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The maximally cushioned Nike Vomero Premium serves up cozy comfort and an exceptionally bouncy ride. It sold out immediately, but more models and colors are on the way.
$230
If you’re reading this article about a new version of the Nike Vomero running shoes and feel like you’re having a moment of déjà vu, I get it. That sensation isn’t a figment of your imagination.
In 2025, Nike has introduced three brand new but totally different Vomero models as part of a major overhaul of its road running lineup: the thickly cushioned and moderately bouncy Vomero 18, the thicker and more bouncy Vomero Plus, and now the extremely thick and exceptionally bouncy Vomero Premium.
The brand intentionally reorganized its shoes into three clear cushioning categories—responsive (Pegasus), supportive (Structure), and maximally cushioned (Vomero)—with each available in three versions: Icon, Plus, and Premium. This new lineup arrangement gives runners a simpler, more intuitive way to choose the right shoe for their running style and comfort needs.
That said, the Vomero 18 and Vomero Plus both seemed to serve a logical place in a runner’s quiver of shoes, but how does a super maximal shoe like the Vomero Premium—with a whopping 55mm heel stack height!—make sense for runners? Nike says the shoe’s design was inspired by anti-gravity treadmills and aims to replicate the sensation of running with reduced body weight and a more protected sole.
I’ve run in it eight times for about 50 total miles since a wear-test sample arrived two weeks ago to get an idea of what it’s all about, and here’s what I found out.
What’s New: The Vomero Premium is an entirely new shoe with two Zoom Air units—the same ones used in the Nike’s top-tier track spikes—embedded in a very thick and responsive Zoom X midsole to give it a massive stack height and high-off-the ground sensation. The huge stack height (55mm/45mm) greatly exceeds World Athletics standards for competition for elite athletes, but this shoe doesn’t have a carbon-fiber plate and isn’t intended to be a racing shoe.
A premium engineered mesh upper with flat laces and a low-profile, checkerboard–lugged full rubber outsole round out the features of this shoe, as well as a striking white and bright orange color motif. (The Vomero Premium will also be launched in white/pink and white/green colorways.)
Fit/Fee/Ride: The Vomero Premium fits true to size with a medium interior and a compact but not constricting toe box that offers only minimal room in the toe box for toes to wiggle for my narrow feet. The interior feels soft and plush with a wrap-like feel, thanks to how the gusseted tongue, padded heel cup, and effective lacing system secure my feet to the chassis of the shoe. The moment you lace up the Vomero Premium and stand up, you feel the inherent bounciness of these shoes. It almost feels like you’re hovering above the ground.
Then, when you start running, it feels like you are defying gravity and floating on air as you bounce between strides. No matter what pace you’re running, these shoes serve up a very bouncy, propulsive feeling. If you were a cartoon character bouncing across a TV screen, I’m sure this is what it would feel like.
Price: $230 (Available October 19)
Approximate Weights: 9.6 oz. (women’s size 8); 12.3 oz. (men’s size 9),
Heel-Toe Offset: 10mm; 55mm (heel); 45mm (forefoot)
Why It’s Great: The Vomero Premium is an eye-catching shoe, for sure, both because of the dramatic color motif and the way the shoe compresses in every stride. (See the video above!) But it’s also because of the smile it puts on your face. (The friend I was running with when I first tested these shoes remarked how much I was smiling and had a look of astonishment as we ran. Then I let him try them out and it was the same thing for him.)
Can a shoe be fun to run in? Absolutely. I found the bounciness of the Vomero Premium to be a lot of fun—even if it ultimately seemed to be more of a novel sensation—and that made me look forward to running in these shoes again and again. And to be honest, I don’t feel that way about many shoes.
Why You’ll Love It: If you love this shoe, it will be because it is so bouncy. Very, very bouncy. I’ve run in a lot of running shoes, but I have never run in a shoe this bouncy. The bounciness is mostly a good thing, but it’s surprisingly not as hyper-responsive as you might think. But that’s OK, because it’s not meant to be a fast racing shoe, just a vibrant training shoe, and one that is especially good for slow to moderate paces.
I can’t imagine what this shoe would feel like with a carbon-fiber plate, but it doesn’t have one so it doesn’t have the energetic pop of a pair of racing super shoes or a super trainer. In other words, it seems to produce longer ground contact times, which makes it harder to run with a quicker cadence. But that’s OK if you’re running at moderate to slower paces, which seems to be the sweet spot for this shoe. I ran 9 miles at 9:00-9:30 pace and loved the bouncy vibe the whole way.
Why You Might Not Like It: It feels like a lot of mass under your feet, and it can feel slightly unstable, especially for runners with slight to severe overpronation issues. It’s extra-wide dimensions give it some inherent stability, but running at faster paces seems to make it a bit more unstable. I revved this shoe up to tempo pace and also did some post-run strides in it, and in both cases I was concerned about it becoming slightly more wobbly.
Pro: Taller, bigger, and heavier runners with a stable gait will appreciate this shoe much more than smaller, lighter runners or those with instability issues.
Con: There are plenty of good things to like about the Vomero Premium, but when it comes down to it, it’s just not a performance-oriented running shoe. It’s too bouncy, it’s too heavy, and it’s too unstable to be a shoe I’d rely on for anything but easy-paced runs. Although it’s more functional as a running shoe than Nike’s Pegasus Premium shoe, the Vomero Premium borders on being a lifestyle shoe show pony than a running shoe that should be in your weekly rotation. And, oh by the way, yes, at $230, it’s a pricey shoe!
Senior editor Brian Metzler has wear-tested more than 2,000 running shoes and is the author of “Kicksology: The Hype, Science, Culture and Cool of Running Shoes” (2019) and “Trail Running Illustrated” (2021). He has raced just about every distance from 100 meters to 100 miles, but he’s most eager to share stories about his experiences pack burro racing in Colorado.
$230
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