Nike Air Zoom Structure 22

Nike Air Zoom Structure 22 review

Is your closet getting a little crowded with all those specialty shoes you’ve been collecting? It’s true, right?

We have more shoes than any generation before us - tempo shoes, flats for the track, cushy trainers for recovery, lightweight trainers for longer races. We don’t need yet another specialty shoe as much as we need a bigger closet.

I’ve searched high and low for the one trainer that could reclaim my closet and let me run Tempo, Track, and Recovery runs with happy feet. The biggest surprise of all is I think Nike, the supplier of the elites, has responded with a nicely balanced shoe at a great price. Enter the Nike Zoom Structure 22!

Gold star toe box

Unlike many of Nike’s offerings, the Zoom Structure 22 has a roomy toe box. There is nothing worse than to be cramped up front on those repeats or even worse that long run.

That is not going to happen in these Zooms. Nike built in plenty of room for those toes to spread out. It gives supreme comfort during the workout, and you’ll feel great after you're done. 

Midsole - gets better the more you wear them

This was such a pleasant surprise for me. Nike uses a dual-density midsole with Phylon and Cushlon materials to create what they call Dynamic Support.

Initially, I felt the midsole was on the firm side but satisfactory. After putting over 100 miles in them, I can honestly say they just get better with age.

They still give that support, but the comfort quotient just gets better and better. The performance of these shoes and the fact that Nike develops all their foams in the house has me believing in Nike again.

Upper - no one does it better than Nike

Nike has a knack for crafting a shoe that fits nicely around your foot. In the Zoom Structure 22, Nike creates a great fit with a seamless upper and Flywire to give that custom fit.

There is no unnecessary padding, and the upper has a tailored feel to it. The material also has proven to be breathable while maintaining durability.

When I say breathable, I run in sunny Las Vegas, and I’m telling you, the uppers ventilate nicely on those sweaty runs.

Soles that politely grip the road

The structure uses a multi-thread that gives grip but still lets you rip. The treads don’t have aggressive lugs that get in the way of the road.

They feel stable underfoot, but you don’t even realize they are there. This makes these shoes so versatile because you can Zoom on a training run, track workout, distance event, or just look cool on Saturday night. I’ve done all those things in my Zooms.

Tip: see the best running shoes.