Shoe Review: Nike React Infinity Run

Stability comes standard in the all-new Nike React Infinity Run.

The React Infinity Run stands out in Nike’s lineup of training shoes, most notably because of the generous amount cushioning. But its shape also influences its grounded feel.

Nike created the Infinity Run to be a max-cushioned running shoe capable of handling all your training miles—and it performs as promised. Thanks to a wide midsole and heaping portion of bouncy React foam, the Infinity Run is a performance-minded cruiser that makes the long miles fly by.

Fleet Feet testers slipped into the Nike React Infinity Run for their regular workouts to see how it fits, how it performs and how it compares to other Nike running shoes. Here’s what they thought.

To be useful for long miles and big training cycles, an everyday running shoe has to fit comfortably and be durable. Our testers think the new Nike React Infinity Run nails both.

The big news on the Infinity Run is the midsole. Nike says it packed the shoe with 24 percent more React foam than the popular Nike Epic React Flyknit 2. But it’s not just taller—it’s wider, too.

Compared to the Fleet Feet review of the Nike Epic React Flyknit 2, testers felt the difference in midsole cushioning. The Infinity Run stack height measures 30.5 mm in the heel and 21.5 mm in the forefoot, and it employs and extra-wide base to mitigate any side-to-side wobbling.

It’s still React foam, though, so you can count on it to cushion every step and spring back into shape.

Designers wove a single-layer Flyknit upper to give the shoe a sleek look and streamlined fit. The Flyknit is slightly stretchy in the forefoot, and it’s dotted with micro perforations to help it breathe easily.

But it’s the integrated tongue that really shines, giving the shoe a sock-like feel.

Forgoing a traditional shoe tongue, Nike seamlessly knit a swatch of soft, stretchy fabric in its place. The elastic tongue not only maintains the shoe’s one-piece construction and clean silhouette, but the stretchiness also helps accommodate higher-volume feet.

“Everything about the shoe fits my feet well,” says a wider-footed tester. “Some shoes are too narrow for my forefoot, but the Infinity Run has enough room and enough stretch to work really well for me.”

Nike wrapped an extra overlay around the back of the shoe to give the lightweight upper extra structure in the midfoot, and they incorporated a thin heel counter to help secure your foot. There’s no extra padding in the ankle collar, either. Nike instead finished the collar with contrasting stitching.

Two testers felt a small amount of heel slippage when they were first walking around in the shoe, but both say it didn’t cause any problems when they started to run.

A generous pull tab makes slipping into the shoe a breeze, and the straightforward—albeit minimal—lacing system adds an extra layer of security to the fit. Nike only included four eyelets up the center of the shoe, which limits the ways runners can customize the lacing. But none of our testers felt the need to adjust the laces.

The React foam midsole lends the Infinity Run an energetic ride, but the shoe’s shape also plays a major role in its performance.

Nike carved the midsole into a rocker shape, similar to the curve of the midsole and carbon-fiber plate in the original Nike Vaporfly 4% marathon shoe. The rocker encourages a slight forward lean, Nike says, to move a runner’s natural footstrike to the midfoot or forefoot, which creates a natural feeling of propulsion.

Our testers are fans of the increasingly common rocker shape built into running shoes, and the Infinity Run capitalizes on its performance benefits. The Nike shoe rolls smoothly through the entire transition, promotes a quick turnover and feels much nimbler than that amount of foam would suggest.

The other unmistakable aspect of the midsole is its width. Looking at the shoe from above, the midsole flares out from the forefoot and heel to create a foundation that’s wider at the bottom than at the top.

Adding the wide base gives the shoe inherent stability. One of our testers praised the shoe’s stable feel right away.

“I noticed the stability right away,” he says. “I sometimes feel like I’m going to roll my ankle in narrower shoes, but I was never worried about that in these.”

Because the entire midsole is made from React foam, it performs as expected. Nike says React foam is a combination of two common polymers found in typical running shoe cushioning: thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). The combination makes the foam soft, springy and durable.

Our testers say the big React midsole and rocker shape are perfect for long runs, cruising after a hard workout or any moderate training built into your schedule.

Conclusion

The Nike React Infinity Run is an easy-going stability shoe that we love for its clean style and premium performance.

Nike designed the shoe for everyday runs, and that’s where it excels. The defined rocker shape allows for smooth transitions, and its democratic fit and stretchy upper accommodate a wide range of foot shapes.

Packed full of more bouncy React foam than any Nike running shoes before it, the Infinity Run is the shoe we’re excited to lace up again and again.

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 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.