Hey all,
Lately I've been getting asked where I got the rather unusual looking running shoes that I've been sporting for all distances and surfaces. Particularly from my friends and clients who are minimalist running shoe fans, and have been, like me, searching tirelessly for a reliable, quality, no bs shoe to fit our needs. I'm actually a little upset at myself for not posting about this earlier, but its time I shared with all of you what I've discovered.
A few months ago, while in my search for the elusive aforementioned shoe, I came upon a small company that looked promising. I wouldn't realize how promising until I laced up my first pair. And since then, I couldn't imagine running in anything else. So what is this "unicorn" shoe? Skora running shoes. Let me explain why.
Skora's site is exactly like its shoes - simple, stripped down, devoid of any fluff. Its a true minimalist shoe that delivers exactly what it promises. Every shoe is a zero drop, with varying levels of cushioning, a more glove like feel to all their shoes, with just enough room in the toe box. The first shoe I tried in their line was the FIT, a zero drop shoe with an 11 mm platform. Its provides a wide toe box, but not so big that you are sloshing around without control. Unlike other wide toe box shoes, these have more of a glove feel, without you looking like a marionette when running. Boasting 6.6 oz, for a size 9 men's, my shoes weighed in at just about 7 oz, for size 10.5. But I swore the shoes felt closer to 4 oz flats while running. You remain in control, amazing proprioception, with a plush ride. My first spin was a 10 miler with high speed intervals mixed in. My feet felt light, as if I wasn't wearing shoes, could feel myself ripping up asphalt while not experiencing any issues.
After a few more runs in them, I found myself heading into a strength and conditioning workout, wanting to experiment with the shoes a bit more. As a crossfit endurance athlete, I was curious to see how the shoe would hold up in body weight workouts, and light weight workouts. I was not disappointed, as the shoe held up extremely well while preforming moderately heavy deadlifts and back squats, giving me more options with this valuable shoe. Not to mention, the sticky surface made sled pulls and pushes and rope climbs easy to do. Not many running shoes can promise the ability to crush a marathon and then turn around and deadlift 250.
From the FIT, I tried the Tempos, a more cushioned running shoe, with a 22 mm footbed, still, zero drop. Unlike other zero drop shoes with MASSIVE cushioning, the Tempos were light, the cushioning was more than enough to handle harsh roads, and extremely breathable. Unquestionably the most breathable shoe I've used in a long time. A perfect distance running shoe for someone looking to switch to something more minimal, but not having the foot and ankle strength make the switch to something like the FIT. Best part, the shoe is 7.2 oz, men's size 9, and can easily handle long and short distances. I'd recommend this for someone who is looking for a light weight training shoe, or racing shoe, without a ton of bells and whistles to weigh you down. The breathability of the shoe promises less chance of overheating, meaning, less blisters, less sloshing in wet shoes.
Most recently, I've been using the PHASE shoes, a slightly heavier shoe with an 11 mm footbed. These shoes are my work horse shoes. They are supple, light weight at 7.2 oz for size 9, but still providing the same feel as the FIT. Again, a plush ride, breathable, capable of handling road and trail easily. The beauty of the shoe - the sticky compound bottom that provides a grip like feel to the road, glove like feel on your feet, and enough room in the toe box so you don't feel constricted as the miles go up.
So who are these shoes built for? Well, if you are someone who is used to a minimalist shoe, this is far and away, a home run. I see the Tempo's as the future of minimalist racing shoes not only for runners, but triathletes as well. The cushioning matched with the breathable material is a distance athlete's dream. If you are an efficient runner, you can easily handle long distances in either the FIT or PHASE models as well. The FIT can be a go-to racing shoe, that has more cushioning than your average running flat, with a zero drop so you are feeling the tarmac as you tear it up. All shoes run true to size, so if you order on-line, don't fear, you will be good to go.
I haven't been this impressed with a running shoe in a long time. Go to www.skorarunning.com. You'll be glad you did.
Did I mention they come in some rather bad ass colors? Yeah, that's the icing. Enjoy
Stay strong,
Guy
