Nike is undoubtedly one of the world’s most iconic athletic footwear brands and for good reason. With their reputation for fashion forward designs and ergonomically designed footwear, they’ve taken the world by storm.
Between their iconic Swoosh logo and “Just Do It” tagline, Nike is an unmistakable brand. In this guide, we explore the Best Nike Running Shoes For Men:
- Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 35 [For Beginners]
- Nike Free RN Flyknit [Knitted Upper]
- Nike Air Zoom Winflo 5 [Stability]
- Nike Run Swift [Neutral Stride]
- Nike Renew Rival [Most Stylish]
- Nike Downshifter 8 [Most Affordable]
- Nike Wildhorse 4 [Trail Shoes]
- Nike Revolution 4 [High Arches]
You can use the links above to jump ahead. We’ll also take a brief look at the typical running shoe features offered by the iconic brand.
Quick Buyer’s Guide
If you’re in a hurry, you can skip reading our guide and head straight to the retailers with the Quick Buy guide below. Otherwise, scroll down to learn about each shoe and their individual features.
What Are The Best Nike Running Shoes For Men?
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- Type: Running Shoe
- Upper: Flymesh
- Pricing: $120 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
Nike’s Pegasus range is one of the brand’s most iconic standard bearers. While they’re best suited for road surfaces, their construction is versatile enough for most environments. Furthermore, the Pegasus 35 is a complete running shoe that’s great for beginners.
Key Features
The laces lock in place thanks to the Dynamic Flywire cables. Meanwhile, a rubber crash rail on the lateral outsole ensures a smooth stride as the full-length Zoom Air cushion offers excellent support for neutral to underpronating feet.
Best Colors
Available in a mind-boggling plethora of colours, it’s hard to pick a favourite. While the classic black and white design is perfectly adequate, you may prefer something more fashionable such as the Blue Force or Team Red.
- Type: Running Shoe
- Upper: Knit
- Pricing: $120 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
Lightweight and breathable knit uppers have been gaining quite the following in recent years. From Nike’s premium Free RN range from the Flyknit sneaker, a bold and ergonomic shoe that gives a flexible and cosy fit.
Key Features
Thanks to the Phylon foam midsole, the Flyknit features excellent yet lightweight cushion. Furthermore, the rounded heel provides a well-designed counter for a natural running stride.
Best Colors
A selection of colours are available, which base themselves on black or white. Each option essentially has a coloured Swoosh logo and threading for a more stylish finish.
- Type: Running Shoe
- Uppers: Mesh
- Pricing: $90 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
Ideal for those with flat feet or who overpronate, the Winflo 5 is an excellent running shoe with plenty of cushion and support in all the right places.
Key Features
Deep, high energising cushion provide excellent support alongside the Cushlon ST and crash rail. Meanwhile, an EVA stroble ensures shock absorption with every step.
Best Colors
There are quite a few colour styles to choose from. We have a preference for the neutral Olive mesh and its natural tones with an orange outsole. However, there are some nice grey colours with either blue or lime accents.
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- Type: Running Shoe
- Uppers: Mesh & Synthetic Overlay
- Pricing: $70 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
A classic neutral sneaker, the Swift is great for versatile and daily use. They’re rather inexpensive for Nike sneakers and offer excellent all-round performance.
Key Features
Relatively basic as Nike go, the Swift features a lightly cushioned textile Fistole footbed with a regular lace-up closure. Meanwhile, the midsole is made from foam, which provides great shock absorption.
Best Colors
Fewer colours are available for this style but there are still a host to choose from. There’s plain black, grey, black with orange accents as well as a Team Red option.
- Type: Running Shoe
- Uppers: Mesh & Synthetic Overlays
- Pricing: $85 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
The Rival has a unique and eye-catching design with its extra long tongue and quarter. For a stylish and different running shoe, these are an interesting choice.
