Taking my pair out the box was the first time I had seen the Structure 23 in real life. So how does the Structure 23 differ from previous versions of the Structure and where does it fit into the Nike performance running range? Nike Air Zoom Structure 23 First Impressions The next three versions toned down the medial post, making them more comfortable and this broadened the target market. The Structure 19 and the Structures before the 19 had prominent medial posts and a “poking in the arch” sensation which made it unbearable for many neutral runners and even some overpronators to wear. There’s a good reason that true stability shoes are a dying breed.

It’s interesting that on Nike’s website the word “stability” is not mentioned anywhere in the Structure 23’s description or in its product details.Ī lot of runners stay away from “stability” shoes because it usually means firm, heavy and “poking arch” sensation. It has only been launched in a very small number of markets in Asia and Nike has chosen to not name the foam that its midsole is made of or give its standard size weight. It is an excellent running shoe even though most of it still remains clouded in mystery. I couldn’t believe that anyone could enjoy doing high mileage in such a stiff, firm shoe.įorget everything you previously knew about the Structure series because the Structure 23 is unlike any other Structure shoe to date. I remember watching a Galen Rupp interview years ago in which he said that he has always been a “Structure guy” and does all his training in the Structure. It was the firm midsole that gave it its highly stable ride. The Nike Structure has never been a soft shoe. If one was asked to describe how the Nike Structures of days gone by felt, the adjectives would be along the lines of firm, stiff and stable. The Structure was dead and buried but now it’s been brought back to life and it’s undergone an extreme makeover while being on hiatus. Nike was actually secretly working on the Structure 23. Remember when Nike led us to believe that the Structure was being discontinued because they compared the React Infinity Run to it and said that the React Infinity Run caused runners fewer injuries than the Structure 22?

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