The Nike ACG Zegama Trail is a buy for people who run long on rocky, rooty paths. The 2-layer sole of ZoomX and Cushlon 3.0 carries a forefoot rock plate that protects the sole. About 315g in 27cm, 4mm drop. The Japan official terrain label is "for high-difficulty courses."
The Shoe Nerd's top pick
The Zegama is not a shoe to drop for its weight. The 29g that makes it the heaviest of the 3 is the weight of the plate that protects the sole, the Vibram rubber and the ankle fabric, and the destinations Nike's announcement lists are ultramarathons and long days in the mountains. The number to check before buying is the 4mm drop, not the weight. If your current shoe is 10mm, that is 6mm lower. Only to people who can accept that do I recommend this shoe.
Key points
- ZoomX directly under the foot, with Cushlon 3.0 for stability layered below it: 2 layers. The announcement gives ZoomX's return as 85%
- Heavier than the ACG Pegasus Trail by 29g in 27cm and JPY 9,130 more. 39g heavier than the Ultrafly and JPY 9,020 cheaper
- A stretch-fabric collar keeps sand and pebbles out and fits to the heel. Of the 3, only the Zegama has the ankle fabric
Official numbers: the ACG Zegama Trail is the heaviest of the 3 with the smallest drop
Soft foam wobbles on rocks. That is a worry that comes with thick-soled trail shoes. The Zegama's sole answers that worry with 2 layers.
First the numbers. They are what I read on Oct 13, 2026, from Nike Japan's official product page (men's); the release timing and the rock plate come from Nike's own announcement of Dec 2, 2025.
| Item | Official specs |
|---|---|
| Release (worldwide announcement) | Summer 2026 |
| Official price (men's, tax included) | JPY 27,060 |
| Weight (one shoe) | About 315g (27cm) / about 338g (28cm) |
| Drop (the official term is offset) | 4mm |
| Width lineup | A design with a wider forefoot and toes (official explanation) |
| Plate | Rock plate in the forefoot (announcement's explanation; not a carbon plate) |
| Midsole foam | ZoomX (top) + Cushlon 3.0 (bottom) |
| Outsole rubber | Vibram Megagrip (Traction Lug) |
| Sizes | 24 to 30cm (0.5cm steps, 13 sizes) |
| Colors | 7 colors |
| Terrain label | For high-difficulty courses |
From 27cm to 28cm, the weight rises 23g (338 − 315). That is about 7.3% (23 ÷ 315). It is bigger than the Pegasus Trail's 19g and the Ultrafly's 11g, a shoe where the weight gap widens the larger your foot.
Zegama 2 compared: ZoomX moved directly under the foot
The first change the announcement lists is how the sole is layered. ZoomX is placed directly under the foot, with a layer of Cushlon 3.0 laid below it. The ZoomX is in a form visible from outside.
This is the heart of how this shoe works. ZoomX is the foam Nike writes as the lightest and best returning, and the announcement gives its return as 85%. Soft material on the side nearer the foot, the material that handles stability on the side nearer the ground. A build that splits the feel the foot receives and the footing on the ground into separate layers.
| Place | Official description |
|---|---|
| Midsole foam | ZoomX directly under the foot. Below it Cushlon 3.0 for stability |
| Outsole rubber | Vibram Megagrip. The lug pattern was improved and where the rubber sits was chosen |
| Forefoot | A rock plate protects the sole from rocks |
| Heel | The shape was changed to make it easier to place the foot on difficult ground |
| Last (shoe form) | A new trail-specific last. Room at the forefoot and toes |
| Around the ankle | A very stretchy fabric (gaiter) keeps stones and sand out |
| Upper | Added patches on the tongue and heel. A band that supports the midfoot |
Athlete Caleb Olson in the announcement (2025 Western States winner) says rebound increased with the same comfort and stability as the previous generation. That is the athlete's words, not a percentage.
What can be said in numbers is the amount of test wear.
According to the announcement, 22 athletes from 8 countries and 5 US states tested it. Each test wear covered 50 to 100 miles, and many athletes passed 400 miles in up to 8 weeks. 400 miles is about 644km (400 × 1.609), and divided by 8 weeks it is about 80km a week (644 ÷ 8).
One round of 100 miles is about 161km. The Mt.FUJI 100 distance I read in this site's article on mandatory gear for 4 trail races is 165.3km, which is 102.7 miles (165.3 ÷ 1.609). It works out to covering the same distance as a 100-mile-class race in a single test wear.
Pegasus Trail and Ultrafly compared: what the extra 29g adds over the siblings
| Zegama Trail | Pegasus Trail | Ultrafly Trail | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official terrain label | High | Moderate | Low to high |
| Plate | Rock plate in the forefoot | None | Carbon plate end to end |
| Midsole foam | ZoomX+Cushlon 3.0 | ReactX | ZoomX |
| Drop | 4mm | 8mm | 8.5mm |
| Weight (27cm) | About 315g | About 286g | About 276g |
| Weight gap from the Zegama | — | −29g | −39g |
| Official price | JPY 27,060 | JPY 17,930 | JPY 36,080 |
| Per gram | About JPY 86 | About JPY 63 | About JPY 131 |
It is 29g, about 10%, heavier than the Pegasus Trail (29 ÷ 286). What is added is 4 things: the ZoomX layer, Vibram rubber, the rock plate and the ankle fabric. All are parts that protect the foot on rough ground or keep it from slipping.
