Forums >Gears and Wears>Marathon Shoe Question
I am looking for a good marathon racing shoe with the following characteristics:
Lightweight (for me that means under 11 oz.)
Cushioned (I pound my heels to death)
Sturdy (something that will last a couple hundred miles)
I ran my last marathon in ProGrid Rides and I like them but I want to try a more streamlined shoe.
I am 5'10" weigh 170 lbs.
I will be peaking at about 55 mpw and hope to run a 3:42:59
Any ideas would be helpful.
I received a Running Warehouse gift certificate for an early Christmas present.
Listen. Yeah, it's gonna hurt some. That's the marathon business. But here's the thing. When it starts to get intense, that's not time to panic. This is what you wanted to happen. It means that all the training, all the miles, all the wakeups, all the cold, all the wet, all the sleep-deprived days and all the shit you've done to yourself over the last 6 plus months is finally about to pay off. It means you've put yourself where you wanted to be. You've given yourself an opportunity that very few will ever have. You've given yourself a chance. Now finish it.
Shoes are personal and I don't know anything about your build, etc. I ran my last marathon in Saucony Fastwitch 4 and they seem to meet the criteria you listed.
+1
Me.....Asic Speedstars.
I agree with the people above, however, I will tell you what I like. I have gone through several pairs of the ProGrid Rides in the past, and they worked fine for me. I have run my last 3 marathons in the Brooks Launch and absolutely love them. My next marathon will probably be in the Kinvara, I have about 100 miles on my first pair. They have treated me well and I am liking them although they took a bit of adjusting to.
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
No Talent Drips
+1 Me.....Asic Speedstars.
Me too.
I used to train in Asics Cumulus and race in Speedstars--logic being that these shoes are built on the same last and, therefore, should feel similar. Also, the Speedstar is considerably lighter, which gave me a nice psychological boost for raceday (sort of like using a donut on a baseball bat for practice swings).
Now, I am all Speedstar, all the time, with the exception of my 5 Finger runs.
Dei Gratia
I train and run longer races in Mizuno Elixirs, shorter races (AKA marathons) in Mizuno Mushas. Both are considerably under 11 oz and I get a minimum of 500 miles; I weigh 175-190 lbs depending on how much I need to go on a diet.
That being said, I'm not a heel striker. I have a pair of Kinvaras but to me they just feel sloppy. I suspect that "sloppy" and "cushioned" may be words different people use for the same thing.
I look my best blurry!
I am a 112 lb woman so you may or may not find this useful, however it may help others. I have been racing in Newton Distancias and I have been very happy with them. I have no complaints but I can't comment on durability because I haven't put many miles on them. I do a fair amount of training in Asics Tarthers. I considered wearing them in my last half. They are ultralight and I have worn them on long runs and tempo runs. I have been very happy with them. I plan to wear them in my next 5 or 10K but for some reason I hesitate to run longer races in them because they don't have much cushioning. I recently ordered a pair of Asics Speedstars because of the similarity to the Tarthers with a little more cushioning (and I can't lie, they are a new style covered in hot pink mesh that super cute!). The manager of the store I frequent and occasionally run with, wears Speedstars and really likes then, too. He has the new model and is thus far satisfied with them as well. Good luck!
You'll have to let us know how the Distancias hold up. I'm interested in those due to their low toe to heel drop (something like 4mm?). For as much money as they want they'd have to last a lot of miles for me to buy them. FYI, I've used the ASICS Tarthers for my last two marathons because I like how they feel for long distances even though they have minimal cushioning. I run my marathons in flat-like shoes - Tarthers, Banditos, Adizeros etc.
Nike Lunarfly has lots of cushion, especially in the heel. Somewhere around 9.5 ounces. Not a racing flat but think it fits your description.
Current Goals: Run and stuff
My favorite shoe, the speedstar has lasted me 2 years and about 1000 miles and counting. I am 125 lbs soaking wet, so that might help, but I also ran my first marathon recently in them (not he ones with the 1000 miles on them, but the prettier Speedstar 4), and felt fine. My other choice would be the Brooks Launch, but they kind of seem too mushy now.
I actually have never worn through any shoes, just get bored and need newer shinier shoes every once in a while I guess. Have 6 or 7 light weight shoes in the rotation right now, Speed star3 and 4 , Hyperspeed, cumulus, Brooks Launch, Kinvaras and Pearl Izumi Streak (another shoe I like, but a bit pricey)