Skechers GOrun 2: The Initial Review

My love affair with the Skechers brand of running shoes started way back with their very first minimalist shoe, the Skechers GOrun. For that I have to thank the wife who first took notice of the Skechers brand of running shoes though back then if you told me I'd be putting on a pair of Skechers to run, I'd have reported you to the loony bin police.

To cut a long story (and I can be really  long winded) short, the Skechers brand of running shoes have found a very close place in my heart. Aside from the occasional runs in my two other favourite shoes, the Brooks Green Silence and Pure Connect (which are now just collecting dust actually), I don't own any other running shoe brand aside from the entire Skechers GOseries.

The GOrun, though being a slightly weird little shoe holds an extra special place in my heart cos I ran my inaugural marathon in that shoe. Great to run in but painful to walk in with the 'bump' in the arch. While the shoe was simply great, the 'bump' was so pronounced that a lot of runners had issues with it and that kept the GOrun from being a great shoe.

Now close to nine (or was it ten?) months since, Skechers have released the GOrun 2, the next generation model of the original GOrun and I must say that it's simply a big improvement over the original GOrun.

The wife's strikingly fierce looking GOrun 2 ...
As usual, the color range of the Skechers shoe ranges are pretty striking, sort of like a trademark for them. I've always been a sucker for glaringly bright shoes and am drooling over the wife's color scheme of the shoe which simply exudes character unlike the really quiet and shy  looking black one that I have! (Hint, hint Skechers ... LOL!) Anyways, the review you read below also has contributions from the wife on her take of the shoe as well.

My 'strikingly' quiet and shy looking GOrun 2 ...
The GOrun 2 is touted to be designed for speed, promoting a midfoot strike. Constructed of a nearly lightweight synthetic and an almost seamless mesh fabric upper, the shoe weighs in at 6.6 oz for the men's size 9 which makes it radically lightweight for a shoe in its category. If you loved the upper of the original shoe, well this is even better.

The smooth, lightweight breathable upper fabric ...
The toe box, constructed of a 4-way breathable stretchy mesh fabric gives it a very roomy feel. The roomier forefoot and extra space it provides helps to reduce friction with a better toe off allowing for a better spread of your toes, at least that's what Skechers say cos for the life of me, I don't really know if my toes do actually splay out all that much.


The nice and roomy toe box
One thing I noticed (the wife too) is that it fits a little narrower than the original. Though the fit didn't affect me at all, it did play a part with the wife. Her shoe got just a tad too tight around the edges after feet expansion during longer running and I'm thinking a 9.5 for her would solve that (I wonder if Skechers carry half sizes over here). The soft and smooth lining provides for sockless running and even removing the insole, you're still good to go running sockless though I'm taking the wife's word for that since I don't run sockless.

The removable insole ...
Skechers have retained their proprietary lightweight injection molded Resalyte™ Midsole with memory retention to help absorb impact. With the same 4mm heel drop as its predecessor, the GOrun 2 gives you as close to a natural barefoot experience as one can actually experience with a shoe though I'm not too sure about that yet cos with the old GOrun, I could actually feel the road. With the GOrun 2, it seems to be a little muted. Maybe I'm so used to the Bionic's zero drop that I'm comparing it against that shoe which is largely unfair.

One thing that I'm loving about the shoe is the non-existent (it's still there but you don't feel it) 'bump' you felt pushing against your arch in the original. This makes the shoe so much more bearable to stand and walk in. I remember using the original for the SCKLM marathon. While I was on the run there was no issues, but when the cramps hit and I had to walk from time to time, let me tell you it wasn't a pleasant experience. For those put off by that in the original shoe is going to love GOrun 2 with the totally negligible arch.

The outsole still retains the independent circular GOimpulse sensors. These sensor offer flexibility and feedback for a more responsive running experience. This time around the sensors are much more widely dispersed and solved the annoying issue of having pebbles and small stones getting stuck between your soles while running. Throughout my runs with this shoe, not a single pebble or stone was stuck between them unlike the original where you would find me digging out stones from them after every run and sometimes even having to stop mid run to dig them out! The GOimpulse pillars have shrunken in size and are a lot more with 13 lugs compared to the original's 9.

