With a Super Bowl commercial increasing public awareness about the SKECHERS brand and its newest model - GOrun, folks begin to wonder - what are these shoes all about?
The author shares his experience, after a few months of testing them.
"As with all minimal shoes,this shoe is notimmediately for everyone ," says Kurt Stockbridge - Vice President of Fitness Technical Development at SKECHERS, who previously spent 18 years at Nike, making performance footwear.
"GOrun most definitely requires an adaptation period for those who currently run in more conventional shoes.
When we built the GOrun, we were aiming for a minimal shoe with cushioning or a transitional shoe for runners transitioning to minimal or barefoot running (promoting midfoot strike, more natural foot movement, great feel, etc) and for those runners influenced by the minimal trend who simply want to run in a shoe more towards that direction (minimal but with adequate cushioning for training and longer runs where cushioning is needed.)"
Only runners who embraced minimalist types of shoes, like Vibram Five Fingers or Vivobarefoot, will find GOrun easy to run in. The rest simply must go through typical motion - start wearing them for casual walks, rotating with regular running shoes, during short and slow jogging workouts. Eventually the shoes will be great to run in, but this process takes time.
The Resalyte outsole is extremely flexible, lightweight and soft. There is a significant cushioning in the midfoot area, however the foot will easily feel the profile of the trail and toes will spread on impact in the wide toebox.
Numerous round pods serve as efficient surface anchors. Some of them are made from high abrasion rubber, for added traction control and extended durability. The most of them are in the midfoot area, where GOrun has its "sweet point. "One may expect to run up to 100 miles in these, however some testers logged up to 400 miles, rather rare for ultralight running flats (around 6.9oz for Men's size 9.)
GOrun continues a tradition of rocker shoes, with rounded heel and the outsole bending on contact and filling the arch of the foot from inside - Resalyte is that soft. Flat footed runners may experience some discomfort, since the outsole is the thickest at the midfoot point (19mm with a 4mm drop from heel to ball) and while landing on the midfoot to forefoot (which is expected for this design) the extra cushion will press against the bottom of the foot.
The inside is quite interesting as well. GOrun incorporates Ortholite foam as a sockliner. It breaths and thus dries quickly and lasts much longer than EVA based sockliners. It is also antimicrobial. People preferring sockless running will feel right at home with this one.
The sewn-in tongue prevents from sliding to the lateral side. Though there are other ways to do this, this is a very effective solution. And for the GOrun, since the upper is so stretchy, entry into the shoe is still easy... even without unlacing the shoe. Also, this design helps keep small pebbles out for those who like to trail run. The toe box is roomy enough for relative wide feet, offering enough space, without rubbing against the skin.
Many runners noticed Meb Keflezighi improving his PR in marathon and winning the Olympic Trails while wearing the GOrun, which he trains in. “His race version, GOrace, is stiffer and firmer, and custom built for Meb’s narrow feet and personal racing needs”, says Stockbridge.
Conclusion
GOrun is a surprisingly well designed shoe, helping runners drop bad habits of landing on the heel and moving the landing zone towards the midfoot area. When incorporating GOrun into weekly running, routine runners have to exercise some patience and caution. Doing so will be a rewarding experience. The running posture will improve, foot muscle will get stronger and the risk of injury will be diminished. The freedom of running in ultra light shoes, feeling the surface with every step and have some cushion of comfort is worth trying GOrun. The author recommends trying an alternative shoe lacing systems as the traditional ones (the box contains two sets in different colors) may come undone during the run.
With Meb Kelezighi ang Mr. Quiggly winning their big races, GOrun is welcomed with great anticipation.
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