Best For

The Nike React Pegasus Trail 4 GTX is ready to help you commute in comfort  from your home to the trails. A seamless transition from pavement to dirt is the name of the game in this newer trail running option from Nike. Surprisingly, the react midsole foam offers some great energy return as well, an unexpected springy bonus for your trail running adventure. As we all battle the elements in the winter and spring, the GTX option for this trail running shoe is superb for getting you out the door when the storms are looming overhead. Speaking of which, let’s discuss this upper in more detail.

Upper

Keep the rain and slush away from your running socks in the Nike React Pegasus Trail 4 GTX. GORE-TEX upper technology helps keep your feet dry and happy on your long trail runs. The collar is impressive too, a very comfortable design with the booty-style approach, but also not loosey-goosey, which could impact your heel slipping out of the shoe. The inner heel counter wall has the perfect amount of padding to make sure you remain locked into that heel pocket. In addition, the tongue is a full-gusset for keeping the mud and grit out of your shoes when traversing your favorite local trails. The lockdown is just spot on and thank you Nike for a pull tab, always helps when the hands are cold after a long winter trail running adventure. 

Midsole

Surprising would be an understatement for how this shoe reacted on the rocky Colorado trails. With a full length react midsole understep, it makes you feel stable throughout the entire foostrike and toeoff. Although generous in the heel with 36mm of react foam, this Nike trail running shoe did not feel unstable or ride like it was that close the maximlist midsole foam category. Quite the opposite in fact. With a much lower 26mm under the forefoot, I felt united to the ground out there on the trails. With so many trail running shoes falling into the maximlist stack height category these days, it’s refreshing to train in a shoe that offers some ground contact feel. And yes, I would even consider taking this trail running shoe into a simple and local trail race where I just wanted to shake the rust out of the legs. I would not recommend training or doing a fun race in the Nike React Pegasus Trail 4 GTX if the trail has a lot of sharp rocks or roots on the adventure.

Outsole

For this fourth iteration, Nike opted for less rubber on the outsole, and it shows up in the solid weight of 8.7 oz or 247 g, in my size. Love that weight, and that includes GTX tech in the upper! Picking up the paces to tempo or a fartlek on the trails could absolutely be accomplished in this trail shoe. And a nice detail to increase the durability of this trail running shoe is the outsole rubber wraps around the front of the toe cap, which will also help protect the toes in case you happen upon a “hidden” rock or root out there. The heel area of the outsole is just impressive, great for braking on steep trail running descents and looks like it will last for hundreds and hundreds of trail running miles.

Would I Buy This Shoe Again?

I always know that a shoe is going to do well for me when I’m sad the testing is finished, such was the case in this shoe. Some trail running shoes do not hit the mark for comfort and durability, especially on the tough Colorado trails, this trail shoe has accomplished both for me. Now I’m just waiting for some Colorado spring snow and mud to go have some more fun in the Nike React Pegasus Trail 4 GTX.