road review - Skechers GOMeb Speed 3

have you ever been in the situation where you've really wanted to fall in love but something got in the way?

since the day that meb won the 2014 boston marathon wearing the prototype GOMeb Speed 3 i was keen on getting my grubby little hands feet on them.  i'd had a racing love-affair with the GOMeb Speed 2 and had anticipated only bigger and better things from the next iteration of the Skechers Performance Division racing flat.  i had even reserved (in advance) space for them in my waterloo marathon gear bag as my plans were to race to a new BQ time in them.

but some things are just not to be.

for the purposes of this review let's first look at what didn't have me raving about the GOMeb Speed 3:

• sizing - i'm not sure what's happened with this 2015 season of Skechers Performance footwear but i found (as did some others) that this generation's models fit smaller than before.  upon first donning of my 'normal' size 10s i thought that things would be okay, especially with swapping around insoles (although this was a tougher task than expected - like it's predecessor the insoles in the GOMeb Speed 3 were glued down to the footbed) ... but this proved to be wishful thinking.  crammed, crammed, crammed ...
• fit - wanting to make the best of the situation i next resorted to trying out some creative lacing techniques to allow for a roomier fit ... but again to no avail.  try as i might i found that my feet were feeling constricted not just laterally but also vertically - as if the volume in height was too low.
• weight - the Speed 3 only gained about 0.7 oz over the Speed 2, but combined with the bulkier look it provided less of a speedy feel to me.

• flex/pop - again this is probably a subjective observation but the substitution of new Dupont® Delrin® stability plate in place of the Dupont Hytrel™ plate made for a less 'snappy' response.  still racing flat responsive, just not as peppy as before.

... and yet ...

even though i opted at the last minute to wear the GOMeb Speed 2 at the waterloo marathon, i wasn't prepared to ditch these shoes completely.  what i wound up doing is removing even the paper-thin insole that i'd borrowed from my GOBionic Trail shoes and continuing to do speed workouts just on the unfinished footbed.  what this move afforded me was (a) a bit of extra volume in height and breadth and (b) a sliver less weight.  while they still don't feel like a go-to racing flat for me, they've managed to claim a place in my training rotation while i look forward to what meb may be sporting at this year's NYC marathon.

yep, looks a little bit like Frankenstein's neck ...

so for me the GOMeb Speed 3 scores a bit on the 'meh' side:

here's how it looks up close and personal:

has my confidence in Skechers Performance Division been shaken at all?  not in the least!  i know that there are all sorts of people who love the GOMeb Speed 3, and the fact that i'm not one of them just indicates that SPD is willing to continue to tinker and innovate - and i'm all for the path of creativity and change!

*** disclaimer:  i was provided with the GOMeb Speed 3 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 GOMeb Speed 3