Thursday, August 23, 2012

Skechers GOrun Ride

My first impression of the GOrun Ride: a flexible, well-cushioned, and neutral training shoe. Like the GOrun, it is still very much a light weight shoe except that it does have more cushioning on it.  The material of the uppers is just like the original GOrun, which include the soft breathable and seamless upper.  And similar to the original GOrun, the Ride too comes with  toe box that allow the toes plenty of space to move about. I know a few runners like that especially those that are into barefoot running, the extra space to reduce friction and allowing the toes move naturally as in to grip and push forward with balance.



The shoe tongue is similar to the GOrun too, which is sewn in and therefore stay put with a soft inside lining. Another thing - the 'rockered' bottom look less visible, although the concept is there.  And when I put them on, I did not feel the 'bump' on the mid foot as those that are felt on the original GOrun.  Instead, I felt the rich cushioning that the shoes are built on.


The flexibility of the GOrun Ride  reminds me of the Nike Free.  Fittings of the shoe too, and I saw somewhere in the packaging that the shoe are built based on barefoot last.


See? you can twist all over the shoes, but of course you won't wear your shoes like that will you? ;). But it show how soft the outer sole are.


Comparing the outer sole of the GOrun vs the GOrun Ride. Notice the differences?

Another thing that I really pay attention to when I was trying out these shoes is the stability. I usually find shoes with too much cushioning lacked stability. But for the Ride, the shoes surprisingly offers pretty good stability, despite the extra cushioning. It is of course not as firm as the feeling in racing flats but a good compromise.  I begin to believe that the stability (especially in push off) is due to the extra circular things at the bottom of the sole (Skechers called them 'impulse pillars'). The picture above shows different arrangement and number of pillars when I compare the Ride with the original GOrun.  Perhaps the extra pillars is to compensate for the extra cushioning that is built in the GOrun Ride.

To me the GOrun Ride is an excellent choice if you are a person who is looking for a pair of shoes that offers the best combination of  barefoot running,  but not ready to give up the comfort of cushioning.  And it is an excellent transition shoe to help moving into mid foot running, but yet not as 'radical' as a direct move into the original GOrun, as it has more cushioning and less 'rocker' feel. Comfort is the best description.  And finally, the profile won't fit the racing shoe profile for some folks, but it is definitely a shoe that can easily accommodate longer runs due to the good cushioning and light weight. For me, after 50km+ running on the GOrun Ride, I personally find the shoe an excellent training shoe for easier days.

Do look out for it and try on a pair if you see them in the nearest Skechers store.

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