A beloved training shoe has got a minimal upgrade while maintaining its lightness, writes Syida Lizta Amirul Ihsan
WHEN I told my husband that I was going to review the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36, he thought he heard the edition number wrong.
“Thirty-six?” he asked me after dinner one evening. “Three six?”
“Yes,” I answered. “Three six.”
Many runners I know run with the Peg. Podium finishers, trail runners, casual runners… the shoe seems to be able to adapt to anyone, which explains its longevity and why it never loses its lustre, even with the onslaught of technology that comes with running.
Ever since it was created in 1983, named after the winged stallion of Greek mythology, the shoe has evolved, improved and been edited to become what it is today, the Pegasus 36.
NEW RIDE
Nike Malaysia hooked two writers with its running coach, national triathlete Sue Teoh to help us with our correct running form while trying out the new ride. On the first day Teoh tried the shoe on, she said the current version is better than last year’s 35, especially when it comes to lightness and bounce.
“It’s getting closer to the Pegasus Turbo,” she says, referring to last year’s release of a supercharged Pegasus that many runners — me included — fell in love with.
The shoe is also a favourite training shoe for British runner Mo Farah. On the Nike website, he says he has been running in the Pegasus for years. “It’s a shoe I can always rely on. The mixture of cushioning and responsiveness gives me a versatile option to run fast some days and far others.”
What makes the Peg special for winners and amateur runners is how light and supportive it is to the feet. The shoe owes this to the Nike Zoom foam which helps reduce ground contact to help make runners run lighter and more comfortable.
I took it for an initial 5km run — my first after Ramadan and Hari Raya — and it felt very comfortable. The efficient energy return — or bouncability — makes me feel in control of my run so I can speed up or slow down as my training requires.
WIDE TOEBOX
As someone with wide feet, I appreciate its generous toe box, a feature Nike has vastly improved on since five years ago. When I first started running in 2010, Nike shoes were narrow that I could not buy any of them. But these days, my staple shoes all have the Swoosh.
The space cocoons my toes very well, and I can wiggle them inside. Inadequate space will make long distance running not only uncomfortable, but you will end up with chafing, which won’t happen if the shoe is well-fitted.
RUNNING FORM
The three training sessions we attended focused on the backbone of running — running drills to perfect the running form — so one can run faster and longer.
Teoh also encourages skipping forward and sideways because she says such movement will teach us how to minimise ground contact.
“You want to bounce. You don’t want to land heavy,” she says.
Ideally, she says, a runner should land on his or her midfoot followed by the heel. A fully heel landing will only make a runner susceptible injury. I still have a long way to correct my running form to run like Teoh. But in the meantime, there’s the Peg 36 to make my journey lighter.
A BRIEF HISTORY
NIKE introduced the Pegasus — intended to be the shoe for every runner — in 1983. It was designed to be half air (similar to the winged half-horse it was named after) to represent movement, quickness and the allure of flying.
Runners Joan Benoit Samuelson, Lelisa Desisa, Geoffrey Kamworor and Eliud Kipchoge all train in the Peg.
It’s Nike’s all-time best-selling running shoe.
Nike chairman, president and CEO, Mark Parker was part of the team credited with making the first Peg. At the time, he was the manager of advanced product designs and the director of design concepts and engineering.
A children’s model became part of the line-up in 1987.
The 2017 Air Zoom Pegasus Mo Farah was created to celebrate Farah’s achievements, including a red colourway (to support his favorite football club, Arsenal), the Union Jack flag and gold accents (for his gold medals).
In 2004 the women’s version was adapted specifically for the anatomy of the female foot. The women’s saddle was made more “curvaceous,” and the medial support was increased.
*Photos courtesy of Nike Malaysia
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