Skechers GO Run Review and Giveaway.

Skechers GO Run

Before I get the review here's a little story of how I got to this point

My History 

Three years ago before the  the book Born to Run had become a best seller and long before  this whole minimalist shoe frenzy developed. I was a shod runner.  I ran my first marathon in a pair of  $9  shoes from Big 5 and I ran my first 100 miler on trails in a pair of saccuony motion controled street shoes that I bought from  in a clearance bin for $30 . For the most part  I was too poor to by expensive shoes and I usually only had one pair of shoes for running at a time that I would I would make do with on all terrains.

My last race in shoes the Javelina Jundred 2009

As I began to run more trail ULtra's
 I switched to running in some  Adidas trail shoes that I could always find at Sports authority for under $50. I suffered a few  injuries at the beginning of 2009 where one thing lead to another limiting the amount of training I could do.  I live pretty close to the beach and it has always been my favorite place to run,.  My training which use to be about 25% barefoot running in the sand now became 90% but I was still racing in shoes using a totally different stride.  (kind of stupid) On Halloween 2009 This culminated into an IT band slash hip injury while racing in the desert.

That day I gave up conventional shoes Cold Turkey.  As my injuries heeled I began running in Vibram five Fingers which I had some success in but they kept falling apart on me and I was too poor to replace them. Next came Luna Sandals which I currently race in to this day.  They have provided me with the best fit and durability of and shoe I have ever owned.  Next to running barefoot they provide me with the most pleasure while I run.  Although I love my Luna's I do realize they are not perfect for every situation.

I don't really like her form but I really like the way she is formed.

It's been a few years since I have given any shoes a chance.  I do keep track of what's new and every once in awhile I actually put on my feet.  I even bought a pair of new  balance Minimus's last summer, which I wore  once and returned because they were way to much shoe me.

Last Year my buddy Christian Burke began to work with Skechers on a minimalist shoe. 

"Skechers really?"

I have a pair of those!
 I got them at the mall 10 years ago. The only time time they go my feet is for a wedding a funeral or court. They serve their purpose well  but needless to say I don't look forward to wearing them.  

"But a running shoe?"

I was extemley skeptical

Over the year I saw various progressions of it's design and became very intrigued.What I saw developing was every bit as good as the current shoes being mass marketed by Nike and New Balance.   In some ways they seemed even better.
But was this shoe really gonna make it into production?

(Christian was so confident in his Go Runs he ran with his eyes closed)

 The dude couldn't stop raving about them!  At the time he was the one of the only people in the world to have a pair.  He was racing in them nearly every weekend  and continuously setting new P.R's for himself

" He's still way slower than me!"
(Love ya, dude.)

Unfotunetly Christians feet are a few inches shorter than mine. He's a little guy. (lol)  Although I really didn't have a need for a shoe I really wanted to give it a try but when I tried to slip my foot in  I felt like a fat wicked step sister and Christian was Cinderella

At the same time Christian was testing out the new shoe so was Meb Keflezighi
Silver Medalist in the Marathon at the 2004 olympics and most recently Top U.S. finisher at the New york marathon and top U.S. qualifier for the 2012 olympics, both done while wearing the Go Run.

Skechers is based is in my hometown of Manhattan Beach. 

 One day in September coming home from a beach run I saw the GoRun it the window of their retail store.

I couldn't believe the shoe had made it to production.  I knew the day would come but I was surprised that it had arrived so soon.

About two weeks later  after withdrawing from a 100 mile race  at mile 60 with the lead because of a nagging foot injury I decided maybe running in shoes every now again might not be a bad idea?  I made a call to Christian (whom had moved to Spain in August), he sent out  a couple emails.
&
Less than a week later I found myself  at the Skechers corporate office with beautiful girl placing the shoes on me feet and one of the head designer asking for my input.

Now I was Cinderella.
(maybe that's not such a good thing but, whatever)

Enough with the Shenanigans
On with the Review

(No they do not come mismatched, I have 2 pairs)

15 minutes after that they were placed my feet and I was testing out on the dread mill at the gym.

