Elma

Since I hadn’t looked up information about the Hypers before I tried them (I like to go into a shoe test fairly blind), I was a little surprised when I opened the box and put them on.

The primary colors are not what you’d normally see on a trail shoe, but I actually like the retro look. Right away, I found the shoes to be fairly comfortable. The midfoot was a little more rigid than I usually prefer, but not a deal-breaker.

The upper is colorful and made of what Skechers calls “mono mesh.” It’s not your typical mesh. When I was running, I expected sweaty feet because the mesh almost feels like it wouldn’t breathe.

Thankfully, I didn’t find that to be the case. There is a seam on the forefoot, just above the ball of the foot, that I did find annoying at times because it’s right where my foot bends. It didn’t cause blisters, but I did feel it, occasionally.

Another one of the features of the upper is the asymmetrical gusseted tongue that wraps around the foot, allowing the runner to tighten the shoe more. It seems like it’s intended to keep the foot more stable in the shoe, probably because it’s a unisex shoe and everyone’s feet are different. For me, the tongue required a little finagling every time I put the shoes on.

They didn’t really move once I got them right, but it did require tying and untying once or twice before I got them just right. Because the Goodyear rubber outsole was supposed to be one of the highlighted features of this shoe, I expected them to be extra durable. However, I noticed that after a couple dozen miles, the rubber started to pull away a little bit from the foam underneath it.