Nike Motiva shoe review: runners for women’s feet

Over the past year, shoe companies have finally started to recognize the fact that female feet are not small versions of male feet. The result: shoes, like the Lululemon Blissfeel and Hilma's The Everywhere, that are specifically designed for a woman's wider forefoot and narrow heel, with more arch support and more cushioning to support female anatomy and biomechanics.

Now, Nike is jumping on the bandwagon with the brand new Nike Motiva. The shoe was created using data from female runners on the Nike Run Club app, as well as insights from more than 1,000 interviews. In their research, Nike found that the majority of women clocking their first run on the app were averaging a 13-minute mile — a pace that included walking, jogging, running, starting, and stopping throughout. (FYI: There is also a men's version.)

The Motiva is designed to feel good at all those paces. So I put it to the test, wearing it during every run over the course of a week to see how it stood up to track workouts, easy runs, long runs, a run/walk workout and just plain walking. Here's what I thought.

The new Nike Motiva shoes are aimed at anyone who wants to combine walking, running and jogging in their fitness regiment.

The most important feature of any running shoe is how it feels, and the Nike Motiva is cooooomfy. The brand created a new last — a mechanical form shaped like a human foot that shoes are built around — that prioritizes the widened forefoot, arch and toe box women need.

Nike's shoes tend to run narrow, so I really noticed the extra wiggle room when I started moving in these (on my first outing, I actually had to stop and tighten the laces so my foot didn't slip around; my foot is on the narrower side). And because women are generally lighter than men and require a gentler landing (because it's harder for them to compress a shoe's foam), the Motiva has a full-length Cushlon 3.0 foam midsole to help soften the impact of that foot strike. It definitely felt cushier than my other go-to shoes from the brand, like the Vaporfly 3 or even the Invincible 3, with a little squish that enveloped my foot before bouncing back into place with each step.

The Nike Motiva looks way cooler than how you might imagine a "walking shoe." It is available in all black, but I actually preferred the psychedelic hot pink and purple pattern; it's the kind of design that makes people stop and ask what kind of shoes you’re wearing (that happened twice on my long run). The sole itself is eye-catching, too. Because people are more likely to hit the ground heel first when they’re moving slowly, the exaggerated rocker geometry (you can see it in the curve under the heel and toe) helps ease your foot to the ground and roll you forward into your next step. And the wavy outsole design isn't just an aesthetic choice. Those bumps help make the underfoot experience even softer, compressing where and when you need it. The faster I went, the more the bumps compressed, returning a little bit of spring to each step.

After several different types of workouts in the shoe — including walking, running and run/walking — I would say this is the type of shoe I’ll reserve for very short, very easy-paced runs or long walks. The further I got into my long run, the warmer my feet felt; the knit upper wasn't very breathable, and the sock-like fit seemed to trap the heat my feet were generating. And all that cushioning is kind of heavy (the Cushlon isn't as lightweight as Nike's ZoomX foam, which you’ll find in the brand's racing shoes), so I did feel it weighing my tired legs down toward the end.

Truthfully, most running shoes will also feel fine when you’re walking. But you’ll find several brands that sell some of their most popular styles under both categories. See: New Balance's Fresh Foam X 1080v12 and Fresh Foam X More v4 or Hoka's Clifton 9 and Bondi 8, all of which have a less exaggerated rocker bottom than the Motiva but similarly plush cushioning in the midsole. Hoka also recently introduced the unisex Transport X, a carbon-plated daily trainer that's designed for both running and everyday wear. But as long as a running shoe feels stable, has ample cushioning and fits well, it’ll serve you just as well for walking.

The Nike Motiva isn't a shoe for experienced runners looking to run a PR in their next race. But that tends to be a smaller percentage of the running community. This is a shoe for the people who say "oh, I’m not a runner" even as they’re jogging; it's for those who are brand-new to running who follow a run/walk approach to training, or who are looking for a shoe that works just as well on runs as it does on walks. You could argue that that's just marketing spin, but if it gets more people out running, I’m all for it.