The shoes are super light and are specially designed to encourage amid foot strike.
How do they do this?

The heel of the shoe is 14mm while the mid foot increase to 18mm before dropping down to 10mm.  If  you have been wearing modern running shoes your whole life chances are that you will be heel striker. Most shoes for the past 20 years have a heel to toe drop of 8 to 14 mm. with no increase at the mid sole.
Because
the Go run's midsole is the thickest part of the shoe it encourages your midfoot to strike the ground first making it nearly impossible to heel strike.
A lot of other minimalist shoes on the market are  there to simulate barefoot running.  They do this by providing very little heel to toe drop with no midsole.  This is great for people who are quick learners or who already know how to run barefoot. But for some reason or another a lot of people just can't figure out.

In my opinion the best way to learn to run barefoot is to actually do it.
 I also understand that many people don't see this as a viable option.

Day in and day out I see people wearing Vibram five fingers and they are still heel striking?  Sometimes that little piece of rubber between their foot and the ground is just enough to let people revert back to their bad habits.
For them  the Sketchers GO Run  can aid with the transition to a midfoot strike.  Whether the Go run would teach them good form only who knows but at least they wouldn't be heel striking while wearing them.


What do I think of the GO Run?


Construction

 It's been along time since a got whiff of that new shoe smell.
It really is nice shoe to hold in your hand and admire

The Upper

The upper is as nice any shoe I have ever seen (other than the logo but thats just cosmetic).  The tongue is stitched in and the fabric is very soft throughout and extremely comfortable at the heel.  After a few 100 hundred miles and about 75 rounds of disc golf It's got plenty of life left.

Toe Box
The toe box is extremly wide. Not something I need since I have a pretty narrow feet but I know a lot of people that will appreciate this especially people who want to  love their Nike Free's who have wide feet.

The sole
The shoe is super flexible .  It can be twisted in any direction that your foot wants to go and gets even more playable over time.  The sole provides a ton of cushion.  It obtains this from the numerous tall, soft feet back sensors that are much more aggressive than any Street shoe I have ever worn

The fit

The shoes feels very much like a when you put it slipper when you put it on your foot.
Except for one thing.
"What the hell is this giant bump doing in the middle of the shoe?"
From the very second you place it on your foot you will be aware of the midsole.  Walking in this shoe can feel awkward at first but remember this shoe is called the "Go Run" not the "Go Walk".

Running

(disclaimer)

My running form works for me and I don't think it is ideal for every one.

Almost all of myt training is done barefoot I have developed an extreme forefoot strike a little farther forward than I  would recommend to others.

Flat Slow

Running an flat terrains in the Go run drives me crazy each time my forefoot goes to strike the ground it is interrupted by the the midsole. instead of using my foot like a spring my energy is dissipated as my foot rolls onto the ground.  What would be advantageous to a heel striker actually makes me work harder and it quite frustrating

Flat Fast

Running fast in these shoes I feel pretty comfortable although there is way to much cushioning for my liking.  10 miles in under and hour came pretty easy but I felt slower than I do running barefoot.

Down hill

I abosolutly love these shoes for running down hill.  Never have I felt so fast!  Going downhill I tend to be way too reckless and over stride.  The Mid sole keeps my legs somewhat under control and prevents me from heel striking.

Uphill

When running Uphill the midsole acts like wedge. It feel like I was cheating.  

Trails

My trail  running has been pretty much just running while playing Disc golf.  The nubs on the bottom are very good at grabbing the ground on uneven surfaces.  In fact The tread seems more designed for trail than the road. The heel of this shoe is way too wide.  The added surface area  when it does hit the ground made me more inclined to misstep than need be.

What I like?

1.

 The shoe is very comfortable

2. 

It bends better t the cotours of your foot better than any other running shoe I have worn other that the five fingers or the Luna Sandal.

3.

 It's extremely light

4.

 Superb for running hills and decent on a trails

What I don't like

1. 

Way too much cushioning.  (but I'm use to running in sandals)

2.   

Walking in the shoe is a little awkward at first but gets better over time

3.

 The heel of the shoe is needlessly wide.

What I Think they could improve on?

