You heard me. THEE. MOST. COMFORTABLE. SHOES. EVER.
In April of last year, someone from Pearl Izumi wanted me to try out a pair of their shoes. I was sent a pair of SYNCRO FUEL XC trail shoes. They boasted a "seamless upper" for a comfortable fit. And Holy Mother of God, they ARE comfortable.
I actually RACED in them a number of times, even though they are "trail" shoes (which tend to be a bit heavier). The first time I raced in them, it was a bit of an "off-road" race, so it made sense to wear them. It was for the 2010 Gear West Duathlon:
Look only at the shoes. Not the bulge in the shorts. Thanx.
I had the 3rd fastest 2nd run at that race!
I also wore them for the Waseca Triathlon last year. I was coming off a foot injury, I thought they'd be the best shoes to keep my feet comfortable while running a hard 4.4 miles at the end of that triathlon:
I ended up 5th overall at that triathlon, and had the 4th fastest run. The most telling image from that race regarding how comfortable they are was from AFTER the race. When I finish a race and get changed, the LAST thing I want to do is to put back on the shoes that I raced in - my feet are sore and I don't want to wear the SAME shoes. But after Waseca last year, I got changed and put those shoes back on:
Getting my AG award post-race
Finally, I also wore them at the Mosquito Man Duathlon last fall:
Now, it's a year since I've raced in these shoes, and I'm done running in them too.
I've worn them out by wearing them around the house and out on walks. They're totally shot for running because I practically wear them 24/7. I wore them on a 90 minute walk with Henry on Monday night. And I'm wearing them right now. Really.
You can ask Pharmie: I tell EVERYONE that the Pearl Izumi
SYNCRO FUEL XC shoes are the most comfortable shoes I've ever had. I haven't bought another pair, but if you saw my new Nikes in my post about
running intervals last Thursday, you'll notice that my new Nikes are "cut" JUST like these Pearl Izumis. And I told Pharmie when I was trying them on: "Oh, these feel close to the Pearl Izumis! I'm gonna try these!"
BOTTOM LINE: Comfortable. Supportive. Plenty of room in the toe box. Lightweight enough for racing. Enough stability for trail running.
Love. These. Shoes.
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10 comments:
I know how you feel. I feel the same about my Saucony fastwitch and Kinvara's. Absolutely love the Kinvara's. I do not like Saucony arch support shoes as they provide too much support but their racing and minimalist shoes are completely awesome.
Word to your mom. I have a pair of synchrofuels and the upper is like butter
Very cool. I recently discovered the Mizuno Musha's that are the most comfortable minimalist running shoes I've ever found. Really feel good.
Dude, you do know it's those freaking shorts that make you fast not the iZUMi's right??
I love my iZUMi's! I have the Streak 2 and the Iso Transition-both perfect for shorter distance/ faster runs. I will def have to check this one out as I see lots of fall trail running in my future.
Why did you not buy a pair of them?
LongRun: good question! I've been having some foot issues, so I wanted to get "fit" by a good local shoe store. This store didn't have any Pearl Izumis, so I tried what they recommended. And it wasn't the pearl izumis that hurt my feet - it was some Brooks.
I'll probably buy a "back up pair" of the Pearl Izumis shortly.
Shoes are always a problem, especially if your feet are a bit out of the ordinary dimension.
Ana
DARNIT! You call attention to the bulge and it's like a train wreck, you HAVE to look!
I have the Pearl Iso Transitions and I love them. They too are so incredibly comfortable I can hardly stand it.
I blew out the heel of my Nikes at Vineman. Love the new last they use, its wider, but its not the first sole I've busted on Nikes.
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