Shape Night Run 2013 - Top 15 Results

Date: 7 Sep 2013

Prize: Top 10 winners and limited finishing medals.

A short race report.

With the presence of very strong competitors, this year I managed to secure a 7th position in the Men's Junior Veteran category, even though my timing was faster than last year. Despite the rainy weather prior the race, it was quite humid and the road was rather dark and slippery.  Still, I was quite happy and satisfied with the shoes that I was racing with; the Skechers GOrun Speed. They they were super light, fits snugly and performed very well even though the are pretty worn out for I have been running in them for a while now.

All the 5 categories were packed with strong contenders among the 7000+ participants. Some said it's because of the prizes but perhaps it is the reputation of the race.  With a streak of success for the past few years, the Shape Night Run has been a household brand, attracting many runners even though it offers only limited medals. The event was very well organized with 4 water stations and accurate distance markers. The route is similar to last year, but this time I realized how it can be challenging and treacherous too, flat at the beginning, therefore encourage runners to run faster than ought to be, then ends with a series of hilly ramps.

Another great event and is highly recommended.

More photos here

  Before the race at the Skecher's tent. It was slightly drizzling but everybody seems to be so excited

Meantime, there was this fitness challenge and people were doing mass planking.

The mascot from Skechers.

Happy runners waiting to be flag off

 It was very humid and uncomfortable while waiting inside the cage. Finally the 12km race was promptly flag-off at 8.00 pm

 Fun run runners

 Cheer leaders

 Women veteran

 Men senior veteran

 Men junior veteran

 Men open

Women open

Top Results

Women Open

Men's Junior Veteran

Men's Open

Men's Senior Veteran

Women Veteran

GOMEB: The New Skechers GOrun SPEED.

A race-day shoe designed for an Olympian?

The Skechers GOrun Speed is THE shoe that was designed for and worn by Meb Keflezhighi during the 2012 London Summers Olympic.

I read about GOrun Speed also known as GOMEB last year, just about 2 weeks before the Olympics 2012 marathon and have been waiting for their arrival, but they were not made available to the public until recently.  When I first got them in my hand last Friday, the first thing I noticed is that they are totally different from any of the other Skechers running shoes I have ever tried on.

First of all, these shoes are designed with racing in mind.  They are made based on a narrow last which you usually find in common racing flats or track spikes. They have very firm cushioning and a profile of 4 mm drop. And they are very light too. I was informed their weights are 7.5 oz (men’s 9) and 5.8 oz (women’s 6).

And the material used to make to uppers will definitely please those whom favor thin and breathable uppers. The GOrun Speed seamless upper with microfiber lining are not as stretchy as those found in most Skechers trainers. With the narrow last design, the snug-fitting shoe wraps around your entire feet like a glove.

The sole of the GOrun Speed has been 'stiffened-up' by some kind of carbon fiber stability plate in the midfoot to provide a supportive and secure run.  Remain unchanged are the GOimpulse sensors as signature feature.

The visuals are fantastic. They look really fast and you will never miss the attention seeking colors. And they are shipped with 2 pair of laces to accommodate your mood.

Since these shoes are made for speed and racing, I decided to test them on a real race directly.  So I race with them during The Milo Breakfast Day Race which took place only 2 days after I received these shoes. The Milo Race is a basically 7.5 km road race with rolling hills around UPM campus, which is perfectly suitable to run such a test. And they performed great on that day.

What I like the most is the weight and the snug fit of the shoe. And the cushioning in the GOrun Speed is firm and very responsive. For a distance of 7.5 km race semi-hilly route, I can comfortable manage to cruise comfortably on average of 4 min/km pace that day.

The GOrun Speed is meant to be a performance racing flat. If you like a shoe that is light, firm, and snug-fitting that you intend to use for speed training and racing, then the GOrun Speed is the right shoe.

After all, it was designed as a race day shoe for an Olympic marathoner.

Skechers GOrun Ride

My first impression of the GOrun Ride: a flexible, well-cushioned, and neutral training shoe. Like the GOrun, it is still very much a light weight shoe except that it does have more cushioning on it.  The material of the uppers is just like the original GOrun, which include the soft breathable and seamless upper.  And similar to the original GOrun, the Ride too comes with  toe box that allow the toes plenty of space to move about. I know a few runners like that especially those that are into barefoot running, the extra space to reduce friction and allowing the toes move naturally as in to grip and push forward with balance.

