When Nike launched the original Pegasus Turbo in 2018 it immediately became a fixture in our best running shoe round-up as the top all-round option, with its winning blend of speed and comfort.
The Nike Pegasus Turbo 2 followed in 2019 and then suddenly the line ended. Nike didn’t release a Pegasus Turbo 3 and runners were left looking around for a shoe that offered a similarly versatile ride they could use for training and racing (that shoe was the Saucony Endorphin Speed, if you’re wondering).
Now the line has been resurrected in the form of the Nike Pegasus Turbo Nature. The Nature in the name speaks to the fact the shoe has a midsole made from at least 55% recycled ZoomX foam, and the upper is made from 100% recycled Flyknit yarns that are dyed using a new process that uses less water. Overall the shoe is made with at least 50% recycled material by weight.
It’s a double-whammy of good news then, in that one of the best Nike running shoes is coming back and now it’s less harmful to the environment. The midsole has the same rough-hewn look as the ZoomX foam on the Alphafly NEXT% Nature, which spotlights the reuse of materials, while the Flyknit upper has the signature go-faster stripe down the middle seen on the original Pegasus Turbo.
Details on the shoe are otherwise sparse. We don’t yet know its price or launch date, and whether the use of recycled materials will affect performance – though we do know the Alphafly NEXT% Nature was more expensive and a little heavier than the standard version of the shoe.
We will get answers to all of the above as soon as possible, as well as reviewing the Pegasus Turbo Nature when we can get hold of a sample. The original shoe used two foams in the midsole: the top layer was Nike’s bouncy and lightweight ZoomX foam and the bottom was its more durable React material. This created a cushioned but speedy ride in a shoe that lasted longer than the Vaporfly and Alphafly racing shoes, which have just ZoomX in the midsole. Hopefully the new shoe will be just as impressive.
