Nike Vomero Premium Introduction

I’ve only ever been asked a couple times by another runner if they could try my shoe on to see how it feels. This happened while I was testing the mega hyped Vomero Premium.

The Vomero Premium is currently sold out in physical stores and online. It also looks unlike any other running shoe: tall, luxurious, ridiculously cushioned and overbuilt for everyday use- it’s like the Range Rover Velar of running shoes.

It’s not only the tallest running shoe that Nike has ever created but it’s also their most expensive trainer. At $230, the Vomero Premium is not an affordable training shoe and you can buy carbon-plated racers for less.

The Vomero Premium is the top of the range trainer in Nike’s Vomero family. The Vomero 18 is the basic model and the Vomero Plus is the mid-range trainer. My favourite so far is the Plus version which is lightweight, durable and very energetic.

The Pegasus Premium is the top of the range trainer in the Pegasus family and I didn’t rate it very highly when it came out. It felt like a lifestyle sneaker due to its weight and its performance. I said that it’s a questionable investment for serious runners considering its high price.

Conner Mantz, the fastest American marathon runner, played a significant testing and feedback role in the development of the Vomero Premium. He received early prototypes of it in 2023 and tested 5 iterations. He provided feedback on its performance, upper support, cushioning and overall feel.

The Vomero Premium is a very heavy trainer, tipping the scales at a whopping 334 grams or 11.7 oz for my men’s US9. Its hefty price tag of $230 is $10 more than the Pegasus Premium and $50 more than the Vomero Plus. Despite its price tag, it has sold out in the first 2 colourways at most retailers that stock it.

Testing Details

• 10.5 km recovery run at 7:31 per km
• 8 km easy run at 6:41 per km
• 11 km easy run at 6:22 per km
• 10 km easy run at 6:59 per km
• 18 km easy run at 5:53 per km
• 11 km recovery run at 7:31 per km
• 10 km recovery run at 7:05 per km
• 4 km warm up run at 7:10 per km

Nike Vomero Premium First Impressions

My first run was a 10 kilometre recovery run on sore legs the day after a marathon. The ride felt really plush and protective and it felt like a pure recovery day trainer. There was plenty of cushioning and it was the most deeply cushioned trainer I’ve tried- there was zero ground feel.

I didn’t experience much rebound from the Zoom air units but I could feel that they were there because transitions felt lumpy. It reminded me of the older Pegasus versions that had thick forefoot Zoom units and you could feel them under the balls of your feet.

I noticed that the air bags stiffen the midsole and almost act like a plate. This helps to create a prominent forefoot rocker. I could feel the rocker easing me through transitions. Its weight was also noticeable- it felt extremely clunky.

Nike Vomero Premium Upper

The Vomero Premium’s upper is your typical plush, max-cushioned upper. There’s generous padding in the tongue, collar and heel tab. While it is very comfortable, it’s also very hot and it absorbs a lot of sweat.

The thick tongue is fully gusseted which is very rare for a running shoe these days. The sleeve helps to keep it locked into place during running. The upper is made from a mono-blended material that feels scratchy to the touch; breathability is average.

It has an accommodating, true-to-size fit and it’s wide enough for runners with wide feet. There are reflective strips on the sides of the toe box, on the eyelet chain and on the back of the heel counter.

Nike Vomero Premium Sole Unit

The ride of the Vomero Premium is the plushest of any Nike trainer to date. The Vomero 18 and Vomero Plus are also very soft but in the Premium, I can feel my feet sink down into the soft bed of ZoomX with every footstrike. The ZoomX doesn’t decompress very fast and this makes it suitable for only slow, relaxed paces.

Easy and recovery runs slower than 6 minutes per km or 9:40 per m are what the Vomero Premium feels most comfortable doing. It feels far too squishy and far too heavy for anything faster. I also feel that it’s too heavy for runs longer than 2 hours in duration.

The ZoomX midsole foam in the Vomero Premium is not the PEBA-based version that’s in the Vaporfly and Alphafly. This is a TPE version so it’s more durable but it doesn’t have the same springy rebound that you get in Nike’s racing offerings.

In terms of bounce and energy return, the Vomero Plus (which has a thinner midsole and no air bags) feels more explosive. Transitions in the Vomero Premium feel a lot more sluggish due to the insane midsole thickness, which feels like its overkill. It looks and it feels like a behemoth on foot.

With 55 mm of stack height in the heel and 45 mm in the forefoot, the Vomero Premium is the thickest running shoe I’ve tested- it’s even 5 mm taller than the Adidas Prime X. The Vomero Premium has a high level of compression though so your feet sink down and it doesn’t feel as tall as the Prime X on foot.

The Vomero Premium feels slightly unstable when cornering due to its height and its extreme softness but it has a very wide base so it should be stable enough for most runners unless you heavily overpronate.

Zoom Air is really effective in the Alphafly 3 because the air pod is situated at the bottom of the midsole and it has the carbon plate above it. This means that you can feel it compress and decompress between the firm plate and the firm ground.

In the Vomero Premium, the Zoom Air pods are situated in the middle of the midsole with very soft midsole foam above and below so you can’t properly compress them. I feel like I’m not getting the benefit of the Zoom Air’s bounce in the Vomero Premium. Heavier runners might be able to benefit more from the air bags.

The Vomero Premium has good outsole coverage. There’s a channel down the middle which is not protected by rubber but all the high wear areas are protected. On my pair, the lugs have slightly smoothened on the outer heel but there’s no other visible wear. The waffle outsole pattern provides good traction on wet and dry surfaces.

Nike Vomero Premium Conclusions

If you’re expecting a unique and special ride that’s deserving of a $230 price tag, you’re going to be bitterly disappointed with the Vomero Premium. It doesn’t have the wow factor that instantly puts a smile on your face and it’s definitely not a game changer.

The Vomero Premium is a really comfortable but heavy recovery trainer for slow miles. It has extremely deep cushioning and it offers plenty of protection from pounding during running, however, the Zoom air units in its midsole don’t work as well as they should. The midsole foam above and below them are too soft to compress the air bags, especially if you’re a light runner under 65 kilograms (143 lb).

The Vomero Premium isn’t worth its price. There are other recovery trainers that are much cheaper, more stable and way lighter. The Vomero 18 is a better recovery trainer, as is the HOKA Bondi 9, Skechers Aero Burst and PUMA Magmax.

I enjoy running in the Vomero Plus a lot more than in the Pegasus Premium. Both of them feel like lifestyle sneakers but the Vomero Premium is more stable, more comfortable and has a softer ride.