One cool thing about being a pacer at Saturday’s Vancouver Eastside 10K was that, I received a free pair of shoes from Skechers—one of the event sponsors. Here’s a quick review.
My First Impression of the Skechers GOrun 2
The Skechers GOrun 2 Supreme are an interesting hybrid of minimalist shoes with cushioning and a 4mm drop. Extremely light weight and very ‘stretchy upper, make it feel like you are wearing slippers with a bit of padding. This iteration still as the mid-foot ‘bump’ to encourage forefoot running, but I hear it is markedly reduced from the original. While I noticed it while standing around, once I started running it disappeared.
I think the shoes will be great for up to 10-12K training runs, and perhaps a 1/2 marathon race. I’m not sure they offer me quite enough support for a full 42.2, but I’ve heard plenty of others do, so maybe as my feet adjust and strengthen I’ll reconsider.
Physical Description
My shoes are lime green with white soles and some grey detailing. It’s a flashy colour the fits right in with all the other neon shoes out there at the moment. Although the green is quite close to a pair of Brooks Pure Flow I already own; I hope my next shoes are orange or yellow! 😉 The shoes also come with an extra pair of white shoelaces incase you want to customize the look a bit.
One of cool features it is comes with an optional sock liner. Basically the finished the inside of the shoe so there is no visible stitching and no exposed rubber. It is quite thin and doesn’t seem to add any support or additional drop , but I understand it was including to offer fit flexibility, for example, if you run with different thickness of socks (or none at all) depending on the season. It hasn’t happened to me yet, but some earlier reviewers have had problems with the liner shifting around or bunching up during runs.
My Verdict
Based on first impressions and limited mileage, the Skechers GOrun 2 Supreme get a thumbs up from me. I’ll let know know if my impressions change as I wear them more and test them out on loner runs.
Shoe Specs
What Skechers has to say:
MEN’S SKECHERS GORUN 2 – SUPREME RUNNING SHOES
Skechers GOrun 2 – Supreme is the next generation of a serious minimal running shoe. Designed for speed with innovative performance technologies to promote a midfoot strike, it works as a great transitional shoe to foster a barefoot running experience.
Details:
- Independent circular GOimpulse sensors offer flexibility and feedback for a more responsive running experience
- M-Strike Technology™ promotes a midfoot strike
- Radically lightweight – No extra material, no extra weight, nothing to slow you down
- Breathable 4-way stretch mesh toe panels engineered to allow toe splay
- Custom Fit insole is removable for an even more minimal feel
- Roomier Forefoot – Extra space to reduce friction and allow your toes to spread, grip and push off
- 4mm Heel Drop – substantially less heel drop than traditional running or training shoes to bring you closer to a natural barefoot experience
- Resalyte™ Midsole – Proprietary lightweight injection-molded compound with memory retention helps absorb impact
- Progressive Flex midsole transitions from stable platform to forefoot flexibility
Construction:
- Nearly weightless synthetic and mesh fabric upper
- Nearly seamless flexible upper with lace up front
- Flatlock stitching detail for seamless feel and lighter weight
- Soft smooth fabric shoe lining for easy barefoot wear
- Weight: Radically lightweight 6.6 oz per shoe based on a men’s size 9
Other Reviews
Some other perspectives:
- Believe in the Run Skechers GoRun 2 review
- Runblogger: Skechers GoRun 2 Review: How a Running Shoe Update is Made