Nike launches Zoom Pegasus Turbo today

Canadian Olympian triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk and Paralympian silver medallist triathlete Stefan Daniel were on hand to celebrate the global release of the new Nike Zoom Pegasus Turbo this morning at Toronto’s Drake Hotel, followed by a tempo run and sprint in Trinity Bellwoods Park.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl-upNBF5KP/?taken-by=nikerunning

The shoe is available online at nike.com and will be in stores on August 11. Demand will be driven by the brand’s huge appeal, the shoe’s radically futuristic look, and the promise of speed delivered by the shoe’s extremely light and highly responsive new ZoomX midsole cushioning material and the aerodynamic shape of the heel (think of it like the spoiler on the back of a sportscar).

The shoe looks very much like the Vaporfly 4%, which was used in the Breaking2 project, with the same outward-curling heel collar (designed not to irritate the Achilles tendon). 

RELATED: Check out the new Nike Zoom Pegasus Turbo

ZoomX foam and energy return deconstructed

What the shoe does not have is the carbon-fibre plate found in the Elite and 4%, which was designed to maximize running economy, but deemed just too much of a good thing for mere mortal marathoners on their everyday training runs. And besides, the ZoomX foam itself delivers 85 per cent energy return, according to Nike, which means the shoe itself is designed to launch you out of your stride quickly and with maximum comfort.

RELATED: Finishing times had the world’s top marathoners not worn the Nike Vaporfly 4%

The shoe also has both a high stack height at the front (12 mm) and a drop of 10 mm from heel to forefoot, to maximize energy return.

Very cushiony shoes are generally heavier than performance shoes, but the ZoomX foam is Nike’s lightest foam, resulting in the best possible combination of comfort and performance. 

Expected to sell out quickly like its predecessors the 4%, the Turbo retails for $240.