Ghost 16 vs Pegasus 41

The Brooks Ghost 16 is a neutral daily training shoe built to do one job well: soak up the miles without asking anything of you. It is the running shoe you reach for on an easy day, a steady midweek run or your first proper training block, and it rarely puts a foot wrong. The ride is soft but composed, with a tall 12mm drop that rolls you forward gently and takes some load off the calves and Achilles. At 269g it is not light and it is not built for speed, so do not expect it to snap back when you push the pace. That is not the point. What you get instead is a reliable, cushioned, forgiving running shoe that suits new runners and high-mileage regulars alike. In our view it is one of the safest daily trainers you can buy, and the newer Ghost 17 only sharpens the same recipe.

The Nike Pegasus 41 is the do-everything daily training shoe in Nike's range, and it plays that role well. This is not a carbon racing shoe or a plush recovery slipper. It is a dependable workhorse built to soak up easy miles, the odd faster session and the weekly long run without complaint. At 283g it is not the lightest daily trainer on the market, and the 10mm drop is firmly traditional, so heel-strikers will feel at home. What you get for your money is reassurance: a road shoe that handles commute runs, marathon-block mileage and parkrun duty with the same steady, predictable ride. If you want one running shoe that does most jobs and lasts, the Pegasus 41 earns its keep. We rate it as a safe, sensible buy rather than an exciting one, and for a lot of runners that is exactly the point. The successor Pegasus 42 is now out, which often makes the 41 the smarter value pick on discount.