Discontinued— we no longer see this shoe in stock.
How it ranks
The Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 36 Trail rates in the 86th percentile overall among trail shoes. Its strongest dimension is looks (95th percentile); its weakest is value (8th). Of 8 runners who came to it from another shoe, 5 preferred it to what they ran before.
Based on 13 runner reviews.
Very good
i
Overall rating
We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a
shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related
product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely
rating range.
Better Shoes Rating
Very good
(89/100)
Compared To Other Shoes
Scores better than 86% of shoes
Compared with all shoes
The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.
89/100
Overall
Overall rating
We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a
shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related
product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely
rating range.
Better Shoes Rating
Very good
(89/100)
Compared To Other Shoes
Scores better than 86% of shoes
Compared with all shoes
The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.
Very good89
Appearance
Appearance rating
We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a
shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related
product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely
rating range.
Better Shoes Rating
Exceptional
(96/100)
Compared To Other Shoes
Scores better than 95% of shoes
Compared with all shoes
The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.
Exceptional96
Durability
Durability rating
We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a
shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related
product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely
rating range.
Better Shoes Rating
Very good
(85/100)
Compared To Other Shoes
Scores better than 78% of shoes
Compared with all shoes
The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.
Very good85
Cushioning
Cushioning rating
We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a
shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related
product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely
rating range.
Better Shoes Rating
Very good
(82/100)
Compared To Other Shoes
Scores better than 73% of shoes
Compared with all shoes
The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.
Very good82
Comfort
Comfort rating
We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a
shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related
product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely
rating range.
Better Shoes Rating
Good
(74/100)
Compared To Other Shoes
Scores better than 52% of shoes
Compared with all shoes
The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.
Good74
Value
Value rating
We estimate how this shoe ranks by combining runner ratings, whether reviewers say they'd buy a
shoe again, and direct comparisons to other shoes they've run in. We also consider related
product-line performance and trusted external ratings. More review data helps narrow the likely
rating range.
Better Shoes Rating
Below average
(57/100)
Compared To Other Shoes
Scores better than 8% of shoes
Compared with all shoes
The shaded band shows the rating range we think is most likely.
Below average57
What runners say
“Cushioning softens bumps without deadening ground feel”
Great shoes for Trail, Track, Road, City, Travel. Its comfortable, fast and stylish, many qualities which adds up for multiple terrains.
no headaches
Comfort
4/5
Cushioning
5/5
Durability
5/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
4/5
Nike Pegasus Trail
Anonymous runner · Aug 10, 2019
4/5
Overall
The best thing I can say about this shoe is that it makes running on trails feel as close to running on the road in a normal pair of Pegasus as possible. I'd always either had fell-running shoes or road shoes but chose the Pegasus Trail as I like the road version and thought they were worth a try.
They're great for long distances on technical trails (I just got back from 19 miles) and can also be used for quick trail race (I did a 17.30 trail 5k race in them). I wouldn't advise running off-trail or on any rugged terrain more suited for out and out fell/ mountain shoes but for those muddy, slippery runs that have bits of roads, bits of woodland, the odd stream crossing and lots of mud, they're great.
The fit is great and sizes up well with standard Pegasus - the trail version does seem to have a roomier toebox though.
A pleasure to run in.
Comfort
4/5
Cushioning
5/5
Durability
5/5
Appearance
4/5
Value
4/5
Reader review
Anonymous runner · Jul 23, 2019
5/5
Overall
Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
4/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
4/5
A good jack-of-all trades trail shoe.
bitterboy · Jul 21, 2019
5/5
Overall
This is the perfect trail shoe for people who don't need a specific shoe to match conditions.
Beginning with the outsole, the 4mm lugs are long enough to hold in mud, but not get in the way when the trail turns rocky or dries out. The rubber isn't sticky, but grips well enough on dry and wet rock. On the downside, the channels on the bottom clear mud out pretty well, but there has been some caking on the forefoot after some muddy workouts. Cushioning is good: On rocky trails, the cushioning softens out most bumps, but doesn't deaden the feeling of the ground so much that you lose track of the surface. Front protection is good too and stubbed toes haven't been an issue.
Fit is similar to the road Pegasus from the heel to the midfoot--snug, but not tight, but the toebox feels a little wider than the road edition, but not loose.
The upper is thinner than the road model and doesn't retain water, but it stills feels like it provides protection.
I have lighter shoes for trail races and prefer Inov 8s for really rocky trails, but this shoe feels like an ideal balance for a variety of trail conditions and for runs where cushioning outweighs speed.
Comfort
4/5
Cushioning
4/5
Durability
5/5
Appearance
5/5
Value
4/5
Good entry level trail shoe
Anonymous runner · Jul 17, 2019
4/5
Overall
The Nike Zoom Pegasus 36 Trail is a very good entry trail shoe. It was my first pair of trail shoes and I have logged around 50 miles in them so far.
Looks
The Pegasus 36 Trail looks alright in my opinion, but depending on your tastes you may like it. Being a Nike shoe, it is obviously more understated than its competitors, which many appreciate. I however would prefer a more flashy, colored shoe to match the trail theme. In fact the women’s version of the shoe does offer some of these themes, so it is disappointing to see the male color options are so dull.
Comfort + Cushioning
There is amble cushioning on this shoe that makes long runs on any terrain comfortable. A good midsole results in a firm and responsive ride that feels great. The heel drop feels just right on this shoe: aggressive enough that you can pick up the pace and get on your toes - particularly on uphills, but just enough to provide good heel cushioning on the downhills.
Upper
The upper on the Pegasus 36 Trail is quite durable, and feels so. The laces feel great and easy to adjust to the right tightness; as someone who trains in Adidas for both their trainers and workouts, which use an individual-tightening lace system, it feels great. Most notable of the upper is the thick, solid heel counter. I have had huge problems with blistering on the back of my heels from shoes with solid heel counters, but the generous sizing of the Pegasus means that I haven’t had that problem with this shoe.
Sizing
This is a bigger shoe, but I would still recommend buy your shoe size as expected. Fits well and offers good toe room. Have not struggled with blisters at all with this shoe.
Support:
The bulk of the support of the shoe is on the outside, to prevent twisting the ankle on uneven terrains. Despite this I still felt my ankles slip occasionally on surfaces I would have expected the shoe to grip or support.
Lower:
The issue with grip is further highlighted in the lugs; they are quite low compared to other trail shoes and therefore don’t feel particularly “grippy” on steeper downhills. The tradeoff off for this is, for a trail shoe, they aren’t too bad on concrete. I have viably used these on concrete trails/road, and they feel like normal shoes. However, I would not recommend using them as daily trainers if most of your mileage is on the concrete, as you will still feel slight slipping — and running on wet concrete becomes basically impossible. However the important conclusion here is that, despite being a purpose built trail shoe, the Pegasus 36 Trail is quite adaptable on all surfaces.
Value
The Pegasus 36 Trail is by no means a budget shoe, and by merit of being a trail shoe, this isn’t going to replace your daily mileage trainers. However, the adaptability as previously mention does give the Pegasus 36 Trail some bonus points in this category, as you can feasibly take it on to the roads, which gives it decent value.
Conclusion
For me, the Pegasus 36 Trail is a good shoe. While it lacks the support and grip I expected from a trail shoe, it made up for it by being a far more adaptable piece of equipment, allowing me to sub in some miles on the concrete. It is one of the most comfortable shoes I have worn, and holds up over long runs and tougher terrains. I feel that experienced trail runners may be turned away from the Pegasus 36 Trail for its average support and lower grip, but for a beginner runner used to roads like me, this is a great entry level shoe.
