GoRun 4 the Love of It

BY: Christa Davidson

How could the shoe of the week not be from Skechers after last weekend’s touching finish line proposal at Run Waterloo’s Re-Fridgee-Eighter. After finishing their races, Skechers sponsored athlete Josh Bolton got down on one knee and proposed marriage to his girlfriend Tanis Smith, who is also a Skechers sponsored athlete. Josh loves Tanis, Skechers loves Josh and Tanis and I love Skechers’ GoRun 4’s, which both Josh and Tanis were wearing on Sunday when they won their races and became blissfully betrothed to one another -she did say yes. See the patterns here? Everyone loves Skechers GoRun 4’s. And everybody loves Josh and Tanis, who are bound to become known as running’s power couple ‘Jo-Tan’.

The Look

This shoe is sleek. The version I have is a sexy black and hot pink number. I find myself caressing its knit upper and whispering sweet nothings to it. Its understated, yet saucy. Just as Josh gazes upon Tanis, so do I gaze upon this running shoe. I wonder if ‘Jo-Tan’ experienced the same love at first sight sensation as I did when I first saw this shoe.

The Feel

When I pulled these shoes out of the box I could tell by their light-as-a-feather feel that they were going to feel dreamy on my feet. These shoes are cushiony and you can feel it but you can still get a good sense and feel of the ground beneath you. Sometimes we equate cushion with a thick midsole that keeps us from feeling the surface beneath us but this just isn’t true in all shoe cases. When I laced and tied the GoRun 4’s my brain was tricked because I knew I had just tied shoes on my feet yet -‘where’d they go?’. The felt like bedroom slippers…no, they felt like socks. I could have gone to bed and forgotten these were on my feet. I wonder if ‘Jo-Tan’ wears socks to bed…or mistakenly their Skechers?

The shoes were light and easy to run in while feeling supportive at the same time. You could run some fast splits in these lovelies. I ran outdoors and on the treadmill with them and felt like I could do a lot of running in them as they are soft and flexible.

The Tech

Skechers crafts the upper of this shoe from their ‘GoKnit’ fabric which is light, breathable and seamless. This is an upper that allows your foot to move naturally while still being supported. Knit uppers are great for many reasons but my personal experience of living and running with a foothill sized bunion (yes, I had to) is there is less friction and rubbing of protrusive areas which for me means no blisters and decreased calluses.

The GoRun is a classed as a neutral cushioned shoe. The midsole is designed with Skechers’ ‘Resalyte Power Pillar’ technology which is a supportive material located in the mid-foot strike zone. The material gives a ‘pop’ feel on push off, which is not the same as bounce and is another way to describe its responsiveness. The midsole is made with a 4mm drop from heel to toe. There are other design features worth consideration such as the translucently reinforced eyelets, which might not seem like a biggie but where knit is concerned, over time the tension of the laces can cause wear and potentially cause an eyelet blowout. There is a unique cut out on the back of the shoe, just above the heel where you can slip your finger into for ease of sliding the shoe on. The keyhole cut out is Skechers’ answer to our childhood habit.

The Last Kick

You can get your hands on and feet into Skechers Performance shoe line, which includes the GoRun 4 at Skechers retail stores as well as selected specialty shoe stores in Canada. Retail price is $140. This shoe is moving to my top shoe shelf which is houses all my favorite rides. If you are in the market for a responsive, light and fast neutral shoe, give this one a look. Meb loves it, Kara loves it, ‘Jo-Tan’ loves it and I love it…so much freaking love. Now, to wait for my invitation to the Skechers wedding of the year. Congratulations Josh and Tanis, on your collective triple win this past Sunday.