Nike React Infinity Shoe Review

I’ve been trying out the Nike React Infinity shoes for the last couple of months just for something different from my usual Adidas and New Balance shoes and thought it was a good time to provide a review on them from both a casual and hard training perspective. I’ve even run a short race in them too just to try them out in all types of environments.

As a Daily Trainer – Easy Runs

When using them as a daily trainer for easy runs, they tick all the boxes. At the moment my easy runs range from 8KM to 10KM with some 10 second sprints at about the 6KM mark. For this sort of run, you just cannot fault the shoe. They’re super comfortable, fit my foot shape well with plenty of room for your toes and snug around the heel. Word of caution, these shoes are soft!! If you’re not used to a luxury ride, this will be quite a shock to the system, i.e. you’ll almost doubt they were designed for running as opposed to just comfortable shoes to wear for day to day usage. Bit of a departure from my New Balance Zante’s which feel like slippers compared to the Nike’s.

For Speed Workouts

Well, they’re absolutely fine for speeds around 3:50/km, so for threshold training, I’ve not had a single problem despite being so soft under foot. They’re even fine for 10 second sprints during my easy runs. However, if you’re planning on doing intervals or repetition style training at 3:40/km or quicker, they’re a bit too soft. To be fair, that’s not what Nike was targeting anyway with this shoe as the concept around the “Infinity” is to let you run big runs and stay comfy while protecting you from injury.

For Racing

If you’re not breaking 3:50/km for your race and that race is anything from 5KMs up, these shoes would see you finish with a high level of comfort. If you’re faster than that, forget them for racing, they’re just too soft and flexible.  You’ll find yourself sinking into your foot strikes. I could show you a horrible photo of me in a race where the shoe looks almost flat under my foot but it’s just too horrible to show!!

The Only Negatives

Provided you’re only using them for threshold or slower type runs, the only negative I’ve found is that one of the shoes is squeaking. My wife who occasionally rides her bike next to me while I’m running comments on the noise level. When I’m running alone, I don’t notice it as I’m normally listening to music.

If you want to get yourself a pair, a link to Amazon (I earn a very small amount of money if you buy them via Amazon) is below:

Nike Men’s React Infinity Run FK Running Shoe Black/White/Dark Grey 11

Nike React Infinity Run Flyknit Women’s Running Shoe Platinum Tint/Black-Pink Blast Size 8