Nike Running Commemorates 2003's Mayfly Racer with Pegasus LV8 Collection

Since its days importing Japanese track shoes to the Pacific Northwest as Blue Ribbon Sports, the Swoosh has been obsessed with running. Co-founder Bill Bowerman famously said a shoe for the sport must be three things: "It must be light, comfortable, and it’s got to go the distance."

Over the last 54 years, Nike has adhered to the University of Oregon alum's guidelines, developing products that've helped athletes set new personal bests and world records. Offerings like the Cortez (1972), Pegasus '83 (1983), Zoom Vomero 5 (2011), and Air Zoom AlphaFly 1 (2020) are just some of the swoosh-branded running shoes that've improved the sport. And while impressive in their own right, they fell short of the Mayfly, an ultra-lightweight marathon racer from 2003.

While known and revered by savvy runners and performance footwear historians, the Nike Mayfly has been overshadowed by modern super shoes, and the rise of both carbon fiber stiffening agents and high stacks of uber-responsive foams. A newly-surfaced Pegasus 41, Pegasus Plus, and Pegasus Premium, however, harken back to the Swoosh's innovative silhouette from the early aughts, donning a "University Gold/Black/White" color scheme and graphics inspired by the mayfly's wings.

According to information acquired by Elden Monitors, the commemorative LV8 collection is expected to release via Nike.com throughout Fall 2025. Pricing ranges from $140 to $210. Ahead of its launch, here's a quick history lesson on its predecessor.

If Bowerman could've had it his way, all of his athletes would have worn track spikes that disintegrated steps after crossing the finish line. While not the most eco or wallet-friendly concept, this "one-and-done" idea promised to deliver the best performance solution possible, as any footwear product built with it could be fine tuned with disregard for longevity. The legendary coach didn't live to see his vision come to life, but a devout team at Nike, Inc. went into the new millennium with him and his bold dreams in mind.

Minds like Sean McDowell (of Air Max Plus fame), Jerry Crowley (Advance Engineer), Kevin Paulk (Director, Running Innovation), and Tony Bignell (Manager/Director, Running/Performance) came together to develop a running silhouette built upon the Nike co-founder's obsessive vision.

By the end of the 1990s, the sport's sneaker landscape had moved things away from the lightest racing flats possible to designs laden with overlays, stability clips, and as much padding as possible. McDowell and company's developmental project would revert things to a lighter weight, no-frills build. A pair of the Mayfly in a Men's US Size 9 came in at just 135 grams (4.76 ounces), whereas most running shoes weighed three times that. By comparison, this year's VaporFly 4 release weighs 190g in a Men's US 10.

Unlike today's racers (with the exception of the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 2), the pre-Bowerman Series proposal didn't offer longevity. Akin to mayflies, which live their whole lives in the span of 24 hours, Nike's premier racing flat would "die" after 100 kilometers (62.14 miles). The idea was for the shoe to last just long enough for runners to log in some training miles and a full marathon before components began to become undone or lose their pep.

The brand's decades of running expertise went into the design and manufacturing of the Mayfly racer. The result, however, took the company into uncharted territory.

As with so many running silhouettes before and after it, the ambitious project began with a tried-and-proven concept that coupled a lightweight upper with a comfortable sole unit.

The earliest iterations of the model allegedly featured top-halves constructed from the ultra-durable Tyvek material found on FedEx envelopes. This element proved resilient across wear-testing, but lacked in breathability and ventilation. The team went back to the drawing board, ultimately pulling from Bowerman's own trials-and-errors and landing on the ripstop nylon fabric used in parachutes. A perforated suede run from the tip of the toe to the top of the tongue in a similar fashion to what's found on the Pegasus Plus, adding structure to the single-piece fabric upper.

Underfoot, a full-length Phylon midsole delivered a lightweight, responsive ride. Rubber coverage was minimal across the outsole, appearing in a peculiar layout under the forefoot and at the lateral heel. Flex grooves helped establish a foundation for styles like the Sock Dart (2004) and Free 5.0 (2005).

At the elite level, Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain and Sonia O’Sullivan of Ireland put the Nike Mayfly through the paces. With their and other top-level athletes' co-signs, the Swoosh could finally launch the featherweight racer to the public.

The initial plan was to only release 2,000 pairs across Europe for the price of $45. A drop across North America eventually took place, increasing stock numbers.

While unthinkable in today's world, which sees training models with an MSRP of $150 or higher, the Mayfly's original price tag aligned with its planned obsolescence. Additionally, as Bignell famously said, the shoe wasn't meant to be seen on everyone like an inline Air Jordan, for example. Instead, the Mayfly was "a kind of shoe that should be prescribed to you."

Those lucky enough to secure a pair for retail were invited to recycle the shoes with Nike after the 100km. The Mayfly's slanted box arrived with a postcard with shipping details for the "Reuse A Shoe" program. Legend has it that the brand didn't receive a single used pair during the model's original run.

Following the inaugural "Industrial Orange" pair, the Swoosh launched the Mayfly in a number of color schemes. In 2007, it was reintroduced to market as a sprinting shoe, but it was widely handled as a retro lifestyle product. Collaborations with MediCom and an unreleased iteration for Bono’s Project Red preceded a full-on appropriation by the Nike Sportswear (NSW) division by 2012. Premium leather across the upper and lining worked in-tandem with a denser Phylon foam formula to distance the model from its pursuit of Bowerman's vision. The Mayfly Woven further stripped the lightweight racer of its DNA, doubling-down on the elevated modification of sports heritage.

Nike's original Mayfly might've come and gone, but it laid the groundwork for the industry-shifting 4% and NEXT% lines of the last 10 years. Currently, the Men's Marathon World Record is held by the late Kelvin Kiptum, who ran the distance in the AlphaFly 3.

The Pegasus LV8 caspule might not be fine-tuned to Bowerman's three principles for a running shoe, but it offers reliable performance across a variety of use cases via its innovative Flyknit upper, ZoomX foam, and sculpted Air Zoom unit. The "University Gold" color scheme also draws a through-line to the Mayfly, affirming that good work done at any point could inspire people, products, and initiatives from the future.

A firm Nike.com release date for the eye-catching collection hasn't been disclosed by the brand as of yet, but pairs are expected to land between August and October. In the meantime, enjoy official images of the Mayfly-inspired offerings below.

For more sneaker news from the Swoosh conglomerate, check out all remaining Jordan Release Dates in the year.