I’ve long been a fan of taking the road less fashionable, so when I say the Karhu shoes from the Craft site I was intrigued. What peaked my interest was that the shoes purported to offer the injury prevention of a cushioning shoe at a near racing flat weight. I was skeptical to say the least. But when someone from Craft offered to hook me up (I must admit that I did not pay full retail for these but they were not given to me, think employee discount) I jumped. As background, I have been running in Asics Gel-Kayanos for the past 4 years. I love them. Despite the fact that I am slight of frame, get a fair number of soft tissue injuries on my feet due to their bony nature, so I need some cushioning. After running for 6 weeks with the M1s here are my conclusions:
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My M1’s weighted slightly over 10oz vs. my last pair of Kayanos (weighed out of the box) at 12.8 oz vs. my Asics DS Trainer (same protocol) at 9.6 oz. Note: I could never wear a true racing flat at 7oz. - 8oz.
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The M1s are stiff and responsive, borderline too stiff. I tired them with the stock insole and my mild orthodics – not much difference. They have loosened up a fair amount but they are not for those who die for a mushy shoe.
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They are rather narrow, so you folks who did Carnac cycling shoes would not be happy picking up a pair of these.
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They do deliver substantial cushioning relative to their weight. They do feel like light weight trainers but cushion more like a structured cushioning shoe weighing 11oz. - 12oz. However, the do not deliver as much cushion as a beefy trainer (Kayano, Tangent, Trigon, etc.). They are sort of a “tweener”.
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I think these would be really good shoes for a slight overpronator who wants to shed a few ozs on race day but wants more cushioning that a flat for an IM mary. Over the course of a 2 hour run I do feel the benefits of the reduced weight.
Will probably get another pair of these and raced them at the half-IM distance.