The much more spread out GOimpluse sensors ...
The heel counter seems a little higher than the original and holds your heel in place nicely without the worry of your heel slipping out mid run. The wife has more mileage with the shoe than I have but the first time I slipped my feet in them and took them out for a short run, I set a personal best in them for a 5k run. 'Designed for speed', hell yes! And I was nursing an inflamed ankle at that, though I did get an earful from the wife for being an idiot and running with a busted ankle! She loves the shoe but says it would work better for her if she could size it up by half a size and I just might hit the stores to see if they carry a 9.5 and get one for her.


My impression of the shoe is that it would definitely appeal to the masses who liked the original GOrun but was turned away because of the 'bump' in the arch. A much better shoe than the GOrun Ride (and that shoe is no slouch either) and looks capable of running a marathon in though you'd have to wait till next year for me to test that theory out. I'm totally sold with the GOrun 2 and will be giving it a race test during the coming Newton 25k challenge at the end of this month. I'm guessing the shoe is going to come through it just fine, well as long as my ankle holds out that is.

Would I recommend this shoe for everyone? Yes, most definitely I would. A good, lightweight, serious minimalist shoe that works great as a transitional shoe to foster as close to a barefoot running experience as one can possibly get short of running with a zero drop shoe or actually going barefoot.


The shoes are already available in the stores (a pre-launch), the women's version anyway. I'm not sure when the men's will be out but I do hope they bring in the more striking color themes. I've got my eye on these two awesome and loud looking colors!

Of course the Lime Green one is my first choice :D
Note: The pair of Skechers GOrun 2 used for this review were kindly provided by Skechers Malaysia for wear testing purposes. This review is in no way influenced by Skechers Malaysia whatsoever.

Comments

  1. I need to click on the like button. My GoRun's wearing down. Gonna have to decide whether to go for the GoBionic or the GoRun2 in a few months time.

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    1. Your GOrun has covered around 200k, right? Still plenty of life left in it. It's good up to 400-500km. I'd recommend the GOrun 2.

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  2. I'm almost tempted to get one, just because of the colour.

    But visits to Skechers stores never seem to result in any shoe buying for me yet.

    Plus, if it's too narrow, my wide feet might have a problem with this shoes.

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    1. Yeah, the color normally always plays a part in shoe selection ... LOL!

      Go try it anyway. The slightly narrow fit is my opinion, who knows the shoe might fit you just nice.

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  3. Thanks for the GoRun 2 review! I just bought mine last night - grey with flourescent lime to replace my original GoRuns, which I've run over 200 miles (321K) in. I got the ones with some bright colors to replace my plain black and white GoRuns. :-) I have to agree with you that the Skechers are the best running shoes out right now. I was apprehensive about getting the GoRun 2, because I was worried that Skechers might mess up the performance from the original GoRun. After reading your review, I feel like I've made the right decision to get them. Like I said, I just got them last night, so I haven't run in them yet.

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    1. Glad I could help in some way with your decision to get a GOrun 2. It's definitely a much more improved version of the original.

      Happy running with it. Do let me know how it went after you run in them.

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  4. i don't know whether they'll ever launch the green and lime one in M'sia! I was really eyeing that pair!!

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    1. Yes, yes, the lime green one is an absolute stunner! Let's hope they launch the more striking colors over here.

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    2. It's available !

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  5. Your review has restored my confidene! Bought some lovely go run (originals) last year and thought they were the best shoe I've had but the bumps did ruin it. I have been waiting to get a shoe for longer distances and had a hard time looking for reviews on the new range apart from on their website and stumbled on yours! Thanks!! Also helps that your wife has had input too. Will def go try out the go run 2 and go run ride. Have you had any experience with the go run ride and the trail one also? Michell

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    1. Hi, glad you found the review helpful. Yes, I've tried both the GOrun Ride and the GOtrail. You can check out some of my take on both the shoes here:

      http://happiefeet.blogspot.com/2012/07/skechers-gorun-ride-review.html

      http://happiefeet.blogspot.com/2012/12/skechers-gotrail-initial-review.html

      http://happiefeet.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-skechers-gotrail-threesome.html

      or visit both Jamie or Yvonne, twoo other Skechers wear testers for their take on the shoe:

      http://pifflesinc2.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-quick-ride-with-gorun-ride.html

      http://pifflesinc2.blogspot.com/2012/12/skechers-gotrail-introduction-and.html

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  6. Just wanted to say thanks for the awesome review!

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  7. Thanks for the awesome review. What's the main difference between the go run 2 and the go run ride?

