Five Running Shoes That Did Not Work Out: A 2022 Disappointment List

Introduction

Every rotation has its rejects. Over the past year, five shoes were put through genuine mileage with an open mind, and some were repeatedly given second chances to prove their worth. None of them did. This is not a list of shoes chosen at random for easy targets: each pair here was actually worn, run in, and judged against real alternatives at similar prices. The recurring problems fall into familiar buckets: uncomfortable uppers, stiff or controlling midsoles, poor grip, and pricing that does not match the experience. If any of these shoes worked for you, that is genuinely good news, but the experiences below should help set expectations before spending money on a premium daily trainer or niche racer.

Nike Pegasus Turbo Next Nature

Nike’s intent with the Pegasus Turbo Next Nature is understandable, but the execution falls short. The shoe borrows a name with serious heritage from the Pegasus 35 Turbo and Pegasus Turbo 2, and the result feels like a great pretender rather than a worthy successor. The upper is the low point: it fits like a fabric cage around the foot, is genuinely hard to get on, and despite what the appearance suggests, the pull tab does not move or make entry any easier. It is also made from scrap ZoomX material, which sounds sustainable until you feel how little structure it offers.

The midsole is the other disappointment. The ZoomX here does not feel like the proper ZoomX slab used elsewhere, and at this price the value simply is not there. A cheaper daily trainer, some £50 to £60 less, would serve most runners better, and alternatives from Nike, Adidas, and Reebok are easy to find. Consistency between the two shoes in the pair was also poor, with each feeling noticeably different from the other. Compared against something like the Endorphin Speed 3 or the Invincible Run, the Turbo Next Nature loses on both price and purpose.

Adidas Adistar

The Adidas Adistar entered the rotation with good intentions and quickly went sour. The overly solid heel and oddly built-up, heavily padded upper never gelled, and the shoe accumulated almost no use as a result. The core problem is that the Adistar wants you to run in one very specific way. The rocker design is controlling of your foot strike, and anything other than long, slow runs feels awkward in it.

That narrowness makes the higher price hard to justify. It is not even useful for casual duties like lawn mowing, because the controlling midsole makes every step feel clunky. In comfort and profile it drifts toward dad-shoe territory without any of the charm. It is not a shoe that can be recommended for purchase anytime soon.

Nike ZoomX Zegama

The ZoomX Zegama looks like a premium trail shoe on paper, with a design and aesthetic that should work. In practice it is heavy and unwieldy, and the grip is the deal-breaker: most of the outsole simply does not have meaningful traction, so mud and smooth surfaces become genuinely risky. Running in wet weather in this shoe was a poor experience, and it left a sense of vulnerability on anything other than dry, grippy ground.

The upper lockdown is the best part of the shoe, and even that is only reasonable rather than good. The ZoomX midsole underdelivers badly, with energy return that feels flat compared with what the foam is known for. Add a devilish price tag and there is little reason to reach for it again, despite a few runners reportedly getting along with it fine.

New Balance FuelCell SC Pacer

The FuelCell SC Pacer is so dialed into one specific use case that its price tag is hard to justify. It packs far less foam than previous RC models, has a rigid plate, and features a large section of exposed midsole foam on the outsole, which is difficult to make sense of on the road. The upper reads more like a track spike profile than a road running shoe. In the right feet it could hit the spot, but a host of better and cheaper, more versatile options exist for almost everyone else.

On Cloudmonster

The Cloudmonster arrived with high expectations and left disappointment. For a shoe with so many holes cut into its midsole, it is surprisingly not light, and for a maximally cushioned shoe, it is not maximally cushioned either. The heel feels harsh, likely because the plate sits almost directly under the foot, the foam itself is tough, and grip is limited.

The worst issue is the ankle collar and tongue: there is almost no padding, so the laces cut into the top of the foot on every wear, like a cheese wire. The lace loops on the medial and lateral sides also began fraying despite barely any use. It is an expensive shoe for the experience it delivers.

Conclusion

None of these five shoes is a write-off for every runner, but each one has a specific flaw worth knowing about before buying. The Pegasus Turbo Next Nature struggles with entry and value, the Adistar is too controlling, the Zegama’s grip is a genuine risk, the SC Pacer serves a very narrow niche at a high price, and the Cloudmonster hurts over the top of the foot. The common lesson is simple: match the shoe to your actual running, not to the name on the midsole, and check the alternatives before paying a premium.