I first read about this shoe on Miss Zippy’s site. She did a great review and I know she is a natural shoe and running guru. I was very interested in winning a pair, but did not see myself buying them. Then I was contacted by the company to review a pair and all I have to say is: “Wow.” What I thought looked like a nice shoe has turned out to be my favorite running shoe ever. I try out a lot of shoes, but this one was vastly different.
Let’s just start with the specifics of this shoe. The model that I tried ( Women’s Run W-RT) weighs in at only 5.6 oz– that is seriously light. This is a natural shoe, meaning that it is on a zero drop platform (There is no heel rise on this shoe). It hugs your foot with a light, breathable fabric on top and keeps the foot stable with a comfortable arch support and supportive sole. Some people might think this shoe is close to a Vibram, but it felt closer to a regular shoe than the Vibram’s in my opinion.
I started with several shorter runs at a relaxed pace, so that I would not injure myself. I’ve done this same thing with other zero drop shoes, but no matter how slow I start out, I would often get achilles pain — NOT with the Topo Althletic Shoe. No matter how hard I ran, I never experienced the standard achilles pain I’ve gotten with other zero drop shoes. For me, this shoe was that good. It has a beautiful smooth ride, that gives you that strong, light on your feet feeling with every run.
The split toe design was made to amplify your natural gate. I can’t tell you if it did this for me, but my stride felt light, proper, and I came home from my runs feeling like- “wow, what a great run.” Coincidence, perhaps, but I haven’t had a great run like that in quite some time. Do I blame that on my shoes? No, but it sure felt awesome to have a great workout! I guess a part of me thought it might be the shoes on my feet. I love this shoe, plain and simple. If you follow me on Instagram, you will see that I wear them happily in most training runs.
The split toe does pose one small issue. I am someone who obsessively wears socks when I run (I could never be a Triathlete) but I have sweaty feet and I just can not tolerate my bare wet foot in a shoe. They make a split toe sock, but I wear this shoe everyday, so two pairs was not enough for me. I did find the two pairs of socks I had very useful for taking the dog potty, running to get the mail and picking up my kids from school (Yes, I love to embarrass them with my funky feet).
This shoe is not going to be for everyone. There are many runners who do fine and stay uninjured in a traditional style shoe. For me, personally changing into the lower heel drop shoes has improved my gate, efficiency, and has lessened injuries. I am someone who has seen a dramatic change in my running by switching over to a more natural shoe. This does not mean it’s necessarily right for you. But, if you’ve been looking to try a zero drop shoe, this is a really good one.
Before you jump into a zero drop shoe, read this article– 5 Tips for Transitioning to a Zero Drop Shoe.
For more features and benefits of this shoe, check out the video below and or visit their website Topo Athletic–>
And now for the fun part. Topo Athletic is giving one lucky reader a pair.
