Nike Announces the New Motiva Women’s Running Shoe

Whether you’re a runner, jogger, or casual walker, the all-new Nike Motiva will support your every step. This freshly engineered all-purpose running shoe was designed for varied activities and fluctuating paces, so that when you’re ready to get moving, you have a go-to sneaker to back you.

Using data from the Nike Run Club, Nike noticed that the majority of women logging their first workout on the app were averaging a 13-minute mile. As Nike took a closer look at the data, they realized that the women weren’t just running, but fluctuating between walking, jogging, and taking breaks throughout their cardio.

With this in mind, Nike began to explore footwear technology that would best serve a number of different athletes and workouts routines in order to provide a sneaker that feels almost custom made.

In designing Motiva, we really went after removing distractions, addressing the discomfort that can go along with how you feel both during and after an activity.

The result is a shoe that can help reduce disruptions in your stride to make moving feel smoother — and, we hope, help you want to come back for more.

Dr. Emily Farina, Principal Researcher in the Nike Sport Research Lab

The Nike Motiva is equipped with rocker geometry that helps provide a smooth transition as you move forward. The rocker helps ease your foot to the ground after heel impact, before helping to roll your foot forward, to push back off for your next step. When moving at a slower pace through activities like walking and jogging, people are more likely to strike the ground heel first, in which the exaggerated rocker sole provides comfortable protection.

Additionally, Nike wanted to create a running shoe that helps exercise to feel more enjoyable and motivates people to keep going. In pursuit of this, Nike analyzed info from hundreds of interviews and focus groups in the Nike Sport Research Lab and people’s communities to better understand what causes fatigue, discomfort, and frustration. The Nike Motiva was designed to keep people comfortable at all paces, that way everyone can truly enjoy their movement and the physical and mental payoffs of their workouts.

The silhouette has a full-length Cushlon 3.0 foam midsole and new ComfortGroove bumps on the outsole to help make the underfoot experience even softer, compressing where and when you need it. A soft foam waterfall collar hugs the ankle and heel, while an internal half-bootie helps you seamlessly get the shoe on and off with ease.

Data from the focus groups and testers also revealed that a narrow shoe is not the preferred fit amongst runners, so the team built the Nike Motiva on a new last that is designed with a widened forefoot, arch, and toe box in mind.

The Nike Motiva drops in May 2023. To purchase, visit Nike.com, select Nike stores, and specialty retailers. For more sneaker news and release dates, follow @NiceKicks on Instagram.