Run With Confidence With The Best Nike Zoom Shoes In The Market

Nike is known for its high-quality running shoes, and the Zoom is one of the most popular among them. Whether you’re simply looking for shoes for your daily runs or something for competitive races, there’s a shoe in the Zoom line that will meet your needs.

Unfortunately, with so many options, you don’t want to simply walk into your local shoe store and grab the first pair that grabs your eye. There are many factors that go into a good running shoe that you won’t notice at the store such as durability, support and responsiveness. Understanding this, we’ve put together this list of the 10 best Nike Zoom shoes for runners. Use it as a guide to help you find the perfect shoes for your needs.

First introduced in 1995, the Zoom is a cushioning system that’s a part of Nike’s Air family and used in shoes across a variety of sports where speed is a necessity. It’s made from a combination of pressurized air bags with internal fibers that create an extremely responsive cushion that bounces back quickly into position after impact.

It’s a super thin layer which means that your foot is closer to the ground and has more stability when needing to make sharp cuts. Each step you take puts pressure on the strategically-placed Zoom Air units which in turn bounce back and turn into energy for the next step.

The best running shoes are going to be priced on the higher end whether they’re made by Nike or another brand. With the Zooms being in the upper tier of running shoes, combined with the Nike brand name, you can expect to pay between eighty and a hundred and fifty for a pair of Nike Zoom shoes.

We try to provide you with as much relevant information about the shoes we review as possible so that you can make an informed purchasing decision. For each style of shoe, we review Nike’s stated features and benefits, and then compare them to reviews submitted by experts and customers. Specifically, some of the aspects that we consider in our reviews include:

Durability & Weight: How durable is the shoe and how much does it weigh? We believe that a good shoe should be durable without making you feel like you have on ankle weights.

Performance: What are the stated features and benefits versus the experiences of experts and customers? Do they align or were customers hyped up only to be let down?

Comfort: For running shoes, this may be the most important aspect. Uncomfortable shoes will ruin your run.

Without further ado, here’s our list of the best Nike Zoom shoes you should have your eye on in 2018.

If you’re looking for an incredibly comfortable run, then the Air Zoom Winflo 4 is the shoe for you. It’s built with a mesh upper that provides fantastic breathability and a waffle-tread rubber that gives the soft springs you need to keep going that extra mile. The forefront has plenty of space and has flex grooves in the area to help with foot flexion. The most frequent complaint about the Air Zoom Winflo 4 is that the arch area is a little bit too narrow.

• Zappos: around eighty dollars
• JC Penney: roughly around seventy five dollars

The Nike Air Zoom Structure 21 is a well-designed shoe that offers a stable and comfortable ride. The upper is made of an engineered mesh which provides plenty of ventilation and support during your run. The outsole is a Duralon rubber, a lightweight synthetic compound that’s responsive and provides plenty of cushion and traction while you run. The inside of the shoe comes with a mesh bootie that feels like a sock and provides additional support. It’s a rather stylish shoe as it comes in several colorful options.

• Road Runner Sports: less than a hundred dollars
• Foot Locker: almost two twenty dollars

With its debut coming in 2017, the Zoom Fly is a fantastic running shoe whose performance lives up to the billing. Customers and expert testers alike rave about how good it looks and how lightweight it is. In a short amount of time, it has become one of the more popular running shoes due to its combination of performance and style. The sole offers exceptional cushion and the sock-like inner provides a nice comfortable fit. You’ll enjoy this shoe if you’re a marathoner.

• Nike: around a hundred and fifty
• Road Runner Sports: almost one hundred and thirty dollars

The Air Zoom Pegasus 34 Shield is a versatile shoe that performs well during long-distance runs, as well as during everyday training. It’s a well-built shoe that offers exceptional cushion, breathability and traction for your entire training routine. The water repellent capabilities for rainy days and reflective properties for low light activities are bonus features for a great shoe.

