Matt Varga While Nike’s focus on sports innovation has always extended to the younger demo, 2024 has been a particularly notable year. On top of their usual kids’ sized offerings on the soccer pitch and basketball court, they unveiled their first-ever kids skate shoe in Q2, the They both enjoyed their shoes. Now, another sport gets its own fresh sized-down silhouette with the official reveal of the Nike Cosmic Runner.
It may not be the first children’s running shoe (the Future Speed and Nova have it beat there), the Cosmic Runner does arrive with some entirely novel touches. The official Beaverton press release notes that this is the “first kids’ silhouette to feature layered haptic printing,” an additional graphic layer over top that protects high friction areas to increase durability.
Long-time Nike heads will also note the “Cosmic” subhead, a tie to the turn-of-the-decade Cosmic Unity and Space Hippie lines. In accordance with those sneakers, the model at hand features Grind composition in the sole that reuses discarded existing products. Additional aspects that help this new younger demo are a reinforced toe-tip, a seamless one-piece upper for increased comfort, and pull-tabs for an easy-on experience. To quote the company itself, “preschool and toddler sizes [additionally] feature subtle design changes [like] adjusted patterns and elastic laces for easy entry.”
Pairs in grade school / big kids sizing are available now; grab yours using the link HERE. Otherwise, enjoy a look at all the initial colorways of the Nike Cosmic Runner via the gallery included below.
