Nike Vegam Run: Nike's first running shoe designed for India, on sale from November

For decades, Indian runners have laced up shoes that were designed for somebody else's roads, somebody else's weather and somebody else's feet. Nike wants to change that. The Vegam Run is the brand's first running shoe designed for India, and it went on sale from November 1 on Flipkart and at select retail locations across the country. It is meant to be the one pair you run in at dawn and then keep wearing for the rest of the day.

Nike says the shoe was shaped by insights from runners in India about how they run, how they train and how they live. In other words, this is not a global model with a new colour slapped on for the Indian market; it was built from the brief upwards with the Indian runner in mind.

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What the Vegam Run brings to the start line

The recipe is simple and sensible, which is exactly what a first proper running shoe should be. Here is what Nike has put into it:

• Engineered mesh upper for breathability and fit, which matters when most of the country runs in heat and humidity for a good part of the year.
• Full-length foam midsole for cushioning on every stride, whether that is a 5K on tarmac or a long day on your feet.
• Stacked, textured rubber outsole for grip, with perimeter rubber around the edges for durability.
• Pull tabs so you can get in and out of the shoe without a wrestling match.

Nike positions the Vegam Run as an entry point into running and everyday movement, offered at what it calls a more accessible Nike Running price point. That makes it a shoe for the office colleague who has just signed up for a first 10K, not only for the marathon regular with a drawer full of race medals.

Built fast, with Indian runners in the room

The speed of the project is a story in itself. Nike says the Vegam Run went from design brief to confirmed product in just 55 days, and the whole journey from concept to launch took about five months, a sprint by the standards of the sneaker business.

Deepa Ramprasad, Senior Director of Nike Road Running Footwear, summed up the brief neatly: "Our ambition with the Vegam Run was simple: honor the voice of the runner in India and build what they need." Tarundeep Singh, General Manager of Nike India, added that "Vegam Run is an invitation to running for more athletes in India and around the world."

The launch arrives in the middle of a genuine running boom in India, and shortly after Nike announced plans for a new campus in the country. Globally, Nike's running business has grown by double digits for six consecutive quarters, so the brand clearly sees India as a place where running can keep that streak alive.

Colours, availability and what comes next

The official pictures show the shoe in a bright pink and a bright green, both loud enough to be spotted from the other end of the park. There is also an After Dark Tour colourway, created to celebrate the Mumbai stop of Nike's After Dark Tour race series in December, so night runners in the city have something special to look forward to.

At launch, Flipkart and select stores are where you will find it. Nike plans wider distribution through its retail partners in India in spring 2027, and the Vegam Run will travel to more international markets during 2027 as well. That means a shoe designed in India for Indians will soon be on the shelves of other countries, which is a rather nice reversal of the usual order of things.

Before you buy, the usual rules apply: try both sizes if you sit between two, give your feet a few easy runs to settle in, and do not make your first outing in new shoes a race day.

The FHM take

We like this one. It is not a carbon-plated super-shoe chasing records, and it does not pretend to be. It is a straightforward, cushioned daily trainer designed around how Indians actually run, sold where Indians actually shop. If you have been meaning to start running and needed one last nudge, a shoe made with you in mind is about as good an excuse as you will get.