Shoe Review: Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 37

The Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 37 is the newest edition of one of the longest tenured—and best-selling—running shoes on the market today, and some major changes this year improved the overall ride and feel of the shoe.

Nike updated the esteemed Pegasus 37 after a couple years of making only minor tweaks here and there. The new Peg hits the ground running this year with a revamped midsole, a more substantial Air Zoom unit and a refreshed upper.

Shop Now

Based on testers’ feedback, designers also tuned the men’s and women’s models specifically for each gender. The updates help the Peg maintain its spot among the best Nike running shoes of the year.

Fleet Feet runners tested the new Nike Pegasus 37 to see how the updates affected the ride, look and feel. Here’s what they thought about the changes.

Tech specs

Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 37

Weight

8.28 oz (W8), 10.05 oz (M10)

Drop

10 mm

Stack height (heel/toe)

24mm/14mm

Zoom Air PSI

~15 PSI (W), ~20 PSI (M)

Midsole foam

React

Category

Neutral

Use

Everyday training

New Upper, Same Streamlined Feel

The Nike Pegasus 37 running shoes sit on the ground

Nike pared down the Pegasus 37 to deliver a lightweight feel.

Designers draped the shoe in a thin, nearly translucent mesh upper that delivers a feathery fit and aerodynamic look. The lightness of the upper makes the shoe breathable and flexible, and it provided instant comfort to one tester.

“Right out of the box the shoe feels comfortable,” she says. “I immediately noticed the toe box felt wide enough to easily accommodate my foot. And the heel collar is cushioned, yet streamlined, which offers a balance of performance and plushness.”

The heel collar flares slightly away from the Achilles tendon, which helps mitigate any rubbing while acting as a natural pull tab to help get the shoe on. The tightly woven mesh creates a one-piece upper that’s seam-free inside and out, and the only reinforcements are around the eyelets.

Nike created eyelets from wide midfoot bands and threaded flat laces through them. Like the Pegasus 36, there are only five eyelets up each side of the shoe plus an empty sixth lace hole at the top that lets runners use the marathon lacing technique if necessary.

One tester says the midfoot feels pretty snug on her foot, which makes the shoe feel more like a performance model. For runners who need more space, Nike also builds the Pegasus 37 in wide sizes.

High Performance for All Runs

The outsole of the Nike Pegasus 37 running shoe

The formidable Pegasus has long been a crowd favorite, and it doesn’t let up this year.

Fleet Feet testers say the Pegasus feels peppy from the get-go. The Zoom Air bag in the forefoot provides instant bounce even when just walking around the house, and the React foam midsole gives it a smooth ride.

Like the 36, though, one tester says the Peg 37 shines with a quick turnover and snappy step.

“The 37 really helps guide better running form,” she says. “I feel like when I focused on my stride—my landing and toe off, particularly—I really felt the full design of the shoe working it’s magic.

The combination of the Air bag and the React foam make the shoe feel nimble and soft, which positions it in the middle of the spectrum between racing flat and full-cushioned trainer.

Nike coated the midsole in a durable rubber outsole. The familiar outsole design carries over from previous versions, but it was a slightly different look than last year.

Designers split the rubber in the forefoot to create a large groove that runs horizontally through the toe, roughly where a runner’s toes would bend. The outsole enhances the Peg’s smooth transitions, but one tester felt a little less confident on wet pavement.

“I’ve done all of my running in this shoe during the rain and on wet pavement, and I think the traction could be better there,” she says.

Nike Pegasus 36 vs. Nike Pegasus 37

A side-by-side comparison of the Nike Pegasus 36 and Nike Pegasus 37

Nike made a lot of updates to the Pegasus 37, but it still rides the line between fast race-day shoe and full-cushioned everyday trainer.

Before you lace up, the most obvious change is the upper. The new mesh is thinner than the mesh on the Peg 36, but it’s still free of any extra overlays or reinforcements that might reduce the shoe’s flexibility.

The Peg 37 also changed out the Flywire cables used last year for a wider type this year. This version now has broader midfoot bands that anchor the laces and wrap the midfoot.

Beneath the shoe, Nike swapped out the Cushlon foam midsole for a new React foam one. React is a proven performer, lending its name to shoes like the Nike Epic React Flyknit 2 and the ultra-cushy Nike React Infinity Run (although the Peg’s React doesn’t have the same organic, squiggly pattern on the sidewall).

Nike says the React is lighter, more responsive and more durable than Cushlon. There’s also more cushion beneath the 37: Nike increased the stack height by 2 mm, measuring 24 mm in the heel and 14 mm in the toe. The 10 mm drop remains the same.

Another major change to the Pegasus 37 is the Zoom Air unit packed into the midsole. Last year’s Peg had a full-length Air unit, but the newest edition only has Air in the forefoot. Nike says it cut down on the Air to concentrate it where runners really need it..

While engineers shortened the Air unit, they also doubled its thickness. So instead of providing consistent Air from heel to toe, the Pegasus 37 packs it into the forefoot to create more rebound as runners roll through their transition and take off. And our testers could tell.

“I felt like I bounced from one foot to the next and really minimized my ground time,” says a tester, “which I immediately realized made me run a little faster without thinking too much about it.”

Nike used a similar outsole for the outgoing and incoming models, but they made slight adjustments to the shapes of the lugs—hexagons in the 36, squares in the 37—and split the rubber in the forefoot.

Tech comparison

Nike Pegasus 36

Nike Pegasus 37

Weight

9.58 oz (M10)

8.28 oz (W8), 10.05 oz (M10)

Drop

10 mm

10 mm

Drop (heel/toe)

22mm/12mm

24mm/14mm

Midsole foam

Cushlon

React

Zoom Air

Full-length

Forefoot only

Category

Neutral

Neutral

Tie side of the Nike Pegasus 37 running shoe

Gender Differences

Men and women typically have different weights, unique running forms and distinct preferences when it comes to their running shoes.

Instead of just creating one running shoe in larger and smaller sizes, many of the best running shoe brands are tweaking key characteristics to make their shoes a better fit for men and women. Nike accounted for that in the Pegasus 37 with Zoom Air units that are unique to the men’s and women’s models.

Designers took feedback from the runners who tested Pegasus prototypes, and women consistently wanted a more flexible feel. So Nike pumped the Air bags to different pressures.

Nike filled the men’s Pegasus to about 20psi and the women’s to about 15 psi to reduce stiffness.

Conclusion

The Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 37 is every bit the classic everyday trainer you’ve come to know and love but with a few major updates.

Testers love the flexible feel and bouncy combination of the burlier Zoom Air unit and React foam. Runners looking for a versatile running shoe that can carry them through long runs and uptempo workouts will find a home in the Pegasus 37, while longtime fans will appreciate the updates without losing the familiar Peg feel.

One tester says the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 37 will inspire speed and performance for most runners.

“The Pegasus 37 definitely has elements of high-performance shoes brought down to an everyday trainer,” she says. “If nothing else, this shoe will make you feel fast and confident.”

Shop Now

Still not convinced? Don’t sweat it. Fleet Feet's return policy means you can test drive your shoes and gear without risk. If you’re not happy with the way your gear performs, looks or fits, we’ll take it back within 60 days. Plus, you’ll get free shipping on orders over $99 and free return shipping on all fleetfeet.com orders. That's our Happy Fit Guarantee.

By Evan Matsumoto. Evan played many sports growing up but didn’t go pro in any of them. Now, he’s the digital copywriter for fleetfeet.com and editor for the Fleet Feet blog where he writes about different foam densities and engineered mesh uppers.

Keep Reading