going down hill.

The waffle outsole continues to offer awesome traction. This shoe grips everything and I even found it better on trails than the WildHorse that I recently tested.

A lighter, denser, and more translucent mesh forms the base of the new upper.

This mesh was very breathable and form fitting moving nicely with my foot. The tongue of the shoe has uses a bit less padding and is fully gusseted holding it comfortably in place and kept debris out. Flywire lacing has been replaced with wide straps.

This change gave the the 37 a much more consistent tailored fit than Flywire which often created pressure points for me. Nike has kept the tapered, elf ear, heel collar that didn’t feel very secure.

This was initially a annoyance when I first began to run in the shoe, but became a problem when hard cornering or when I picked up the pace and experienced slippage.

I was able to remedy this using the lace lock holes, however by the time I finished rigging it had barely enough lace to tie my shoe. As is the case for myself and many others I found the forefoot a little narrow/tight;

However, the mesh of the upper seems to have saved the day , and after about the first 10 miles the toe box opened up a bit making it tolerable.

37 iterations of a shoe is very impressive and really a testament of how reliable, well designed, and loved the Pegasus is.

I used the Pegasus many years as a high school cross country runner because I knew what I was getting and loved the fact that it was an all in one shoe.

I could daily train, run speed workouts, and race and with just one shoe. Brilliant!

That consistency remains the same even today with the Pegasus, and is a shoe I will turn to when I’m questioning others because I know exactly what to expect.

It’s still early and there will be more shoes to test, but right now the Pegasus 37 is most certainly going to be a “daily trainer of the year” front runner.

I really feel that the switch to React foam has created quite possibly the greatest Pegasus that I have run in.

If you are a diehard Pegasus runner you will love these even more, and if you’re a runner on the fence about giving the Pegasus a shot these are the ones.

We purchased a pair of Nike Zoom Pegasus 37 at running warehouse with our own money. Our review is impartial and written after running more than 50 miles in the shoes.