Forums >Gears and Wears>Skechers Fan Club
Returning to the RWOL thread discussing the merits and foibles of Skechers running shoes
For the new initiates; many of us old guys were pining away for the days when Hoka made cushioned shoes instead of the current crop of thick soled but un-cushioned shoes. Being old with brittle bones and angry blood, the original Hokas were like a Godsend, allowing us to continue running without the debilitating aches and pains or injuries. Then Hoka started making even their thickest soled shoes "responsive" (firm, aka un-cushioned). We had put up with the too-narrow uppers because we liked, needed, the cushion. It was like the floor fell out beneath us, because there was no alternative. Then someone discovered Skechers GoRun Ultra series, and we had a life preserver tossed our way.
Several complaints of quality, mainly longevity, at first, but the Ultra R (road) was a decent shoe with lots of cushion. The Ultra R2 is an improvement in some ways, a step back in others (the upper), but it's a racing flat weight. The GoTrail Ultra 4 is an excellent cushioned shoe, the best trail shoe I've ever had, and is also light for it's cushiony wonderfulness.
And then there's the other GoRun shoes; GoMeb racing shoe, GoRun5 (current edition), GoRun Ride (2nd tier running shoe), Forza (stability), GoTrail series, and the newer casual running GoRun 400 and 600 shoes (not really for serious running but OK for the under 20 mile a week crowd).
As a devotee of max cushion out of necessity, I have also picked up a pair of the GoRun5 in the nite-owl version (they glow in the freaking dark! A LOT!) at my local outlet. I just finished a 5k tempo in them, at 6:50 pace if any one cares, and don't feel beat up at all. I really like them for up to 10k runs. And like the other Skechers, they're racing flat light at 7.5oz. And this is a training shoe. If I raced, it would be a toss-up between these and my Kinvaras for 10k to half marathon.
Please share your impressions, hates and likes of the Skechers running shoes here. I'll update on the long term use of my shoes from time to time.
60-64 age group - University of Oregon alumni - Irreverent and Annoying
Mmmmm...beer
I'm on my first two pairs of Skechers, a pair of GoRun 4s and I'll be using a pair of GoMeb Speeds for my upcoming marathon. Both shoes are great, light, cushioned, and fast. But I'm not very happy with the durability of the GoRuns, I've got about 250 miles on them and they're pretty much toast already, I'll probably do some shorter runs in them for a bit, see if I can squeeze 300 miles out of them, but I won't do longer runs in them anymore. I usually get 500+ miles out of my Sauconys. But they are a great shoe, I really, really enjoy running in them, just wish they had a bit more durability.
The GoMebs should be good for my marathon (previous marathon shoe was the Virrata, but it was discontinued, and I've killed the extra pairs that I bought when they were on clearance), I've done an 11 miler and a 20 miler in them, just to make sure they were ok for the race. After my race, I'll work them into the rotation and see how long they last.
-Dave
My running blog
Goals | sub-18 5k | sub-3 marathon 2:56:46!!
Still kicking
As one of the original Hoka runners, and part of the army that put them on the map... I was SO disappointed when they turned their back on us, Decker bought them out, and they turned my beloved Bondis and Stinsons into rock hard Hockey pucks.
I jumped over to The Schetchers Ultra Roads, and have never looked back. I train in one pair and race in another. I use Altra Paradigms every other day to vary my training, and all is well. With my training Ultra Roads approaching 400 miles, I'm getting close to ordering a pair of UR2's
I'm also on Athlinks and Strava
I also had two pairs of Skechers, GoMeb Speed and GoMeb KRS. I liked both of them but they wore out extremely fast. I ran with both in about 300 miles but I probably should have stopped before that. This is far less than I have in any of my other shoes. Most of my pairs will last 500 - 700 miles and some of my New Balance Minimus shoes lasted about 1100 -1400 miles. The Skechers were good while they lasted and I got them fairly cheap so I probably got about the same number of miles per dollar as I got with many other shoes.
I bought a pair of the UR2 to try after reading all the posts in the RW forum. I think they are too soft for me. I did a 6 mile run in them and after my knees were just aching all over. I normally wear Brooks pure cadence or Kinvara. I couldn't find them any where that I could return after trying so I'll probably try again at a later time. They felt great when I was running, it was just after that I hurt. I did also pick up the Razors and gorun 5 from running warehouse but haven't tried them yet.
DEAN! HEY!
I got about 350 miles out my Ultra Road-1s before I thought they might be making my knee hurt, but it could have been something else. I keep them for some short runs now. The soles are fairly worn, with the back outside rubber pod partially worn through to the EVA. That rubber pod material isn't very thick, but 350 miles is plenty of miles. The upper is like new.
The Ultra Road 2s are going well, slight signs of sole wear at about 75 miles now. I think they may be in the 350 mile lifespan range for me, too. I like the outsole a lot better, the midsole about the same, but the upper isn't soft and sock-like as it was in the R-1. It's still comfortable, just not as much, nor as ventilated.
