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Guest Author: John Clayton, @clayton_endurance_junkie
I’ve been a fan of the Nike Pegasus line for a couple of years now. With the trickle down technology coming from the Breaking Two Project, the Pegasus has really found new life. I recently signed up for my first ultra marathon trail run, and I was looking for the perfect shoe for the race. I have run in New Balance trails shoes and Solomon Speedcross shoes in the past, but never really felt comfortable in them.
I saw a Facebook ad for the Nike Pegasus 36 Trail shoe (I swear they’re stalking me) and decided to try them out since I’ve had such good luck with the road versions. A few days later the shoes arrived, I tried them on, and they felt surprisingly similar to the road version. Sure, they felt more supportive and the lugs on the sole made a squeaky sound on my kitchen floor, but the familiarity of the Pegasus line was still there.
I took them to out on a dirt road for a test drive. I ran a very comfortable 8 miles in them. I was planning on doing 4 or 5, but they felt so nice I gave them a few more miles. I knew right then that I had found my shoe for the ultra. During the race the shoes performed great! It was a pretty technical trail with tons of roots and rocks just high enough to turn your ankle or twist your knees.
The soles of the shoes are just squishy enough to provide the cushion you need over the rocks, and stiff enough to give you the responsiveness need to handle switchbacks and uneven terrain.
The shoes held up the entire race and my feet, although tired, felt uninjured and comfortable at the end of the race. I’d highly recommend any of the Pegasus line of shoes to any runner, beginner or experienced, and if you’re looking for a great, fast, and responsive trail shoe, the Nike Pegasus 36 Trail is it.
SPECS
Price: $130
Weight: 10 oz
Heel Drop: 10 mm
Traction & Lugs: 3mm
Rock Plate: None
PROS & CONS
Pros
Very Comfortable
Light weight
Responsive
Cons
Limited Colorways
Not waterproof
Slick in muddy conditions
WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY
The Ginger Runner, @ethannewberry
The Mocko Show, @cmocko
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Johnathan Clayton is a Sergeant First Class in the United States Army. He is currently stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He and his beautiful wife have been married for almost 12 years, with an 11 year old named Riley.
John started running for fun and fitness in 2006, about a year before joining the Army. He has run close to 30 triathlons since and tons of 5k,10k, half marathon, and marathon races, in addition to road bike and mountain bike races. He considers the triathlon his sport of choice.
Prior to joining the Army, John had done a little bit of treadmill running, but when he joined the Army everything changed. He quickly realized that running is a huge part of the Army's culture, with runs 2 to 4 times a week for physical training--between 4 to 6 miles--including a 2-mile run for the Army physical fitness test.
Since moving from Hawaii to Louisiana, he found that the triathlon community is not as big and has started branching out into other endurance sports. Ultra running has really caught his eye!
You can find John on Instagram at @clayton_endurance_junkie.