Running Shoes: Skechers

I seem to have a long standing relationship with Skechers, bought my first pair back in 2004 on my first visit to the United States. Those were the days when you had to travel across seven seas to get access to a range of fitness and outdoorsy products and gear.

The Indian market and access to international brands has opened up a lot since then. So when Skechers launched almost a year back in India, I had to check it out. Even though the collection was sparse, there was a promise of quality. Over a couple of visits to the stores and checking out the various price and feature options online I went ahead to purchase the GoRun MStrike series.

The first thing I notice is a balance between the heel to toe ratio of the shoe. An imbalance in this feature in running shoes is known to cause severe knee issues, shin splints and can lead to an Achilles heel too.

Being feather light and beautifully flexible makes it the perfect pair of running shoes I carry with me each time I travel.

And then when I stepped into it, it felt like a snug sock for my feet, luxuriously soft and immediately blending in.

It has been just about a year that I have been using them and I swear by how ‘barely there’ they feel. And the more I wear them out, the more I feel in sync with my run.

Perhaps only during the monsoons did I experience a blip in the till now fabulous experience with these shoes and that was to do with less grip.

Running in the rain is a pleasure that has to be experienced in order to understand it.

During these runs in the monsoons, the fine, mesh like exterior of the shoes which are beautifully breathable made it easy to dry out. However; while running on rain soaked roads, I slipped a couple of times due to lack of good grip on the soles of the shoes.

I do wish the brand would look into improving this feature, as all else works beautifully in it’s method of construction. If this issue is taken care of, this particular pair will make for brilliant multi-trail running shoes.

Most shoes, yes even outdoor shoes must be broken into before wearing them for longer distances unless you want to be left with a series of blisters or shoe bites at the end of that experience.

But not with these pair of Skechers. From the very first time I wore them, slipping into the pair felt like the texture of a light souffle caressing my feet with every step.

Even whilst I write this post, with one foot curled under my knee and the other foot dangling across the bark of a tree; the base of the shoe feels soft and light; barely there; just how I think a shoe ought to be.