road review - skechers GOrun ultra

i'm not an ultrarunner.  at least not yet.

as such, i've not gone the way of extensively (or even intentionally) testing out 'ultra' category shoes - not hoka one-one, not salomon, not la sportiva, not montrail, to name a few.

and even when i had the opportunity to try on the skechers GOrun ultra at a local skechers outlet retail store, i gave them a quick slip-on the feet but then just as quickly dismissed them as 'too cushy' and 'too much shoe'.

fast forward to a couple of months later, when as a Skechers brand ambassador i was shipped a pair of the GOrun ultra to try out.  long story short, you'll pretty much have to pry these shoes off of my cold, dead feet.

here's the rundown:

• fit - when i first donned these shoes i wasn't crazy about the fit around the forefoot.  the toebox itself feels great, with a super-forgiving 'tech spring mesh' on the upper surrounded by mono-mesh quarter panels.  but even though i took a size 10 (the same size that i take in the GOrun 2, and a half-size up from the GObionic and GObionic trail) but it still felt just a wee bit funny.  upon walking around in the living room i figured it out just as i vaguely recollect reading someone else's comments (was it on facebook ...?) - it's the stitched overlays near the forefoot intended to offer some added stability.  they felt overly rigid to me, almost like they would begin to dig in after a little while of running (keep in mind that this was all during the initial fitting stage).  so my solution was to employ an alternate lacing method - essentially bypassing the first two sets of lacing eyelets to create additional flex right at the point of the forefoot overlays:
  
  
  
  
  and voilà! - they feel absolutely amazing while running.  it could be that i just needed to give them a bit of a work-in period, but either way i've got a pair of shoes that are super-comfy on my feet.


• weight - even though they appear 'clunky' compared to my other collection of lightweight trainers, minimalist and racing shoes, plus factoring in the stiff heel counter, they only weigh in at a shade over 9 oz. - and to be honest, they feel even lighter than that.  i've put these shoes through some speed pacework and they have not been cumbersome in the least.
  
  
  


• outsole - when i was first introduced to these shoes at a Skechers retail outlet the salesperson found out that i was planning to tackle a trail ultra race this summer and immediately tried to sell the GRU to me.  i figured that that was just the promotional 'push' for the season, regardless of what i'd told him my next competition would be ... as it turns out, the tread seems to be sufficiently 'luggy' or aggressive to tackle anything short of fell running.  plus given it's 27mm-to-23mm stack height comprised of an enhanced Resalyte midsole and Resagrip outsole it's a very comfortable (not mushy like my first instincts reported to me) ride.  i'd previously was convinced that the GBT would be my weapon of choice for the trail ultra - but now the balance of opinion has shifted to the GRU.


• drop - i wear it as a 4mm heel-to-toe drop shoe without the provided insole (which itself provides an extra 4mm wedge) - however for fit purposes i do have an insole in these shoes which i transferred from an old pair of nike ACG hiking shoes.  what's remarkable about the drop in the GRU is that more than any other pair of shoes - Skechers or other brand - the GRU will simply not let me heelstrike.  it's a wonderful feeling of planting my foot down and almost immediately landing/rolling to my forefoot.  maybe that's what makes these shoes feel faster than expected.


• flexibility - for a shoe with much more substance to it that i've been accustomed to as of late, the GRU move nicely with my foot.  it could be the deep flex grooves that are incorporated into the outsole design, but these shoes (for all intents and purposes) pass the 'roll up like a ball' test.
  
  
  


• price - are you kidding me?  $90 USD for the GRU?  that's a steal by anybody's standards ... and that's not even on sale.

here's the video version of my review, with some additional comments:

all told, i wish i could give these shoes a better than five-footprint rating, but that would be gushing just a bit too much.

all that's left to say is that i honestly can hardly wait to see what the Skechers Performance Division will come up with next.  #GOlikeneverbefore!

*** disclaimer:  i was provided with the GORun Ultra by Skechers Performance Division (Canada) but was not obligated to provide a positive review.  all opinions - however poorly expressed - are my own.

road review - skechers GOrun ultra