Key Features
Designed with a Phylon midsole, the wearer benefits from superior cushion and support. The silhouette is low for extra flexibility yet its integrated tongue and tall quarter provides some extra support.
Best Colors
From Blue Void to Team Red, there are a myriad of colours to choose from. We’re quite fond of the black sneaker with the white sole and University Red Swoosh logo.
- Type: Running Shoe
- Uppers: Mesh & Synthetic Overlay
- Pricing: $60 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
The Downshifter 8 is among the cheaper Nike shoes that we reviewed. However, it performs very well nonetheless. Ideal for road running, they can still be used for a range of other activities too.
Key Features
With a Phylon midsole, the wearer experiences excellent shock absorption. Furthermore, the moulded foam footbed provides cushion that locks the feet in place. Meanwhile, the deep flex groove in the outsole ensures a natural foot movement.
Best Colors
Along with the Pegasus 35, the Downshifter has probably the biggest range in colour choices available. While it’s hard to choose, we’re quite fond of the Gym Red colour.
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- Type: Running Shoe
- Uppers: Spacer Mesh & Synthetic
- Pricing: $110 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
While running shoes tend to provide reasonable performance when trail running, they’re rarely adequate for intense or serious runs. However, the Wildhorse is an excellent option for this specific activity.
Key Features
With a combination of a compression-moulded Phylon midsole and Zoom Air cushioning in the forefoot, the wearer is guaranteed a responsive yet stable cushion. Moreover, the rounded heel ensures a natural stride while the rock plate protects the wearer’s feet from bruising.
Best Colors
Given that the Wildhorse 4 is an older model, it’s currently only available in either black or Medium Olive. We would probably sooner choose the black but the Olive does offer an extra bit of pop.
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- Type: Running Shoe
- Uppers: Knit Mesh & Synthetic Overlays
- Pricing: $60 [Buy Now On Zappos]
Overview
Another affordable running shoe by Nike, the Revolution 4 is a great option for underpronators who have feet with high arches. The Revolution 4 features a simple design with wide mesh uppers and overlays for extra lateral strength.
Key Features
An EVA midsole provides added cushion while the wide-knit mesh upper offers breathability as the overlays provide lateral strength.
Best Colors
Available in a rich range of colours, we actually have a preference for the grey pair with the black Swoosh logo.
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Nike Running Shoe Features
While much of Nike’s popularity is thanks to their gift in trailblazing fashion for people from a very young age, there is a lot of credit to their innovative designs. In this section of the guide, we’ll cover a few of Nike’s designs and innovations over the years:
General Benefits Of Nike Footwear
Firstly, Nike is a brand that caters to its wearers by heavily investing in new technologies. Not only does this help get more of their shoes on people’s feet but it also keeps them on!
We spoke to a number of experts including doctors, physiotherapists and podiatrists. Through these discussions, we learned that Nike was often the first brand to be recommend for people with foot disorders.
Thanks to their deep cushion and heel support, they often helped against Plantar Fasciitis symptoms. They were also often recommended for teenage children who experienced growing pains in their feet such as Sever’s disease.
Due to their lightweight build and roomy box toes, they’re ideal for a number of ailments. However, they’re also highly beneficial for athletes, which is their main demographic after all.
What Is Nike Air?
One oft he most iconic features in Nike’s footwear is the elusive Nike Air technology that we often regard as normal today. Invented in 1979 by aerospace engineer Frank Rudy, the concept was soon integrated into basketball shoes.
Nike Air technology essentially consists of pressurised air inside an airtight cushion beneath the footbed. The air cushions are designed to absorb impact and work but compressing under pressure then instantly returning to their original form.
Not only does Nike Air technology feature reactive shock absorption but it’s almost weightless. Given that air is one of the main components, it reduces the overall weight of the shoe given that it’s essentially hollow.
Nike Air has evolved since its initial conception. Its most iconic iteration was the Max Air, a visual expression of the technology where the midsole featured transparent sect