Mizuno Wave Shadow 3 Review

Mizuno Wave Shadow 3 Review

Mizuno has a vibrant history of elite racing flats including the likes of the Wave Emperor, Aero, Wave Cruise, and Ekiden series. However, most of these shoes don't end up selling well in the United States (sadly) and have either been discontinued or only sold overseas. The Wave Shadow 3 may not be a racing flat, but it is a stripped down, lightweight trainer that can handle some race paces and is suitable for a wider audience. This is one of the lightest shoes available in the US from Mizuno and is worth checking out for those of you who want to pick up the pace.

Asics Sortiemagic RP4 Tenka Initial Review

Asics Sortiemagic RP4 Tenka Initial Review

For those that know this website and myself, I have a thing for Asian market racing shoes.  Ask most shoe reps from Adidas, Asics, Mizuno, New Balance or Nike, and they will tell you about a large market of racing shoes available there that are not available in the US.  Why?  There is very little market for extremely lightweight racing flats in the US.  In Japan, racing is taken very seriously.  The lighter the shoe, the better.  It is not uncommon to see someone use a shoe we in the US would think of as a 5k flat for a marathon.   The Asics Sortiemagic RP4 Tenka is one of those shoes.  The Asics Sortie series is a group of extremely lightweight racing flats that are almost exclusive to Japan.  Some of them have been fairly unchanged over the years, whereas as others like the Sortiemagic RP4 are very modern.   I was lucky enough to notice that a few pairs suddenly appeared on the Asics US website and saw the opportunity to try a pair.  So of course I grabbed one.

Skechers GO RUN MaxRoad 4 Hyper Multiple Tester Review

Skechers GO RUN MaxRoad 4 Hyper Multiple Tester Review

The evolution of shoes is also an interesting thing to watch.  The Skechers GO RUN Max started as the GOrun Ultra.  A uniquely light maximal shoe, the shoe evolved with a knit upper in version 2 that didn't always breath well, but continued to have that lightweight ride that allowed the shoe to double as a long run and tempo shoe.  Version 3 took that further with subtle changes (REVIEW).  A wider fit, stable ride, breathable knit upper and super smooth ride made it a shoe that could tackle any type of run (even long distance races as many readers reached out to tell me).  Now, the long awaited, full Hyper Burst maximalist Skechers shoe has now arrived.  With what seems like inspiration from the design of the original podded outsoles of the OG GOruns, the GO RUN Max Road 4 has been completely redesigned.  Armed with a fantastic knit upper and a full length Hyper Burst sole, the Skechers GO RUN Max Road 4 is a very unique ride that is well worth checking out and talking about.

361 Degrees Strata 3 Review

361 Degrees Strata 3 Review

The number of high level stability shoes is on a slow decline as we begin an exploration into what exactly stability means and how we (if at all) influence the motion of the foot.  With further understanding of foot mechanics, it is exciting to see companies listening and further implementing other methods to create a stable ride.  The Strata 3 is a fantastic example of companies like 361 listening to this.   The 361 Degree Strata 3 is a complete redesign that improves the ride, fit and stability without the addition of extra posting or traditional measures.