1. 

Sell another version of the shoe without the midsole

(they made me special pair without one and I really dig it)

2.

Zero heel to toe drop.

3

Decrease the height of the tread by 75% and use a less spongy material

Who else wears the Skechers GO Run?

Posing with mom

Recently at the Sketchers pier to pier Walk

Denise Austin and Brooke Burke wear them.

Even Mr. Ultra Slim fast himself Tommy Lasorda had on a pair.

Maybe that's not the best P.R. Move

Over the past few months I have seen quite a few people wearing the Go Runs at least one person every day.  At my gym about 1 out of every 8 people wear Nike Free's 1 out of 75 wear vibrams and 1 out of every 150 wear the Go Run.  Skechers does a lot for our community and since they have a retail store Just a block up from the pier there's probably more people wearing the Skechers GO run in Manhattan Beach than any other city in the world.

Even Dog's Like em

Other Peoples opinions

I've talked to about 20 people whom I have bumped into while they were wearing the shoe including jocks, little old ladies, big fat dudes, to stoner teenagers.

Universally they all loved the shoe.

(if they didn't like it they wouldn't be wearing it. right)

Most of these people were quite aware of the midsole but some just bought it because of they it looked pretty.

"The best shoe I have ever owned." Said Peter

This dude  told me that Vibrams didn't work for him.  He use to run in motion controlled Asics and now wears the Go run exclusively.

Over half the people I talked to had owned Nike free's in the past and now preferred the Skechers.

When asked "What do you think of the Midsole?"

The most common response was that it took about week to get use to but now they don't realize it's even there.

I got my sister a pair.  She use to run in apair  of Brooks that weighed twice as much but now likes the Skechers even more.  Although  she did add a orthotic.  Something I wouldn't recommend but it works for her and I think that's great.

Many of the top woman runners in the community are racing in them.  Including the beautiful and talented Annie Seawright.

Conclusion:

It's very hard for me to be happy wearing a shoe.

 This is a great shoe for runners who wish to learn proper running form.  I don't plan on giving up my Luna Sandals anytime soon but I think I could be successful racing in the GO Run.  It has become my Disc Golf shoe of choice and it is the shoe I wear to the gym when I don't feel like sneaking around in my sandals.  It's very comfortable on my feet and the midsole which annoyed me at first while walking, I hardly even notice anymore.
Running is this shoe is nothing like being barefoot and the idea of any footwear calling itself a barefoot shoe I find pretty stupid. It is not a barefoot shoe! It is light weight and lets your foot move somewhat freely but in nothing like running barefoot..
Some people may be too pretentious to take Skechers seriously as a running shoe company.  Nobody expected Vibram would make a good running shoe either.

 If you like a Nike Free style of shoe I highly recommend that you give the Go run a try.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised

  Skechers did good job with design but there is plenty of room for improvement.
I looked at their drawing board and tested out a few shoes that are on the horizon and really excited about what they are coming up with and I see bright future for them in the running world.

I can't wait to watch Meb kick some butt at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Would you Like to win a pair of Skechers GO Runs?
I'll be giving away 2 pairs.
Two ways to win


Contest one will be random drawing.
How to enter.
For each of the following that you do enter  a seperate comment below.


1.
 Follow my blog or remind me that you already do (1 entry).
2. 
Post  a link to this review, on facebook, twitter, or your own blog or website (1 entry for each)
3. 
Like Skechers Fitness on facebook (1 entry)
4. 
Do something nice for someone else and tell me what you did (2 entry's, post your comment twice please)
5. 
Make a donation to Norawa's  (5 entries, post your comment 5 times please.)


Winner will be picked In about 2 weeks when I get back from the Copper Canyons


Contest 2


I recently read the book Ready Player One.  In repect to how much I enjoyed it I have hidden a link on an random page within my blog.  The link will you you take you another page where you must unlock a secret code and email to the address provided.  If anyone ever succeeds the first person to do so will get a free pair of shoes.  I may proivide some clues in future blog posts if nobody has won.


Good Luck!

If all else fails here is sure fire way to avoid the dreaded heel strike.

:)