• Foot Locker: about eighty dollars
• Dick’s Sporting Goods: almost ninety five dollars

The Air Zoom Elite 9 is the latest installment in this line of shoes from Nike, and it checks all the boxes for a running shoe – comfortable, light weight, responsive and good-looking. The upper is made up of Flymesh material on the outside and an EVA sockliner for comfort and breathability inside.

The Zoom Air bag is in the forefoot to provide more explosiveness. The outsole, which is thinner than in previous years, is covered with Duralon rubber for added traction and durability. It’s a versatile shoe that helps with speed and distance.

• Eastbay: around ninety dollars
• Nike: less than a hundred dollars

The Zoom Odyssey 2 is another shoe that provides a smooth and comfortable ride. As a lightweight shoe, it still manages to offer plenty of durability and support. The upper is made up of Flymesh and Flywire which work together to create a secure-fitting shoe.

The Air Zoom unit is included throughout the entire midsole for plenty of cushion for your whole foot. The outsole is made of carbon rubber from the heel to the midfoot and Duralon rubber in the forefoot for more flexibility. Moderate to severe overpronators will enjoy the comfort of this shoe.

• Road Runner Sports: almost a hundred and thirty

The Wildhorse 4 has been redesigned from previous versions to include a brand new midfoot fit system intended to provide more security around the midfoot area. Some runners will love this feature while others will find it to cause the shoe to be too tight.

The mesh upper will keep your foot ventilated while the midsole and outsole provide the cushioning necessary for trail running. If you’re going to be doing off-road running, then the Wildhorse 4 is a great shoe to provide you with the durability, comfort, protection and traction you need to complete your runs safely.

• Foot Locker: almost a hundred dollars
• Eastbay: almost a hundred dollars

With an upper made of Flymesh and coated with a durable water-repellent coating, the Air Zoom Structure 21 Shield is ready to perform in any environment. Add to it 360-degree reflective properties for low light activities and this shoe will not be the reason you don’t get your run in every day.

The midsole, made from a combination of Phylon and Cushlon foams, provides plenty of cushion. There is a gender-specific crash pad at the bottom of the heel to help reduce shock and correct overpronation. The outsole provides additional cushioning in the form of the Duralon Blown rubber found in the forefoot area.

• Bluefly: around a hundred and twenty dollars

With multiple color schemes available the Air Zoom Pegasus 35 ensures that you look good on your run. The latest iteration of the Pegasus line, the 35s provides a cushioned ride that sits right in between a minimalist and bulky feel. The upper is made of engineered mesh that offers breathability and is covered by a zigzag weave that keeps it from falling apart.

The Zoom Air unit in the midsole spans the entire shoe and adds plenty of bounce to your run. The Duralon rubber in the forefoot section of the outsole provides plenty of traction while also adding more cushion.

• Nike: more or less a hundred and twenty dollars
• Eastbay: more or less a hundred and twenty dollars

The Terra Kiger is simply one of the best trail running shoes around. Everything you need in a trail running shoe is found in this footwear, including comfort, durability and traction. The upper is made of the breathable Flymesh material. The midsole uses the Phylon foam for cushioning across the entire shoe, and the outsole gives you the protection and durability you’ll need as a trail runner.

• Foot Locker: a little less than a hundred dollars
• Eastbay: a little less than a hundred dollars

There are plenty of styles and colors to choose from if you’re looking to purchase a pair of Air Zoom shoes. Depending on where you’re looking to run and what your budget is, there are plenty of options available to you that you’ll want to investigate thoroughly before making a final decision.

If you’re a trail runner, we recommend the Air Zoom Wildhorse 4. It’s durable, comfortable, provides excellent traction and is strong enough to keep your feet protected. Truthfully, it’s one of the best Zoom shoes made regardless of the running surface.

If you’re looking for a road running shoe, then our number one recommendation is the Zoom Fly. It’s lightweight, offers plenty of cushion and is built to last. At around a hundred and thirty dollars, it’s on the more expensive side of the price spectrum, but given its superior quality, it will certainly pay dividends in the long-run.