SKECHERS GOMEB SPEED 2

Skechers has been making performance running shoes for awhile now. I was pretty hesitant to consider them a reputible running brand by judging them on their mass-market, lower priced shoes you would find in their brick & mortar stores at the mall. However, seeing incredible athletes like Meb Keflezighi and Kara Goucher sign with them, I knew I had to try their shoes out for myself.

Luckily, Skechers sent me some sample kicks to try out including these, the GoMeb Speed 2. These are a lightweight, flexible yet responsive racing flat. This is the type of shoe Meb wore to win the Boston Marathon a few months back. But I have to say, you really have to be a Meb-like lightweight to enjoy these shoes for longer duration runs. I found myself enjoying for speed work, 5k/10k distances and MAYBE a half marathon. This makes the shoe pretty workout/race specific. I’m sure many of you out there will find success with this shoe – but you’re probably much smaller and faster than me 🙂

Other than that, i really like the build quality on this shoe. It’s my favorite in that respect out of the 3 shoes I reviewed today. But that comes at a price – almost $30 MORE than the other two shoes. While the other shoes are a STEAL, this shoe, at $115, is a bit more worrisome. Regardless, you should know what you’re getting with this shoe before you buy. You won’t run as fast as Meb right out of the box, but you sure will feel like you could. What about you? Have you tried the GoRun Ultra? What do YOU think? Let me know in the comments below!

LIKED:

  • Light 6.8oz
  • Built for Speed (racing flat)
  • Seamless upper
  • Responsive Midsole (resalyte)
  • M-Strike (lightest of the bunch)

DISLIKED:

  • Narrow
  • Aggressive Ride
  • Workout specific (I’m not Meb!)
  • Branding (same w/ all of these shoes)

QUALITY: 4/5
COMFORT: 3/5
PRICE: 3/5
LOOKS: 4/5

TOTAL: 14/20

These shoes were provided by Skechers for review. All opinions are my own.

 

SKECHERS GORUN 3

Skechers has been making performance running shoes for awhile now. I was pretty hesitant to consider them a reputible running brand by judging them on their mass-market, lower priced shoes you would find in their brick & mortar stores at the mall. However, seeing incredible athletes like Meb Keflezighi and Kara Goucher sign with them, I knew I had to try their shoes out for myself.

Luckily, Skechers sent me some sample kicks to try out including these, the GoRun 3. This shoes was probably my favorite out of the bunch. It had enough cushioning to be good for long training days as well as longer races. The shoe is super light and VERY affordable. It featured a noticeable M-Strike bump which triggered some nice midfoot/forefoot striking. And I really enjoyed the roomy toe-box for perfect toe-splay.

Some of the downsides to this shoe – which I hope they fix – include premature wear, uneven midsole/outsole distribution (which led to some lateral foot pain from where the midsole would flatten out too thinly between outsole “bumps”) and some stretchy upper sections leading to uneven fit. I think they are heading in the right direction with some subtle tweaking. What about you? Have you tried the GoRun 3? What do YOU think? Let me know in the comments below!

LIKED:

  • M-Strike
  • Light (7.5oz)
  • Seamless upper
  • Toe Box

DISLIKED:

  • Midsole Thickness (discrepancies, like pure connect)
  • too flexible upper
  • floppy tongue (gusseted)
  • wear & tear

QUALITY: 3/5
COMFORT: 4/5
PRICE: 5/5
LOOKS: 4/5

TOTAL: 16/20

These shoes were provided by Skechers for review. All opinions are my own.

SKECHERS GORUN ULTRA

Skechers has been making performance running shoes for awhile now. I was pretty hesitant to consider them a reputible running brand by judging them on their mass-market, lower priced shoes you would find in their brick & mortar stores at the mall. However, seeing incredible athletes like Meb Keflezighi and Kara Goucher sign with them, I knew I had to try their shoes out for myself.

Luckily, Skechers sent me some sample kicks to try out including these, the GoRun Ultra. This shoe was designed to go long distances over roads or groomed trails. It’s soft and cushioned, light, flexible and a fairly comfortable ride for long days. The major problems I had with the shoe include lack of durability, some sloppy fit issues – especially on technical terrain, a thicker upper which limited comfort and breatheability, and an overall feeling of “bulk”.

All that being said, I still enjoyed my miles in the Ultra and consider it a shoe with some direct uses. While it may not work on technical trails, it can rock on groomed fireroads and singletrack. It does even better on long road stretches where being nimble doesn’t necessarily matter. What about you? Have you tried the GoRun Ultra? What do YOU think? Let me know in the comments below!

LIKED:

  • Soft Resalyte
  • M-Strike (not nearly as pronounced)
  • Road or trail (buffed)
  • Light (~9oz)

DISLIKED:

  • Big (feel like blocks)
  • Sloppy toe box (trails)
  • Wear & tear (outsole is denser eva, but wears out)
  • Hot
  • Terrain Specific (technical no)
  • Looks

QUALITY: 3/5
COMFORT: 4/5
PRICE: 5/5
LOOKS: 3/5

TOTAL: 15/20

These shoes were provided by Skechers for review. All opinions are my own.

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