If you start breaking down cost per mile, in some cases less expensive shoes may cost you MORE than $150 top of the line shoes. I never buy shoes at full retail, so my costs may be a lot less than others. My Ulra Road-1s were $30 at the Skechers outlet near my house. At 350 miles they cost me less than 9 cents per mile. I'll get another 50 miles of short runs out of them, so let's say they made 400 miles, 7.5 cents per mile. If I got 500 miles out of a pair of $150 Hokas, it would be 30 cents per mile! To be fair, the retail price for the Ultra-R1 was $115, and that would make my 400 miles just under 29 cents per mile of use. 350 miles would be 33 cents per mile; a higher cost than 500 mile Hokas. I use 500 miles because that's about what I get out of them.
I shoot to keep my per-mile cost below 20 cents, one of the reasons I buy sale shoes. My new Ultra-R2's were about $55 shipped, on sale somewhere online. 350 miles would put me under 16 cents per mile. Budget Golf for some reason had the brand new GoTrail Ultra-4 for sale at $30, I should have bought 3-4 pairs instead of one! but I wanted to try them first. Too late now to stock up, they're sold out.
Mmmm Bop
I’m still a big fan of Hoka and train mostly in Odyssey for longer runs and Clayton for tempo/speed runs.
I tried the GoMeb racing shoe and imo Hoka Tracer is similar...but better.
I did some training in the GoRun 400s during my Spring training this year and loved them.
The UR2’s looking very tempting to try out....but expensive to buy if you live in the UK...I’ll maybe ask Santa for a pair.
5k - 17:53 (4/19) 10k - 37:53 (11/18) Half - 1:23:18 (4/19) Full - 2:50:43 (4/19)
Skechers are one of those weird brands that show up at wildly different prices. My UR2 were about $55 (US) although some places were selling them for full retail of $120, or even asking MORE. I see the low price is about $75 now.
Still puzzled over the $30 price for the GoTrail Ultra-4 at Budget Golf...but not complaining. (sold out)
Yeah the UR2 are the equivalent of $120 to buy in the UK. I got my GoRun 400s on sale for £27 ($35) which was cool!
I live near a Sketchers outlet and have found some great deals on them (paid $40 and $35 for my current pairs). My GoRun Ride 3s, despite you thinking of them as a "second-tier" running shoe, lasted 506km and cost me $50. I ran 33km in GoRun 400s a couple weeks ago with no unusual aches and pains (other than a blister which formed because my socks developed an untimely hole in the toe), so I would again disagree with your assessment of them as "for the under 20-mile a week crowd" (I regularly run 50+ mile weeks and have completed a couple ultras). I'm currently just starting a pair of GoRun Ride 4s and love them so far (though the farthest I've done in them is 10 miles). I find them better than Saucony Kinvaras for longevity and roughly equivalent to most other road shoes I've tried (including Brooks, New Balance, and a variety of Sauconys). I'm not certain I would pay full price for them (I think my current Rides were regularly $140) but if you find a good deal they are a great buy
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Half Fanatic #846
I ordered two pairs of GoRun 5s from Sierra Trading Post yesterday for $39 each (with tax & shipping was closer to $49 each, but still a good deal). They might still have a few pairs of men's size 10-12 left, not sure.
I'm trying to stretch the mileage on my current Skechers to 500, not sure if I'll be able to - 400 at least, though.
"I don't always roll a joint, but when I do, it's usually my ankle" - unk. "Frankly autocorrect, I'm getting a bit tired of your shirt". I ran half my last race on my left foot!
I've been brand loyal to Skechers (GoRuns & GoRun Rides) since 2012 and have recently retired a pair of GoRun 5s at 530ish miles (soles & uppers showing significant signs of wear). Just started a new pair with two left in reserve.
I'm envious that you only pay $39 for your GoRun 5s as they're currently £97 here in Rip Off Britain.
Religion is just a contest to see who's got the best imaginary friend.
link spam
Like a slot machine with random pay-outs, the Skechers outlet near where I live has got me hooked and coming back every couple weeks!
$30 for the Ultra Road 1, and $30 for GoRun-5 in the glow in the dark Nite Owl version. I almost got a pair of GoTrail-1 for $40 last week, but thought twice about it. If and when the Ultra Road-2 and GoTrail Ultra-4's start showing up I'll buy several pairs. Hoka doesn't seem to be going in a direction I want to take, for $150 a pop. Brooks doesn't have much I like, Nike doesn't fit my feet, Adidas are bulky and heavy, .Newtons feel weird, as does On Cloud, Altras hurt my achilles. Saucony is worth a look, especially the Freedom ISO for road miles.
But if I can get decent shoes for $30/pair, even if they only last 250-300 miles they are a bargain.
Removing link spam in blockquote.