A little over a year ago I emailed my contact at Skechers about building me the “ultimate ultra-marathon shoe”.  I simply wanted to bounce some ideas off of him, but as it turns out my timing was perfect.  Another wear tester/team member was having a very similar conversation and Skechers had already been warming up to the idea of producing a highly cushioned shoe for (really) long distance running.  I gave them a list of what I would like to build.  Some of the things I asked for included Hoka-type cushioning, but with a more flexible and breathable upper.  I also wanted more traction and a more performance oriented fit.

About 4 weeks later they sent me an email with a C.A.D. image of a new sole.  I was blown away at how aggressive it looked.  We talked a few times more and then I kind of forgot about the entire project.  Then one day, out of the blue, I received a package with an entirely new shoe.  It was a first run GRU (Go Run Ultra).  I really like what I saw, and was excited that the shoe had so many of the elements that I had asked for.  It was light.  It was flexible.  It had incredible traction.  It had a roomy toe box. It felt like running on a cloud.  I was impressed.  For me, the biggest surprise was how well they feel on paved roads.  Although they have one of the most aggressive tread patterns, the softer material feels extremely smooth on hard flat surfaces.  They are an excellent “road to trail” shoe.

And now, after several revisions, the Skechers GoRun Ultra is available to the public.  Here are the specs:

Drop: 4mm (8mm with the included sockliner)
Stack Height: Forefoot 23/Heel 27
Weight: 9.5oz (claimed 9.5 mens.  Actual for 10.5 mens was 9.9)
Resalyte midsole/Resagrip outsole
Synthetic mesh fabric upper
Synthetic overlays for stability

The shoe has 65% more Resalyte cushioning than the GoRun Ride model, and the Ride is a great feeling shoe.  The result is a shoe that feels like a Hoka.  But with more flexibility.  And more traction.  Oh yeah, and here is the kicker, it retails for only $80.

All is not perfect though.  Is it ever?  My biggest concern is with the “Vamp” material.  This is the piece of material that makes up the area over your toes on the top of the shoe.  It extends to become the tongue.  It is made out of a stretchy material that I find holds water longer than most shoes.  It drives me crazy.  And it drove me crazy on the Go Bionic Trail as well.

I have talked with other Skechers users and testers who have zero problem with it.  As a matter of fact, the runner who had the most feedback on the GRU (Robert Youngren – read his post on helping design the GoRun Ultra) used them to run Hardrock this year and feels that it drains well.  I guess I’m a little like the “Princess and the Pea” when it comes to being picky about my shoes.

One other thing that I feel is worth mentioning is the method used to create the tongue.  In order to create a tongue that doesn’t let any dirt in, Skechers simply uses the vamp material and extends it into a tongue.  It is stitched on the sides to the shoe, which creates an alternative way to make it gusseted.  For low volume feet like mine, it causes some bunching at the front of the lace area.  It is not enough to be felt while wearing the shoe, but I would like to see a more traditional way of building the tongue to avoid this issue and allow me to snug the upper even more.  I have this “bunching” problem with many other brands as well, but with the Skechers it is a bit more pronounced.  I am the only person I know of that has had this issue with this particular shoe, so if you don’t have low volume feet I wouldn’t worry about it.  I did find that the bunching was minimized by sizing down one half size (10 from my usual 10.5).  This model runs a tad large, so I suggest you size down the same amount if you can’t try them on to check first.

I think that Skechers has a huge hit on their hands with this shoe.  Many people who are interested in maximally cushioned shoes are hesitant to take the plunge when the cost is so high on many of the alternatives.  At only $80 they are one of the best values on the market.   If you want a shoe that you can run in day after day without getting beat up, you should really give them a try.

The Skechers GoRun Ultra is available for purchase at Shoebuy(get 20% off through 12/20 with code 20DECEMBER – $63.96 for this shoe!) and at Skechers.com.

What I love about the 1400v2 is that it has a soft heel and a firm forefoot, it’s lightweight, and the fit is just right for a performance shoe. The 9mm drop didn’t bother me much at all. Given this experience, I was intrigued by the adidas Adios Boost, which has a 10mm drop and looked similar in its construction (the fact that it was the shoe on Geoffrey Mutai’s feet when he won the NYC Marathon didn’t hurt…). I reviewed the adidas Adios 2 last year and was surprised by how much I liked it, though the fit was tight up front and the heel was a bit firm. I contacted adidas to see if I could get ahold of a review sample of the Adios Boost, and they agreed to send a pair out (Disclosure: these were media samples provided free of charge by adidas. Read more about my approach to writing honest reviews here.).

