Skechers GOrun Razor 5 Review
By David Salas
Skechers GORUN Razor 5Price: $129.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 8 oz, 227g (men's size 9), 6.4oz, 181g (women's size 8)
Stack Height: 30mm heel // 26mm forefoot
Drop: 4mm
Shoe Purpose: Lightweight Trainer // Racing Shoe
Pros: Responsive with forward propelling rocker
Cons: Very narrow toebox with low volume
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Skechers Razor 5 is a lightweight training shoe that blends together some racing elements to give you a fast and responsive feeling. The Razor has gained some weight over the years, most notably in recent versions through building up the midsole with a new foam called HYPERBURST PRO and a forefoot carbon infused plate. The HYPER ARC geometry combined with the forefoot carbon plate provide a forward-driving experience on foot.
SIMILAR SHOES: ASICS Magic Speed 4, Brooks Hyperion 2
PAST MODEL: Skechers GORUN Razor 4
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
David: The Skechers GORUN Razor 5 fits relatively snug throughout, but has normal length. The forefoot fit is the most noticeable. The volume is low and the width is quite narrow. Those that are sensitive to toe boxes may have some trouble here. The fit otherwise is pretty dialed in and gives a snug, but not tight hold on the heel and midfoot. The upper material feels durable, but light. The mesh has decent comfort for a lightweight trainer. The tongue is lightly padded and not gusseted. Skechers is still using the ARCHFIT insole, which puts a little bit of pressure into the midfoot on the medial side. If you like that sensation this works well, but again, those that are sensitive to having a small wedge feeling there may need to look elsewhere. The heel collar is pretty stiff, but it is padded well. I had no issues with slippage or translation of my foot. I also developed no hot spots. The only thing that I could point out immediately was the forefoot fit. It does give you some squeeze in the forefoot with the narrow width. If that was wider I would feel much better about the upper, but I do think it is narrow enough to be a deal breaker for a decent amount of people.
David's Typical Size: Men's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit David well: Nike Vomero 17, Saucony Ride 16, Puma Velocity Nitro 3
Shoes that have fit snug: HOKA Arahi 7
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon Aero Glide
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: No
Is the Forefoot Flexible: Somewhat
How Flexible is the Shoe: Mild (forefoot plate)
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: No
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: Above Average
PERFORMANCE
David: The Skechers GORUN Razor 5 does give you a fun ride. The HYPERBURST PRO midsole does not quite have the same compliance and softness of some of the PEBA foams out there, but I actually liked that. The TPU based foam feels a tad softer than previous HYPERBURST models, but still maintains a good amount of firmness. This is especially noticeable with the forefoot plate that is embedded into the midsole. The foam does feel resilient though. When you start pushing the shoe more, the foam starts to come to life and give you a decent bounce at toe off. The 30mm heel stack height and 26mm forefoot stack height both feel accurate. This is a moderate cushion (by today's standards) lightweight training shoe.
The HYPERARC geometry also gives the GORUN Razor 5 an interesting ride. The shoe operates on a rocker platform, similar to many other shoes on the market, but with a twist. The heel has a pretty large bevel, with a more gradual transitioning carbon infused forefoot. I don't think the forefoot plate stiffens the shoe all that much, but it does make the shoe front heavy. With how rounded the heel is, you do feel like you are constantly being biased forward on this platform. For better or worse, that does provide a pretty fun toe off experience when you start loading the shoe at faster paces. Even at easy paces, once you get a feel for the rhythm of the shoe you can cycle your legs pretty easily. I don't know if the plate is fully necessary for this shoe, but it does give it a faster feel to it on weight distribution.
The outsole traction of the Skechers GORUN Razor 5 is also really good. It uses GOODYEAR rubber and has quite a bit of coverage. This outsole should last you a long time and give you enough grip for some gentle off-roading as well. Overall, the DNA of the Skechers GORUN Razor 5 as a moderate stack lightweight trainer is still there.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
David: The Skechers GORUN Razor 5 is definitely a neutral shoe, but it does do some things pretty well to help with stability. The platform itself leans a little firmer with the HYPERBURST PRO, carbon infused forefoot plate, and thicker outsole traction. The grip underfoot is good and predictable. Despite the overly narrow forefoot fit (the base is actually generous), the upper does provide good security and is a trustworthy hold for the foot. There is also some gentle sole flaring through the forefoot that felt noticeable on the run.
