The great innovation of the first Pegasus had to do with the Air units created in 1970. The new concept was inspired by the Cortez, placing a wedge in the heel that used the same Air technology (Air Wedge). It was a smaller size than the first Tailwind and maintained the same ability to absorb impact. After 500 miles it kept its properties, with a 12% improvement in absorbing impact above the regular EVA of the era. Also, it went up in size when it came to the Air-wedge unit and its pressure, adapting itself to different sizes.
PEGASUS, NIKE’S MYTH
A horse with wings from Greek mythology gave its name to what seemed to be one of the many sneakers from Nike’s running catalogue from 1983. However, that Pegasus (designed by a team which included Mark Parker, the current Nike president) has become the most sold saga in the history of Nike running. Its main merit, thinking of the average runner, without being too out there and making use of well-known technology.
That technology appeared both in the Pegasus as it did in the Odyssey, but both models followed different developments. Whilst the Odyssey stayed as a runners’ sneaker that looked for stability, the Pegasus became a model that adapted itself to perfection for a great range of runners. With a 50 dollar price point in 1983, it was the perfect option for the average runner.
During the decade of the ‘80s, Nike established the pattern that the Pegasus franchise should follow, with small changes that kept its status of being between the most sold models. But Pegasus was also a testing ground, it had its first female version in 1983, in 1988 it had a winter version called ACG that started a collection of outdoor products, in 1991 it launched a trail version (A/T) and a Racer one for competitions. It used plastic or spandex elements and even a visible Air unit in 1996.
Whilst some of the changes managed to create a network of true addicts, others separated the Pegasus from its origin and in 1997 Nike decided to abandon what had been their most successful sneaker. The response was overwhelming, runners demanded Nike the return of their favourite sneaker. In the year 2000, Nike returned the Pegasus to its original place, in a campaign in which they promised to not stop manufacturing them. And they have done so in these past years, in which it has become the basic training model for professionals and thousands of regular runners.
Its legacy has also served as a way to create special editions inspired by performance and adapted to urban use.
A horse with wings that is able to join Joan Benoit Samuelson, the first female champion of the Olympic marathon, Jun Takahashi, who created a special version for Gyakusou, Michael Johnson and Mo Farah who had special editions. It’s not only about recovering the history of the first re-editions of the Pegasus, but it’s also about mixing designs (P-6000) and creating new interactions with the Vapor Street PEG, keeping the promise of keeping the Pegasus and expanding its possibilities.
