Run, ladies, run! Every tester who stepped into this shoe called it her hands-down favorite.
The cushy Skydex insole and heel pad provided a responsive bounce, while the structured SynchroFrame dissipated impact across the entire midsole, which extended its life and improved the shoe’s overall stability. While the narrow heel cup helped keep our testers balanced in the shoe, the wide, beefy—and ultralight—outer sole added comfort on trail conditions ranging from dry and rocky to muddy and slick.
The mesh on the fore- and midfoot wasn’t so airy that we felt the wind on cool, morning runs, but it ventilated when things turned steamy. Another plus? The upper is seamless, inside and out, which means fewer potential hot spots for long-distance trail-a-thons. $110; www.pearlizumi.com
[...] Pearl Izumi SyncroFuel XC [...]