Nike Recalls The History Of Zoom Air Cushioning In Running Shoes

With the classic Nike Air Zoom Talaria finally on the way back in its iconic neon colorway, Nike takes a look at their history of Zoom Air in running with a special feature today on Nike News. The Swoosh traces its Zoom Air roots in running back to 1995, when the then brand-new iteration of Air was actually called Tensile Air. The tech debuted in the Air Zoom LWP (part of the Lightweight Performance line). One year later, the dynamic and responsive new Air was renamed Zoom, making things official in the Air Zoom Alpha of 1996, which featured four bottom-loaded Zoom Air pods from heel to toe for one of Nike’s smoothest rides ever. Runners were sold, and Zoom Air was here to stay in the brand’s running footwear, next appearing in 1997’s two cult-classics, the Air Zoom Spiridon and Air Zoom Talaria. By 1999, Zoom evolved into a visible iteration, found in the midsole of the Zoom Citizen, another under-the-radar model loved by Nike running shoe collectors across the globe. Visible Zoom then got even bigger for 2003’s update to the Spiridon, featuring in a large heel unit held within and supported by a Pebax cage.

Now more than twenty years after its debut, Zoom Air is still the preferred Nike cushioning platform across many sports for athletes, especially in running where the Pegasus, Structure, Elite, and racing lines all utilize the landmark technology.