© Copyright – 2021 – Athletics Illustrated
Skechers GORun Speed Elite Hyper is long in name and fast in performance. The shoe is a so-called supershoe with a carbon plate, and specialized rubber soul, but also borrows from road racing flats. Remember them?
They are extraordinarily light. When I passed the shoe to a fellow runner who has been racing for 50 years, he said, “that is the lightest shoe that I have ever held.”
- Weight: 5.7 oz (size 9)
- Offset: 4mm, heel to toe
- Price: $199 – $285
The upper is very thin and breathable. The outsole is complemented by Goodyear brand rubber for enhanced grip on the roads.
The heel height is approximately 28mm. The heel height limit as per World Athletics’ maximum allowable is 40mm.
Additionally, the carbon plate is a curved, polymer plastic plate infused with carbon fibre. It’s a short plate that is in the front portion of the shoe, so the end of the toe-off phase is supported, but not the entire plant phase. If you are one of the few who eventually gets the heel down during the plant phase, you may notice this. For me, a typical forefoot/mid-foot striker, the carbon plate seemed very responsive.
The size 9 fits like a size 8.5. I had to wear a thin racing sock to feel somewhat comfortable. Thick cotton or cotton-poly blend socks would require me to get a size 9.5. (U.S. sizing). I could feel some pressure on the sesamoids of the first metatarsal. Not enough to not want to run, but feet can swell in longer runs.
So, if I was to wear the shoe for a 20K or longer venture, I would go a half-size up. But really, it felt like a 5K and 10K road racing shoe and a darn good one at that.
The midsole is the Skecher Hyperburst.
I bristle at the automotive industry reviews where a common way to phrase “quality in workmanship” is “initial quality….”
Was the phrase coined by a copywriter looking to avoid long-term commitment to a vehicle? I don’t know. But I assume the Athletics Illustrated readership is intelligent enough to know that a reviewer cannot possibly determine the long-term wear of a new product.
So, ahem, the initial quality and probably the long-term quality seem to be above average.
America’s favourite marathon runner, Meb Keflezighi, wears them, as does Edward “King” Cheserek. If the shoe is good enough for them, it is good enough for a middle-age, low-to-medium-volume runner. The sub-elite and fast age-groupers, will want this model.
The shoe is fast. Having run it during a few 5K hard tempo efforts, the shoe performed well. Having only minor supination and generally sound biomechanics, they kept me running straight, fast, and light-on-the-feet.
The first place many people look when you run past them is at your feet. I earned a couple of knowing nods when I hustled by other runners. The GORun Speed Elite Hyper appears serious with its gregarious colours and a cross-bread between a racing flat and a supershoe.