The shoe tongue is similar to the GOrun too, which is sewn in and therefore stay put with a soft inside lining. Another thing - the 'rockered' bottom look less visible, although the concept is there.  And when I put them on, I did not feel the 'bump' on the mid foot as those that are felt on the original GOrun.  Instead, I felt the rich cushioning that the shoes are built on.

The flexibility of the GOrun Ride  reminds me of the Nike Free.  Fittings of the shoe too, and I saw somewhere in the packaging that the shoe are built based on barefoot last.

See? you can twist all over the shoes, but of course you won't wear your shoes like that will you? ;). But it show how soft the outer sole are.

Comparing the outer sole of the GOrun vs the GOrun Ride. Notice the differences?

Another thing that I really pay attention to when I was trying out these shoes is the stability. I usually find shoes with too much cushioning lacked stability. But for the Ride, the shoes surprisingly offers pretty good stability, despite the extra cushioning. It is of course not as firm as the feeling in racing flats but a good compromise.  I begin to believe that the stability (especially in push off) is due to the extra circular things at the bottom of the sole (Skechers called them 'impulse pillars'). The picture above shows different arrangement and number of pillars when I compare the Ride with the original GOrun.  Perhaps the extra pillars is to compensate for the extra cushioning that is built in the GOrun Ride.

To me the GOrun Ride is an excellent choice if you are a person who is looking for a pair of shoes that offers the best combination of  barefoot running,  but not ready to give up the comfort of cushioning.  And it is an excellent transition shoe to help moving into mid foot running, but yet not as 'radical' as a direct move into the original GOrun, as it has more cushioning and less 'rocker' feel. Comfort is the best description.  And finally, the profile won't fit the racing shoe profile for some folks, but it is definitely a shoe that can easily accommodate longer runs due to the good cushioning and light weight. For me, after 50km+ running on the GOrun Ride, I personally find the shoe an excellent training shoe for easier days.

Do look out for it and try on a pair if you see them in the nearest Skechers store.

Skechers GOrun

I won myself a pair of Skechers GOrun running shoes during the Men Health Shape Night Run recently. I was quite excited when I saw the prize voucher as I have always been curious about the shoes ever since I saw them in the Boston Marathon Expo with Meb Keflezighi.  So, I happily redeemed them last week at 1 Utama Skechers outlet.

The first thing I noticed (and liked) is the smooth internal lining and uppers which makes them look and feel like a pair comfortable walking shoes. They also seems to be pretty wide, compare to most of my racing flats and because of all these, I almost had the idea of getting the female version since the female cut offers a much narrower fit. But after fastening the shoe lace this issue soon disappeared and so I brought home the bright Red pair.

Look and feel - good as leisure shoes too, this will save space for oversea marathons :)

I did a training run on them during the weekend. At first, I wasn't quite used to the ‘rocking’ feeling of the shoes.   But since I am trying out the Skechers for the first time, I just told myself to keep a positive thought until I finished at least couple of runs on them.  But I must admit, I kinda liked the comfortable supporting feeling that came in the form of a soft pressure at the arch of the feet.

The cushioning of the shoes was pretty comfortable. It is a firm and responsive pair of shoes, which to me are important features if you want speed in your racing shoes. In fact, I don’t really like running shoes that are too soft, because I personally find there is a loss of energy between landing and lifting off on softer shoes.

I find lifting off with the ‘rockered' profile in front is pretty neat.

There is this strange feeling during the landing cycle though.  I don't feel my heel touching the ground at any time of the run. The ‘rockered’ sole of the shoes permanently ensures that my heels does not touch the ground. Landing pressures are mostly felt at the mid foot level and effortlessly I can roll forward to the fore foot for a smooth lift off.

The rockered sole stops your heels from touching the ground.

I have ran twice with the GOrun, and it seems to be very pleasant so far.  I am not sure how it will  perform in races and will need to run more on them before I can decide. But meantime, the GOrun will make a good pair of speed training shoes.

And here's a sneak peek on what Meb Keflezighi might be wearing  during the 2012 Olympic Marathon.