Our Thoughts on the Nike Vomero Premium After More than 300 Miles
The Nike Vomero Premium has been one of the most hyped max stack shoes to hit the market in the last year. Priced at $230, it features a huge stack of Nike’s ZoomX race foam and two Air Zoom units—one in the heel and one in the forefoot. Here we will provide our thoughts on the Nike Vomero Premium after more than 300 miles.
The Nike Vomero Premium wasn’t an immediate banger for all of us on the Supwell team the first time around, but for me, as a slower, older, and higher cadence runner, it was an instant hit. Yowana recently tested it again after they released the Realtree Camo colorway to see if his opinion would change given all the new shoes to come to market and his current recovery phase from a marathon PR. His only gripe was that it felt a bit heavy compared to its competition and that it encouraged him to run faster than he wanted on recovery days. Find out below why I instantly fell in love with the Vomero Premium, how it has held up in terms of the ride and durability over 300 miles, and whether Yowana changed his mind after re-visiting this iconic behemoth of a shoe.
Current Market & Competition
With all the new recent releases in the max cushion and super trainer category, we wanted to revisit the Vomero Premium and provide an update after logging over 300 miles in one of the most max stack performance running shoes to ever hit the market. It is the biggest of the competition with 55mm of Nike’s ZoomX foam and dual Air Zoom units that Nike took from their track spikes. It also comes in around 350 grams, which is much heavier than the competition.
The recent releases in this category—the Li-Ning Red Hare 9 Ultra, ASICS Superblast 3, and the On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper—are basically delivering the same thing—over 40mm of foam in the heel, a race-caliber foam, a smooth geometry, and an energetic ride.
Li-Ning Red Hare 9 Ultra
The Red Hare 9 Ultra has a super bouncy midsole and unique new tech that delivers a very responsive and really unique fun squish and release feel.
Li-Ning Red Hare 9 Ultra
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ASICS Superblast 3
Similarly, the ASICS Superblast 3 is designed for stability and protection over the long run with the soft and bouncy FFLeap race foam, but in a more stable package. The firmer EVA layer on the bottom almost functions like a plate due to how stiff and rigid it is.
ASICS Superblast 3
On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper
And while it is kind of getting slept on with all the new recent releases, the On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper does an excellent job providing tons of protection with a really smooth and pleasant geometry. It is a really stable, slightly firmer shoe with the Helion HF race foam and EVA-based Cloudtec on the bottom, designed to keep your legs fresh over the long haul.
On Cloudmonster 3 Hyper
The Specs
The Vomero Premium is the only one that is over 300 grams, and it is a lot over 300 grams at 350 grams in a Men’s size 10.5. While the other shoes have a maximum of 45-46mm of foam in the heel, the Vomero Premium has 55mm of foam in the heel. You get max stack protection when you bounce off the Air Zoom units on the front.
Nike Vomero Premium
Step-in Feel & Comfort
Lacing up the shoe, the step-in feel is so comfortable. You get a nice thick, padded tongue and heel. In fact, the tongue may be the thickest, softest tongue ever. The step-in feel is like a plush pillow. The fit is true to size with an accommodating upper that works well for people with wider feet. They are so tall that it feels almost ridiculous when walking in them.
The Ride
As with most performance running shoes, your experience of the Vomero Premium depends a lot on your footstrike, weight, and preference for max stack versus more normal feeling running shoes. If you are a heel striker at recovery paces, the foam can feel like it almost gets in the way. It’s more of a momentum shoe and wants you to get up onto the front Air Zoom units. If you are more of a midfoot to forefoot striker at recovery paces, like Barrett and I are, it feels really smooth and fun at those efforts. The bounce really is incredible once you start putting some power down into it or if you get up onto the front Air Zoom unit. For some runners, like Yowana, it is not a recovery or relaxed mileage shoe. It feels best, and actually optimal, for him at uptempo, Zone 2 and Zone 3 miles. For me, as more of a midfoot to forefoot striker, it allows me to hang back a little and strike more midfoot, which provides a really nice comfortable roll-through sensation. The foam isn’t too soft, so you don’t get stuck in it or feel like it is zapping your energy. It just has a nice, subtle bounce and responsiveness that I crave on my recovery runs.
Protection
The Vomero Premium definitely helps absorb the impact of high mileage on the body, especially as you pick up the pace. You can definitely run harder with less force and wear and tear on the body. In a recent podcast, Conner Mantz commented that the Vomero Premium are his favorite shoe on the treadmill, which is where I like them best as well. The protection and bounce is next level and makes you feel invincible. I always pull for the Vomero Premium after a workout or long run when my legs or feet are feeling banged up, and inevitably I feel better and less fatigued the next day. They allow you to get the aerobic stimulus you need to stack high mileage days and weeks without wreaking havoc on your bones, joints, and muscles. As someone who runs 60-70 miles per week at almost 50 years old, I really appreciate this aspect of the shoe.
Durability
I now have almost 400 miles in my pair (384 miles to be exact) and they are absolute tanks. The foam and Air Zoom units feel just as responsive and energetic as day one and the outsole looks barely touched. The Vomero Premium might be as durable as the OG Adidas Prime X Strung. I can see a tiny bit of wear on the rubber in my higher wear spots (lateral forefoot), but nothing that affects the ride or you wouldn’t expect from a shoe with 50 miles in it.
Check out Yowana's revisit of the Vomero Premium in this video on the Supwell YouTube channel:
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