Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 38

Name: Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 38
Brand: Nike
Rating: 4.5 (11 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.4 oz · 24/14mm stack · 10mm drop

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 39 replaced it

How it ranks

The Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 38 ranks below most daily trainers in our data. Durability and value are its strongest sub-ratings. Comfort scores well below its other sub-ratings. Most runners who compared it with another shoe preferred the other shoe. The rating is based on 22 runner reviews and 19 other rated shoes in the Pegasus product line.

Decent

Overall

Decent 72

Durability

Excellent 95

Appearance

Good 87

Value

Good 87

Cushioning

Below average 68

Comfort

Below average 65

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence is low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

97 Very high

Very high 97

External retailer ratings

We break apart ratings from mass-market retailers and specialty running shops since they serve different audiences.

The middle of the bar marks the typical shoe at each type of retailer. The dot shows where this shoe ranks in comparison.

Based on

The bars show roughly how much each source contributes to this shoe’s rating. Their influence depends on how many reviews we’ve collected, how many earlier versions are in the product line, and the external ratings available.

Product line track record
Our ratings
External ratings

What runners say

“Have over 600 miles on the Pegasus 38 and still in amazing condition after taking them in all types of terrain”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Endorphin Speed 2

“About 250 miles on the shoe and it still feels like I'm flying when I run in these”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for middle distance came from the Nike Renew Run 2

“There is no tearing of the material and the soles have held up incredibly well”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Contend 6

“Its streamlined and narrow(er) shape make it suitable for tempos and fartlek-type workouts”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for middle distance came from the Nike Renew Run 2

“Only thing that the 38s are missing are some more stability, if you're looking to use it for easy runs”

5/5 Full review 20 mpw training for middle distance came from the Nike Renew Run 2

“Hard to break in”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the ASICS Novablast 3

“Has all the comfort and durability you need for your easy and longer runs”

5/5 Full review 85 mpw training for a half marathon

“Not a shoe for workouts”

5/5 Full review 85 mpw training for a half marathon

“They're a great value shoe”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the ASICS Novablast 3

“They still feel cushioned when running”

4/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Contend 6

“The cushioning isn't great”

4/5 Full review 40 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the ASICS Novablast 3

“Well-cushioned and fairly durable”

4/5 Full review 15 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Brooks Revel 5

Prefer this shoe over another

31% 10/32

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Oct 22.

Pros

Reviewers report 600 to 800 km with the soles holding up, one at 497 miles with no tearing of the material.
Reviewers call it comfortable and dependable for easy and long runs, one returning to it after the 39 and 40 came out.
Reviewers repeatedly buy it discounted as an older model and rate value 4.4 out of 5.

Cons

Cushioning divides reviewers, with one rating it 2 out of 5 and saying it is not great.
Reviewers say it is hard to break in and not a shoe for workouts.
The Air Zoom Pegasus 36 before it scores 95 on seventy-two reviews against its 66.

Air Zoom Pegasus 38 rates 72. This shoe has very high confidence. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Nike Pegasus

Each dot is one version of the Pegasus, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

40 60 80 100

69 2005 68 85 2009 67 91 2011 67 78 2013 66 84 2015 92 79 2017 83 88 2019 66 72 2021 70 81 2022 74 70 2024 84

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.

Pegasus 42

2026 · 11 reviews

84 Good

87 Confidence
Pegasus 41

2024 · 67 reviews

70 Decent

97 Confidence
Air Zoom Pegasus 40

2023 · 188 reviews

74 Decent

100 Confidence
Air Zoom Pegasus FlyEa

2022 · 2 reviews

81 Good

83 Confidence
Air Zoom Pegasus 39

2022 · 134 reviews

70 Decent

100 Confidence
Air Zoom Pegasus 38 This shoe

2021 · 23 reviews

72 Decent

97 Confidence
Air Zoom Pegasus 37

2020 · 20 reviews

66 Below average

94 Confidence
Air Zoom Pegasus 36

2019 · 72 reviews

88 Good

100 Confidence
Air Zoom Pegasus 35

2018 · 150 reviews

83 Good

100 Confidence
Air Zoom Pegasus 34

2017 · 129 reviews

79 Decent

100 Confidence
Air Zoom Pegasus 33

2016 · 58 reviews

92 Very good

100 Confidence
Air Zoom Pegasus 32

2015 · 24 reviews

84 Good

98 Confidence
Air Zoom Pegasus 31

2014 · 199 reviews

66 Below average

100 Confidence
Air Pegasus+ 30

2013 · 180 reviews

78 Decent

100 Confidence
Air Pegasus+ 29

2012 · 18 reviews

67 Below average

97 Confidence
Air Pegasus+ 28

2011 · 1 review

91 Very good

0 Confidence
Air Pegasus+ 27

2010 · 1 review

67 Below average

76 Confidence
Air Pegasus+ 26

2009 · 0 reviews

85 Good

0 Confidence
Air Pegasus+ 25

2008 · 1 review

68 Below average

82 Confidence
Air Pegasus 2005

2005 · 0 reviews

69 Below average

77 Confidence

Runner Ratings

22 ratings

5/5 10

4/5 11

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 9.4 oz
Men's / women's: Men's 10.2 oz · Women's 8.5 oz
Release: 2021 Q2
MSRP: $120
Stack: 24/14mm
Drop: 10mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

5/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Nov 17, 2023

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 5/5
Value: 4/5

Very Good basic shoes

5/5

Overall

Great to get the mileage. Super comfy and durable shoes for me

Mate Vasarhelyi · Oct 27, 2023

70 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 37

Comfort: 5/5
Cushioning: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 5/5

Solid choice of trainer

4/5

Overall

Dependable trainer. Well-cushioned and fairly durable. All-Weather model is amazing (Nike Pegasus Shield 38).

Anonymous runner · Sep 19, 2023

15 mpw training for 5K and 10K came from the Brooks Revel 5

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

My second running shoe

4/5

Overall

This is only my second running shoe as I’ve just started running. I now have over 800km(497miles) on them and there is no tearing of the material and the soles have held up incredibly well. They still feel cushioned when running, but I also keep a very modest pace, to say the least. I’ve run my fastest 5k and 10k in them; 22:08 for the 5k and 49:16 10k.

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2023

25 mpw training for a half marathon came from the ASICS GEL-Contend 6

Comfort: 4/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 5/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

The go-to mileage shoe

5/5

Overall

The Nike pegasus series throws up some dodgy iterations from time to time but the 38, like the 36 has all the comfort and durability you need for your easy and longer runs. Not a shoe for workouts, but a shoe I've gone back to constantly even after the 39's and 40's came out, as 'ol' reliable'

BrainCelll · Jul 2, 2023

85 mpw training for a half marathon