I’ll admit, I wasn’t excited to learn is be reviewing a pair of Skechers, given their reputation as a “lifestyle” brand rather than a primarily athletic brand. But hey, Meb won Boston in a pair, so I should reserve judgement, right?

Skechers GoRun Ultra 2 General Info

Skechers has, in the last few years, been attempting to break out of the lifestyle market and into the running market. While not my favorite shoe I’ve worn, I was still pleasantly surprised by the performance of the GoRun Ultra 2.

I breathed a sigh of relief when first unboxing these – I had looked at the available options, and had my fingers crossed the entire time that I would NOT receive the pepto-pink color scheme. Mine were black with hot pink and silver accents, an infinitely better option.

Putting them on, I was surprised by the comfortable fit and the cushioned feel. They do have a higher platform than I am used to, so I felt very elevated.

I was a bit worried this height would make me feel unstable, but I had no problems in this regard.

They did, and still do, however, squeak when walking around in them.

Skechers GoRun Ultra 2 Sole Info

In the beginning, I was pleasantly surprised by the sole unit of the GoRun Ultra 2. As already noted, the platform is quite high, but this is somewhat mitigated by a 4mm drop.

From the first run, I enjoyed the high level of cushioning, and the traction was excellent – it excelled on wet and dry pavement, as well as on fine gravel and dirt paths.

The GoRun Ultra 2 gave a very smooth and natural ride. The ground feel was quite good, given the high degree of cushion.

My largest complaint is about the sole – it wears very quickly. Within 200 miles, I had worn almost all of the way through the outsole at the ball of my foot.

The high level of cushion I had enjoyed from the outset is also nearly gone, as the midsole has broken down significantly as well. I have never run in shoes that have had this degree of rapid wear.

Skechers GoRun Ultra 2 Upper Info

The upper of the GoRun Ultra 2 is largely made of 4-way stretch mesh, which does provide an exemplary fit.

The toebox is roomy, and I had no blistering along the side of my big toe, which I am prone to. Despite the upper being primarily mesh, I would enjoy a bit more breathability.

These shoes fit true to size, and I had no issues with constriction, heel slippage, or shoelaces coming untied.

Skechers GoRun Ultra 2 Conclusions

While far from perfect, Skechers’ foray into the running shoes market is off to a good start. The GoRun Ultra 2 felt good on my feet, and were light and fast for a highly cushioned shoe.

With higher quality materials to solve the sole wearing problems, this is a shoe I’d be happy to wear. Even at a fairly reasonable price, 200 miles isnt an acceptable mileage to get out of a pair of shoes.

We thank the nice people at Skechers for sending us a pair of GoRun Ultra 2 to test. This did not influence the outcome of the review, written after running more than 50 miles in them.