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    1. The GOrun Ride basically has more cushioning than the GOrun 2. The GOrun 2 is much more of a minimalist shoe with a lot more ground feel compared to the Ride which is adequately cushioned yet still in a pretty lightweight category.

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  8. Seriously disappointed with the GoRun 2. Why not just get a GoBionic? I've tried the GoRun, GoRun 2, and GoBionic and my problem is heel striking. The GoRun solved that problem but I heel strike with the GoRun 2 and GoBionic. The proof is on the wear on the heel pods. The GoRun 2 and GoBionics do not encourage a midsole strike. You might as well just buy a full minimalist shoe which I also have. So GoRun 2 has the worst of both worlds, an odd feeling in the midsole but nothing to stop you from heel striking. Skecher ruined a good thing with GoRun 1's and now they're not even offering them anymore. All they had to do was minimize the difference between the midsole and front and keep the dramatic difference between heel and midsole to encourage midsole striking. They asked you for advice but you don't heel strike, so you could care less about the midsole rise and hence minimized it so now you heel strike with them. Skechers, you need MY opinions as a heel-striker and marathon finisher.

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    1. I find your remarks a little strange cos I don't heel strike with either the GOrun 2 or the GObionic and I believe they were constructed to eliminate heel striking.

      Heel striking is not something you could instantly correct by just changing your shoes. It takes a little time and training to transit from a heel striker to a midfoot/forefoot runner.

      I'm a natural heel striker and it took me a while to consciously change my style of running, sure, the shoe helps but you can't expect it to instantly or miraculously change the way you run. It takes time.

      I'm sorry for the negative experience you've had with both the GOrun 2 and GObionic but in my personal opinion, they're both a huge step up from the GOrun, which in itself is a great shoe already.

      But I'll pass your comments and feedback on to Skechers Malaysia anyway. Thanks for reading.

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  9. Have a problem with GO Run 2. The front bit always grazing with the ground?

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    1. When you say grazing, what do you exactly mean? Could it be you're not lifting your feet enough?

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  10. One of my buddies had a pair of the original GOruns and I had to try the Go Run 2. I can honestly say that this is by far the best running shoe that I have ever owned. You can feel the difference in the muscles that are used. Instead of you using your quads you are forced to run properly and feel it more in your hams and your butt. My legs are not as tired by the 6th Mile and I feel as if I can just keep on going and going. I am running my first half marathon in these shoes. My other running shoes have been transformed into normal gym shoes.

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    1. Good to know the shoes are working well for you. I've yet to take it anything further than 15K but I'm pretty confident it'll easily go through a half. All the best in your first half marathon.

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  11. I recently purchased the women's Go Run 2's and at first I wasn't sure about them because of the midfoot strike. After testing them out in a couple of runs I have to say I am liking them more and more each time I take them for a spin. I am in NO WAY a professional runner. I have only been running for less then a year and the furthest I have ever ran is 5.5 miles. Recently I decided to try out sockless running and while I loved how it felt I was left with a blister in the arch of my foot just like yours. I blew it off and assumed it was the just part of breaking them in. The next run (after letting the blister heal) in them was the same but left me with a bigger blister then before. I was just wondering if removing the insole would solve the issue? It's hard enough for me to let alone run and then to add blister problems just makes it worse. Trial and error I suppose:)

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    1. Hi Jillian, I actually haven't run in them sockless yet. I'm not a sockless runner but the wife has tried them sockless without the insoles and it seems to work for her. Maybe try them sockless and see how it goes? Let me know if it works, ya?

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    2. I never had confidence to run in my shoes sockless because I was afraid of getting much blisters, but I have a Go Run Ride and I run in them sockless. It really took me by surprise the first time because it was so comfy and I was blister-less. Maybe it just works differently for all of us.

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  12. Nice shoes, but I'd prefer mine in blue. Check out my review:

    http://www.spotaleopard.com/2013/04/no-more-back-pains-running-with.html

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  13. What is the differemne between the regular go run 1/2 and the ultra? I bought some ultras and love them but cant seem to find another pair online.

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    1. I assume you're referring to the GOrun Ride Ultra, right? Well, the Ultra is basically a more cushioned version of both the GOrun and the GOrun 2. The Ultra is also basically the same shoe a the GOrun Ride but with a different upper. You can check my review on the GOrun Ride below:

      http://happiefeet.blogspot.com/2012/07/skechers-gorun-ride-review.html

      http://happiefeet.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-ride-in-rain.html

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