The Nike Vomero 18 is already one of the most cushioned running shoes you can get, so when I say that the new Nike Vomero Premium and Vomero Plus offer even more foam underfoot, you know they’re going to be exceptionally comfortable shoes.
Both have just launched and sit above the Vomero 18 in Nike’s max-cushioned shoe line-up. The Vomero Plus looks like a direct replacement for the Nike Invincible 3, with a similar overall design, while the Vomero Premium is something completely new.
The Vomero Premium has an incredibly high stack height of 55mm at the heel and uses a mix of foams in the midsole to create the most cushioned ride of any Nike shoe, with the brand suggesting it delivers a similar sensation to running on an anti-gravity treadmill in how it protects the body from the impact of the sport.
Both the Vomero Premium and Vomero Plus will likely rival the best running shoes for those who love a very cushioned ride, but you’ll have to wait to get your hands on them.
The Vomero Plus launches on August 7, and the Vomero Premium goes on sale at select retailer partners on October 2, before its global release on October 16.
The most cushioned Nike running shoe ever
The Vomero line-up of shoes is all about cushioning, and the Vomero Premium takes that to new heights with its towering midsole stack, standing 55mm tall at the heel — 9mm higher than the Vomero 18.
That midsole is made up of two materials, with two Air Zoom units that are mostly surrounded in ZoomX foam. Both of these materials deliver a high level of energy return and the ZoomX foam is soft and squishy, so the ride should be both comfortable and bouncy.
Nike says the Vomero Premium was developed to meet the needs of elite runners who needed a comfortable but still springy ride to help them rack up a lot of miles in training while reducing the impact of those miles.
The shoe has been used by Kenyan elite runner Faith Kipyegon during her training as she attempts to be the first woman to run a 4-minute mile.
“It's so soft, cushioned and comfortable,” says Kipyegon. “It helps me train harder with less impact to allow me to recover faster and stay focused on my goal."
Like running on an anti-gravity treadmill
Nike’s product team aimed to recreate the sensation of running on an anti-gravity treadmill with the Vomero Premium, with regards to how it reduced the impact of training.
"Anti-gravity treadmills supplement an athlete’s body weight so they can run with less impact, which our athletes tell us means more miles with less recovery time," says Ashley Campbell, expert product line manager and Nike Running.
"The Vomero Premium aims to provide a high amount of impact reduction and a similar sensation to the anti-gravity treadmill experience."
All this technology comes at a high price, with the Vomero Premium priced at £209.99. It will be interesting to see how the shoe feels on the run — the Nike Pegasus Premium launched with a similar level of hype but felt a little clunky on the run during my testing.
At time of writing, Nike hasn't confirmed US pricing. You can get an idea converting GBP into USD, although this is just a guess at this point, as the tariffs applied to non-U.S. goods could (and probably will) mean that the price will be higher in the U.S.
The Vomero Plus replaces the Invincible 3
The Nike Vomero Plus might not have as much hype around it at launch as the Nike Vomero Premium, but fans of the Nike Invincible line will be delighted by its arrival.
That’s because it looks like a replacement for the Invincible 3, with a max-cushioned design that exclusively uses ZoomX foam in the midsole.
It has a stack height of 45mm at the heel, so isn’t as outlandishly tall as the Vomero Premium, but it's 4mm higher than the Invincible 3 and around the same as the Vomero 18, which uses a mix of Nike’s ReactX and ZoomX foams in its midsole.
The Vomero Plus will probably be lighter than the Vomero Premium because of its lower midsole stack and the fact it just uses ZoomX, which is a very lightweight material also used in racing shoes like the Nike Alphafly 3.
It’s also cheaper, costing £159.99 (U.S. price TBC), which is £25 more than the Vomero 18, which is the most affordable Nike option for those craving a max-cushioned ride.
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