Its role differs from the Ultrafly. That one is a race shoe with a carbon plate end to end, and 39g lighter. The Zegama has no plate to roll you forward. What it has is a plate to stop the stones you step on.
The prices of the 3 form a staircase with nearly equal steps. The gap to the lower step is JPY 9,130 and to the upper step JPY 9,020. The Zegama is exactly the middle step.
- Courses with lots of rocks and roots, long descents, days moving all day in the mountains → Zegama Trail
- Mainly forest roads and dirt paths, also running pavement → Pegasus Trail. 29g lighter, and the drop is closer to a road shoe
- Chasing time in races, long runnable sections → Ultrafly Trail
- Someone without a low-drop shoe should not make the Zegama a first pair. Getting used to the mountains first in the 8mm Pegasus Trail means a smaller change of gear
Image: Rakuten Ichiba
Nike ACG Pegasus Trail
Lowest price on Rakuten is JPY 17,800 (as of 10/13), ranging up to JPY 83,500 depending on the shop. Prices change daily. Shoes are best tried on in the evening, when your feet swell, with your usual socks. Fit varies by brand, so check the return and exchange terms on the shop page before you buy.
RecommendedSee it on Super Sports XEBIOSee it on Rakuten IchibaSee it on Yahoo! Shopping JapanWhat I like
The protective parts are all in 1 pair: ZoomX, a rock plate, Vibram Megagrip and ankle fabric. It is a shoe that stacked by addition the things said to be "reassuring to have" in a trail shoe.
The ankle fabric in particular is a part only the Zegama has among the 3. A collar of stretch material keeps out sand and pebbles and fits tight to the heel. It deals from the build side with the bother common in the mountains of stopping because a stone got into the shoe.
The explanation of the sole rubber is concrete too. The announcement writes grip that works on dry ground, wet ground and difficult rocky terrain. This is the clearest difference from the Pegasus Trail with Nike's own rubber.
The price is the middle of the 3. You can have a trail shoe with ZoomX at JPY 9,020 lower than the Ultrafly.
Things to watch
The drop is 4mm. The road Pegasus 42 is 10mm and the Pegasus Trail 8mm. That is 6mm, or 4mm, lower than what you wear now (10 − 4, 8 − 4). For a foot used to heel height, this gap shows up bigger than the 29g of weight.
The weight is the most of the 3. In 28cm it is about 338g, and the gap from the Ultrafly's about 287g widens to 51g (338 − 287). In 27cm the gap is 39g, so the bigger the size, the worse off it is.
On cushioning, the announcement writes "maximum-class cushioning."
The rock plate story is written in the English announcement. Read only the product page and you miss this shoe's main part.
Who is it for?
- Good fit: someone who runs courses with lots of rocky ground, tree roots and rubble descents. Someone entering long-distance races
- Good fit: someone already wearing shoes with a 4 to 6mm drop, for whom the switch gap is small
- Good fit: someone who has been bothered by stones and sand getting into the shoe
It is the heaviest of the 3. If forest roads and well-kept mountain paths are the main use, the Pegasus Trail, 29g lighter, fits better.
Price and where to buy
| Model | Official price | Rakuten price |
|---|---|---|
| ACG Zegama Trail | JPY 27,060 | — |
| Zegama 2 (previous generation) | Not listed on the Japan official site | — |
| ACG Pegasus Trail | JPY 17,930 | JPY 17,800–83,500 |
| ACG Pegasus Trail GORE-TEX | JPY 27,060 | — |
I included the 4th row of the table because its price is exactly the same as the Zegama's. With the same money, a waterproof Pegasus Trail or a rocky-ground Zegama. For people with many rainy forest roads, the former; for those who go to rough paths even when dry, the latter.
The "Zegama 2" with no ACG in the name is the previous generation. It is from before the last change, so the toe room is not the same as the current generation. The similarly named "ACG Zegama Hike" is officially classified as a hiking shoe and is a different shoe.
FAQ
How does the ACG Zegama Trail fit?
It is built with room at the forefoot and toes. A new trail-specific last gives room for toes to spread naturally.
Men's runs 24 to 30cm in 0.5cm steps, 13 sizes.
How different is the ACG Zegama Trail's 4mm drop from the other 2?
4 to 4.5mm smaller, a number where only the Zegama stands apart among the 3. It is 4mm smaller than the Pegasus Trail and 4.5mm smaller than the Ultrafly (8 − 4, 8.5 − 4).
Anyone planning to rotate the 3 ACG shoes should know this. The Pegasus Trail and Ultrafly are 0.5mm apart and nearly matched; only the Zegama has a different heel height.
Can the ACG Zegama Trail run roads too?
Its destinations are ultramarathons, long days in the mountains, and difficult terrain with lots of rock.
The one that assumes linking pavement to the mountains is the ACG Pegasus Trail. The race shoe is in the ACG Ultrafly Trail article, and the quick table of the 3 is in the article on Nike's 6 new 2026 shoes.
Gear in this article
Ads and images: Rakuten IchibaSources
- Nike announcement (Dec 2, 2025: ACG Zegama. On sale summer 2026)
- Nike announcement (Feb 2, 2026: ACG relaunch. Nike Trail moves to ACG)
- Nike Japan official: ACG Zegama Trail (men's)
- Nike Japan official: ACG Pegasus Trail (men's)
- Nike Japan official: ACG Pegasus Trail GORE-TEX (men's)
- Nike Japan official: ACG Ultrafly Trail
