Skechers GOmeb Speed 2: Initial Review

A few weeks back, a text message from Skechers Malaysia saw me picking up the limited edition Skechers GOmeb Speed 2, the second iteration of the GOrun Speed series. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting to get this shoe to test out so soon but I wasn't complaining. Besides, it's the signature shoe of Meb Keflezighi and comes in the nice gold/black limited edition New York Marathon colors. I was more inclined to keep it in a glass encased shelf rather than use it. But heck, a shoe that looks this good deserves some road testing time.

The original GOrun Speed was a huge success in itself as far as racing flats are concerned. The GOmeb Speed 2 carries all of the great qualities of the original, lightweight (maybe a wee bit lighter even), 4mm drop, the responsive midsole, the stability plate. The biggest changes are noticeable to the upper of the shoe.

Let's start with that. The mesh fabric and synthetic upper is constructed to be almost seamless with printed overlays giving it a smooth finished look. The material seems a little firmer but fits snugly on your feet pretty well. The GOmeb Speed 2 still retains the narrow look and fit of the original and I had to size up from my usual size 8 to a 9 to get the perfect 'grip' of my foot leaving slightly too much toe space for my liking and caused some material bunching at the bottom of the tongue but doesn't really pose any issues or problems with my runs.

The shoe breathes really well. On one of my early morning run sessions, I could actually feel the chill in my toes from the cool morning air. No hotspots were apparent during all my runs sessions in them. Currently I've only taken them up to a maximum distance of 15k so I can't vouch for anything longer than that just yet but I suspect it'll work just fine over much longer distances.

The other huge update done to the upper involves the tongue itself. The previous version of the shoe saw the tongue bunching up or at times slipping to the sides as I ran but this time around the tongue is more structured, stiffer and wider preventing migration and keeping it in place nicely. No bunching up or slipping with this version. The same ribbon laces of the original has been retained which still has a tendency to come undone during my runs. Maybe it's the way I knot them.

The midsole and outsole of the GOmeb Speed 2 remain the same as the original edition. The sole still gives you that same firm but responsive ride you're familiar with from the original. The Dupont Hytrel™ stability plate found in the midfoot section of the shoe provides support during your runs offering a faster transition to toe off. The trademark flexibility of all the Skechers series shoes is retained with the GOmeb Speed 2.

The lightweight injection molded proprietary Resalyte™ cushioned midsole with memory retention provides support in absorbing the impact of the road as you run and retains the 4mm heel drop and M-Strike midfoot striking design of the original. While it still gives the same firm ride that is found in the original, I somehow felt it to be a little on the softer side this time around. The Skechers GOmeb Speed 2 weighs in at an incredibly light weight of 6.8 oz for my men's size 9, which strangely enough is slightly lighter than the original version.

A word of advice if you're intending to get the shoe is to make sure you get the sizing right cos that will make or break your experience with the shoe. It also tends to be more on the narrower side of things and if you have wide feet, this might not be the shoe for you.

The Skechers GOmeb Speed 2 is without doubt built for speed yet offers just the right amount of cushioning that you can use it as a daily training shoe. What I love about the shoe is how responsive it is. It gives you a firm, snug and speedy ride yet I hardly feel it on my feet during my runs. That is a hallmark of a great shoe. I have yet to take the shoe really long or even for a speed run cos all the mileage in the shoe have been done on easy or tempo pace but I can feel the speed waiting to burst out from them. The thing is, being a limited edition shoe, I'm much more inclined to not trash the shoe too much, at least until I can get my hands on another pair.

At present I do not have a launch date nor pricing for the Skechers GOmeb Speed 2 yet  but will update this information here once I get some official word from Skechers Malaysia soon. The pair of Skechers GOmeb Speed 2 above was kindly provided by Skechers Malaysia for wear testing. This review is of my own personal experience with the shoe and is in no way influenced by Skechers Malaysia whatsoever.

Note: Took the shoe out for a 30K run and I'm happy to say the shoe performed really well. It was extremely breathable, no hotspots at all even with feet expansion on such a narrow profiled shoe. Hardly any leg fatigue. Handles changes of pace really well. Just the right amount of cushioning when cruising along at an easy pace and just enough stiffness and grip when ramping up the pace. I may have just found my new marathon favourite shoe!