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Showing posts from 2017

First Impressions: Skechers GoRun Ultra R2

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Skechers has had a few years to evolve as a brand now, and while their shoes have been a little hit and miss for me, they have come out with some really good models so far in 2017. I was very impressed with both the GoRun 5, and the GoMeb Razor as trainers. As far as maximalist shoes go, I did not have the best of luck with Skechers as the shoes somehow did not work great for me. Previous maximal models I had were the original GoRun Ultra v1, and the GoRun Ultra Road v1. The GoRun Ultra caused me to develop hot spots under the balls of my right foot, and the Ultra Road v1 while very cushioned and soft, was in fact a little too soft and energy sapping for me for most runs. Stats Heel stack: 30mm Forefoot stack: 26mm Drop: 4mm Weight: 240g (8.466oz) in US9.5 including insole UPPER AND FIT The shoe fits me true to size , although like many Skechers models, I could conceivably go down a half size here, as the shoe has a very generous overall volume. The shoe ...

Review: ASICS Roadhawk FF

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Disclaimer: This shoe was provided to me at no cost for the purposes of a review Athleisure shoes have been popping up for a while now, and are aimed at bridging the gap between casual fashion and performance running shoes. This athleisure market has been slowly gaining traction in recent months, and with the likes of Nike and Adidas doing very well with their sneaker sales, it was only going to be a matter of time before the other brands got in on the act. Brooks, for example, will be releasing an athleisure version of its ever-popular Launch in the near future. The first dip in the pond by ASICS probably started with the Gel Quantum 360 Knit released earlier in the year, though it was quite heavy and consequently was not very versatile as a running shoe. Now, they've come up with a far more versatile shoe in the Roadhawk FF which has garnered a lot of positive feedback thus far. I was very excited to try out this shoe, after finding a real diamond in the rough with the Noosa ...

Review: Gold Coast Marathon 2017

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It's been quite a while since I last wrote a race report but since a few people have indicated interest in one, I figured it'd be worthwhile doing. The Gold Coast Marathon has a special place in my heart since it was also the venue of my first ever overseas marathon, and also the race that secured my BQ timing that led to that memorable Boston race back in 2014. (race report here ) For people who haven't read it, my original race report for the Gold Coast Marathon 2013 was posted as a Facebook note here . This year, I was originally scheduled to race Dubai in January, and then have a stab at a PB by racing at Berlin again in September. See here for my 2014 Berlin Marathon race report. However, we found out my wife was pregnant with a due date in the third weekend of September, and so we settled on doing the Gold Coast Marathon instead, it gave me a good 4-5 months of preparation and it was pretty much as late as my wife could travel on the plane in July. Havin...

Review: Kalenji Kiprun SD

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Disclaimer: The Kalenji Kiprun SD was provided to me by Decathlon Sports Singapore for the purposes of a review I first became aware of Decathlon’s Kalenji shoe line in 2015. At the time people were making comparisons of one of the Kalenji trainers to the popular Brooks Launch v1. However, even though Decathlon opened stores in Singapore some time back, I never got round to visiting them to check out the shoes. Notwithstanding the allusion to Kenya’s world-famous Kalenjin tribe, Decathlon actually has its roots in Europe; they originate from Lille, France back in 1976. They pride themselves on doing things in-house, getting rid of the middlemen, in order to sell their products at remarkably low prices. Indeed, you will notice that the shoes do not even come in cardboard boxes, in a bid to reduce production costs. The current Kalenji line has 3 basic models: the Kiprun LD      - their heavy duty cushioned trainer the Kiprun SD     ...