Thoughts as a DPT: Room for One, Please
By David Salas, PT, DPT, CSCS
We spend a lot of time on our feet. Between standing, walking, and running, our feet take on quite a bit of load on a daily basis. Our feet are also our main point of communication between the ground and us. Because of this, we have a lot of different moving components to our feet and ankles when we move. The foot normally is thought of in three parts. Those three parts are the rearfoot (or heel), midfoot, and the forefoot. Each of these components play different roles.
Our heel is normally the first point of contact out of the three regions. The heel primarily consists of your calcaneus, that big heel bone. This articulates with the talus above it and can have some accessory movement thanks to its attachments with the surrounding cuboid as well. The calcaneus acts as our natural rocker and will move dynamically to start the process of shock absorption as well.
Our midfoot may have the most play out of our joints in the foot. The midfoot consists of the navicular, your cuneiforms, and the cuboid. These act as a literal bridge in some instances and a crash pad in others for your foot. When you are landing on your foot, the midfoot will start to collapse intentionally to a more loose position for the joints. We call this subtalar pronation. I have said this before, but pronation is not the enemy. Uncontrolled pronation is. Pronation is a natural form of shock absorption. There are also many muscles in this region to help with controlling the speed and rate of this motion, so that it does not put excessive pressure on osseous or ligamentous structures. As you transition forward through the midfoot you get to your forefoot.
The forefoot also has a moment of collapse and splay. This why your toes will widen out some when you step onto your foot while you are in the stance phases of walking or running. As you continue to move forward the foot needs to stiffen up again so that you have a rigid lever to push off from. The muscles in the midfoot tighten up and pull navicular upwards and create that bridge effect to give you a solid platform to push from. This is what we call resupination. At this point you level off of the great toe and take your next step.
That toe splay is quite important in shock absorption, so that you do not put excessive pressure into bony structures. When the toes cannot splay well, that will increase pressure into your foot, shin, and in some of the surrounding ligamentous structures. If that happens repeatedly that can increase chances for stress reactions, fractures, or other connective tissue issues. The Skechers Razor 5 has a narrow enough toe box to where splaying may be hard for some. I do think it is imperative to look at having enough room in that region for shoes.
RECOMMENDATIONS
David: I liked a lot of things about the Skechers GORUN Razor 5. One thing I did not like was the fit of the forefoot, especially combined with the lower volume of the shoe. The Razor has always been more on the snug side, but that forefoot width genuinely felt like it was squeezing the sides of my metatarsals and toes. It broke in some, but I think its enough to really work on changing that fit.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
David: The Skechers GORUN Razor 5 is a moderate stack lightweight trainer for those that want a shoe that feels like you are constantly getting pitched forward. The HYPERARC geometry gives a large heel bevel and forefoot heavy experience that keeps you eating up ground off of the forefoot. The HYPERBURST PRO leans on the firmer side, but the TPU foam did have good bounce when you loaded it at quicker paces. The general fit is on the snug side, but the shoe is quite narrow in the forefoot. If the runner is okay with that fit, this can be a fun shoe to add to the quiver.
GRADES
David
Fit: C (Heel and midfoot have a nice snug hold, but the forefoot is very narrow to where the shoe can be a deal breaker)
Performance: B+ (I think the forward pitch feeling is fun, but I think I would like to see a foam that is more competitive with the other racing foams on the market, especially for the weight ratio of the shoe.)
Stability: A- (Outside of a slightly narrow platform, the shoe does a good job of providing stability throughout the shoe)
Value: A (I do think this is durable and can be a great shoe for the right person)
Personal: B (A fun ride for tempo runs and getting miles, but the forefoot fit does take away from the experience)
Overall Design: B
SHOP | SUPPORT DORSkechers GORUN Razor 5Price: $129.95 at Running Warehouse
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FURTHER READING
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Altra's new 4mm drop rockered shoe.
Find all Shoe Reviews at Doctors of Running here.
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