Guiding you through your next run: The Guide ISO 2 in review

Kelly Robinson is a marathon and ultra-marathon runner from Perth, Western Australia. As a runner who over pronates, Kelly is always looking for a shoe with added support and stability – so she was the perfect candidate to review the new Guide ISO2. Here are her thoughts:

 

 

I’m a marathon and ultra-marathon runner. My favourite distance is 100kms, and lately I see marathons as a ‘really fast and painful run’ which is how I once viewed a 10km race!

 

Working and living inner city Perth means my weekday running consists of concrete footpaths and the occasional ‘sandy trail’ through Kings Park, but on weekends I get up earlier than week days and hit the trails which is my favourite place to run.

 

A typical running week for me is between 50km and 170km depending on my next event. I’ve been blessed being injury free since I started running 5 years ago. I’m a goal-driven person and I think ultra-marathons found me, rather than the reverse. I love the feeling of accomplishment to cross a finish line every time.

 

I go through shoes reasonably quickly and I currently have 5 shoes on rotation; Saucony Peregrine, Saucony Excursion, 2 x Saucony Hurricane and now a shiny new pair of Guide ISO2. I’ve tried other shoes, but I keep migrating back to Saucony – due to the technology and because I find I can stretch each pair out for around 1000kms before donating them elsewhere.

 

I’ve known about the Guide ISO2 for a while, but I stayed true to the Hurricane as I loved it so much. I over pronate, have a w-i-d-e forefoot and clock up miles fast, so the Hurricane serves me well. It was great being able to test run the Guide ISO2 as I’ve fallen in love all over again! It made me regret not trying it before. I used the Guide for; a fast 10km, 15km recovery run and a hilly 30km road run.

 

 

My instant thoughts were: Guide ISO 2 is light! Guide ISO 2 is supportive! Guide ISO 2 has amazing forefoot room!

 

And the Guide ISO2 comes in pink (and grey) so I loved it even more.

 

Seriously, the Guide ISO2 is really light. I kept picking it up and wondering how Saucony managed to get all the stability into such a light shoe.

 

The Guide ISO2 continually impressed me as it performed well in all runs. No breaking in period was required as the shoes fit well from the first run and there were no subsequent niggles. They were light and responsive for the faster 10km yet still provided perfect cushioning in the 30 km run. The grip is great as it coped well with both rainy and dry conditions, along with a variety of terrains along the runs. It would most definitely be a shoe to consider for a marathon.

 

The shoe fit incredibly; room for a w-i-d-e forefoot allowing for toe wiggle and play. Super stable on my foot and no soreness afterwards, testament to the great ISOFIT lacing system. The Guide ISO2 offered great support for my moderate pronation in an unobtrusive way as I didn’t feel at all restricted when wearing the shoe.

 

The Guide ISO2 runs true to size – I’m a typically a size 9 and this fit perfectly.  Just a gentle reminder that the wide toe box will excite fellow wide-footed runners but possibly not others.

 

Overall this shoe was stunning. The weight, the support, the lacing, the cushioning and the versatility were just incredible. The price is pretty damn good too.

 

A rating from me: 5 /5 stars.

 

Follow Kelly’s journey @kelpyrunner

 

 

The Guide ISO 2 is available at www.saucony.com.au/shop/guide-iso-2