K-SWISS Run One-miSOUL Tech Review
K-Swiss has recently introduced a whole new breed of running shoe in the Run One-miSOUL Tech. Imagine that you only have one pair of running shoes for training AND speedwork/racing and when you want to pound the pavement, you slip in a sockliner made for cushioning, and on your track days or race days, you slip in a separate, lightweight liner. The concept is pretty revolutionary, and K-Swiss might have some real potential in the Run One idea.
Some unique features of this stability shoe for mild pronators include a ‘Flow-Cool’ system that consists of perforations in the overlay at the toe of the upper that allow air to circulate and cool the feet during running. Our testers found this overlay piece to be a bit too stiff and slightly irritating on their toes. For now, this may be a shoe to size up a half size for in order to minimize that irritation. The upper in general was comfortable and we liked the lacing and closure system- the logo/reinforcements are strong and allow a very secure fit.
But the reason-for-being of this shoe are the two interchangeable insoles- a yellow one for cushioning and a lighter weight blue one for racing. The heel cup of the shoe even sports a clear plastic ‘window’ that allows you to show the world which insole you threw in today! The insoles wrap up around your foot inside the shoe more than a normal insole and we found that for some, the upper extremes of the insole tended to bunch up, but didnt seem to cause significant irritation once the foot was in the shoe and any wrinkles at the top of the insole were smoothed out. The cushion insole sports heel and forefoot gel inserts that did give the shoe a good ride on hard pavement. The lightweight insert sports a carbon fiber-look plate that I assume is intended to add responsiveness to the shoe for racing.
The Run One is 11.5oz. with the cushion insert and 10.5oz. with the racing insert. While 11.5 oz. is not bad for a cushioning shoe, 10.5oz. keeps the Run One on the heavy side for a race day speedster. We think that making the shoe compatible with the interchangeable inserts probably required KSwiss to add a bit of weight to this shoe, and if they can slim it down an ounce or so they might have a hit on their hands.
Overall, the KSwiss Run One has a firm, responsive ride that make it a good bet for lighter-weight neutral or mild-pronators looking for a versatile training and racing shoe.