I was pretty hard on adidas when they first started marketing their Boost midsole material, and I still stand by what I wrote. Boost is different than typical EVA midsole foam in that it is composed of thermoplastic beads that are fused together. adidas claimed that the Boost midsoles would last longer, would not be as temperature sensitive, and would provide greater energy return than EVA. I didn’t have a problem with these claims as they can be validated by mechanical testing data. My issue was the implication that improved energy return from Boost would increase running economy and thus performance (they did not have data to link the mechanical testing data to actual physiological performance). There is still no published data that I am aware of supporting the ability of Boost to improve performance, though an abstract with scant details from a scientific meeting suggested a 1% improvement in economy in Boost shoes.

Anyway, I’m still a sucker for new shoe technology, and I was first sent a pair of the Energy Boost shoes by adidas. They didn’t work out for me at all. The midfoot was very tight, and there was way too much sole flare around the heel. The shoe got in the way of my stride big-time, and I only took them on a few runs. That being said, the Boost material did indeed feel different, particularly if I forced a pronounced heel strike. Very bouncy.

As a racing shoe, the adios Boost seemed like a better match for me, and it turns out that I was correct. I’d rank the adios Boost right up with the NB 1400v2, Newton Energy, and Saucony Virrata as one of my top shoes of 2013 (still deciding on #5!).

To be honest, the adios Boost is really quite similar to the New Balance 1400v2. They feel very similar on the run, drop is almost identical, and fit is similar as well. The big differences are that the adios Boost is about 1.5 ounces heavier (7.8 oz in men’s size 9 for the Adios vs. 6.4 oz for the 1400v2), maybe a bit stiffer/more responsive, and $60 more expensive (that to me may be the deciding factor here…).

So what do I like about the adios Boost? Mainly that it runs really smooth and disappears on my feet. The heel is very soft, and the forefoot is firm, and this is a combo that I like in a lot of shoes (already mentioned the 1400, but also the Newton Energy). I tend to land on the midfoot or very lightly on my heel and a soft heel makes for a very smooth transition for my stride (whereas a firm, inflexible heel like in the Mizuno Sayonara just doesn’t work with my stride). The firm forefoot feels great when picking up the pace. I much prefer the Adios Boost sole as compared to the overall firmer sole of the Adios 2.

Upper

I’d describe the fit of the Adios Boost as just right. The forefoot width is not too tight, not too wide (if you have wide feet they probably will not work for you), and I didn’t have any issues with toe squeezing.

I was a bit concerned when I first put these shoes on that the midfoot would be too tight. adidas shoes sometimes cause me trouble when the adidas stripes are sewn onto the upper, and I felt a bit of digging in the arch at first (this made the adidas Gazelle 2 a no-go for running for me). After wearing them around a bit the upper broke in/stretched and the sensation went away. I’ve had no blistering or abrasion in them on runs, so all seems to be ok. However, like the NB 1400v2 the interior of the upper is a bit scratchy and I wouldn’t advise running sockless in them.

One more thing about the upper – the adios Boost does have a hard heel counter, whereas the 1400v2 does not, so that’s something to consider if deciding between the two and you have a preference one way or the other. (I might add that the upper looks awesome, my wife even gave it a thumbs up which is rare among shoes I run in).

Sole

The sole of the adios Boost is really the selling point for this shoe, so I’ll address a few things about the Boost midsole.

I’ve already mentioned the bouncy feel in Boost shoes, but it’s worth pointing out that the bouncy sensation really only applies to the heel in the Boost shoes that I’ve tried. I think that once the sole thickness drops below a certain height the bouncy sensation disappears and the sole takes on a firmer feel (less room for sole deformation).

I haven’t put enough miles on these to address durability claims, but I can speak to the temperature effect. I live in New Hampshire, and this time of year it’s pretty darned cold. Below freezing most days, and the low is projected to be right around O degrees Fahrenheit tomorrow night. Cold. A lot of shoes with EVA soles start feeling like bricks when you run in cold weather like this. They lose their cush. I can attest that the Boost remains bouncy when running in cold temps, but again you’ll only really notice it in the heel. To me, this might be the most revolutionary attribute of the Boost compound.

The outsole of the adios Boost has plenty of rubber, so I suspect durability of the sole to be very good overall. As mentioned, the sole has good stiffness and is responsive – I could see using it for races from the 5k to the marathon with no problem. There is a “torsion system” which consists of a plastic web under the midfoot with three prongs extending forward under the forefoot – these are likely responsible for the longitudinal stiffness you feel in this shoe.

Conclusion

I really, really like this shoe. A lot. My biggest concern is the price – at $140 MSRP are they worth spending $60 more than a pair of New Balance 1400v2 or maybe Saucony Grid Type A5’s? Not sure I’d go so far as to say that. They will garner some sales due to the heavy marketing of the Boost midsole, but prices are going to need to come down for me to recommend these highly over competitors. That being said, the adios Boost would definitely be a contender for me as a marathon shoe – it’s among the best I’ve run in this year.

Where To Buy (affiliates)

The adios Boost is available for purchase at Adidas.com. Outside of the US, the adios Boost is also available at Wiggle.