Nike Infinity Run 4 Review

Upper

Risa: "I cannot say enough good things about the Infinity Run 4's upper! It is soft and luxurious, almost feeling individually tailored to my foot. I have narrower feet, but thanks to the flyknit upper's stretchy material, the Infinity Run fit perfectly. With its adaptable design, it should also work for other foot types. Furthermore, the Infinity Run 4 is a good-looking shoe that stylishly complimented my running kits and athleisure outfits." 

Jon: "The upper was a real highlight of this shoe, thanks to the luxuriously soft and comfortable Flyknit upper that wraps nicely around the foot without being constricting or suffocating. Unfortunately, the shoe runs small, so I highly recommend going up at least a 1/2 size. I usually wear a size 11, and the 11.5 in the Infinity Run 4 still fits a bit smaller than my size 11 in other brands.

Aside from that, the upper is fantastic. Not only does it feel incredibly comfortable, but the upper design is very stylish, which adds to the versatility of the Infinity, as it is a shoe I really enjoy wearing casually. On a recent weekend trip, it was the only shoe I took with me, which allowed me to get my mileage while having a perfect shoe for walking around casually."

Midsole

Risa: "I loved the React Xmidsole of the Infinity Run 4. It is much softer than the previous version, which was awesome for me as I love a shoe with a softer midsole. The Infinity still does not offer a lot of responsiveness, and the Inifnity Run 4 is not the shoe I would pick for any speedier workout. However, it is comfortable, protective, and perfect for collecting daily mileage with workhorse capabilities. This new version felt more stable as well, which I appreciated." 

Jon: "There are quite a few updates for the Infinity Run 4 to boast about, but the most exciting update is, without question, the midsole, which is the first shoe to feature Nike's all-new ReactX foam compound. In addition to dramatically reducing its carbon footprint with ReactX, Nike has delivered a really competitive offering as the foam is the perfect kind of soft that runners look for in a premium daily trainer. Also, even though I have a neutral gait, I still appreciated the elements of stability integrated into this shoe. The shoe's wide base and strategic foam placement delivered a stable ride that felt natural through the gait cycle.

Running in the Infinity Run 4 was essentially effortless. The foam felt soft, but not mushy and offered excellent impact protection, making it easy to keep collecting mileage. Due to an Achilles issue that I have been dealing with of late, I did not get a chance to get a long run in, but I am confident that I will enjoy going far in this shoe when I am back to 100%.

When it comes to responsiveness, the Infinity Run 4 did not overly encourage me to go faster and was not very energetic underfoot. That said, I did pace a 5K at 7:20 min/mile (slightly slower than my marathon pace), and this shoe availed itself very well. Thanks to the bounciness of the foam and the rocker, I was able to fall into cruise control and never felt like the shoe was working against me. I paced the race perfectly and loved how the shoe performed."

Outsole

Risa: "I did not test the outsole in wet, slippery conditions, but the strategic blown rubber outsole had no issues gripping the roads. I always felt very in control of my run thanks to the shoe's reliable outsole."

Jon: "Given the Achilles injury I have been nursing, I did not put in as many miles as I would have liked to, but I was really happy with the performance of the outsole. It provided all the grip I needed on the roads and also performed well on the track."

Comparable Models

Nike Infinity Run 4 vs. ASICS Gel Nimbus 25

Risa: "The Nimbus 25 is still my favorite daily trainer of all time, and its plush comfort is tough to beat. That said, the Infinity Run 4 is climbing the ranks, which is a big deal, especially given that I did not overly enjoy the previous version of the Infinity. If you are a Nike lover and want a soft daily trainer that offers a lot of protection, a solid amount of inherent stability, and a super smooth ride, then I recommend the Infinity." 

Jon: "The Nimbus 25 is an amazing shoe and is ultra-plush from top to bottom. In my opinion, the Infinity Run 4 is one step down from the Nimbus 25, which is meant to be a huge compliment because the Nimbus 25 is one of my favorite shoes of the year. The Infinity Run 4's midsole is not quite as plush as the Nimbus's, and the upper feels a bit too heavy compared to the Nimbus'.

That said, and though this may be considered a hot take by some of my fellow testers, I found the Infinity Run 4's ReactX midsole more responsive than the Nimbus'. I say that because the Infinity Run 4 felt good on the track, and it is hard to imagine the Nimbus feeling as good due to the plush, cloud-like feel of the midsole. Overall, I think the Nimbus 25 offers a better overall value due to how premium it feels in every aspect, but runners who have an affinity for the swoosh will not be disappointed with the Infinity Run 4."

Nike Infinity Run 4 vs. ASICS GEL Kayano 30

Jon: "Although the Nike Infinity Run 4 is not categorized as a stability shoe, it has some features that make it inherently stable, and it offers a similar underfoot feel to the Kayano 30. Both shoes implement support features in unintrusive ways, particularly with a wider base, higher sidewalls, and intentional foam placement throughout the midsole. Additionally, I found the ReactX to feel similarly soft to the FF Blast+ used in the Kayano 30.

I think the Kayano 30 is more responsive than the Infinity Run 4, but both shoes feel very comfortable underfoot when paired with easier-paced runs. When recommending one of the two shoes, I would say it depends on the level of stability you need. If you are looking for more minimal amounts of support, then the Infinity Run 4 will serve you very well. If you typically run in stability shoes and have run in the Kayano before, I would recommend going with the Kayano."