The Meb effect? Skechers is now the 2nd biggest sneaker company in the USA ahead of adidas.

Oh please, you don't see ANY elites wearing Skechers? Ever heard of Meb?

Haha, I hope you are kidding.

Hey, I agree with you! On the Asics part that is. NB has plenty of nice looking shoes, can't compare them with ugly Asics.

Adidas makes top gear for EVERY sport imaginable, but yeah, their 'egineering sucks'. Right. I don't run in cushioned shoes myself, but their Boost line sure has gotten a lot of people quite exited.

Brooks is doing great considdering their size. The real talent will mostly be won over by Nike's big money.

You are jonking right? Right!? HOKA is perhaps the most relevant player in the market at the moment. It's shoes are flying of the shelves, their customers are very devoted and most other brands are trying to compete with their own massive cushioned shoes.

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The main thing Nike does VERY good is marketing. Their morals disgust me and their shoes are full of needless marketing gizmo's.

I am a big Hoka Fan but have a pair of the GoRun Ultra and they compare favorably with the Maxcushion shoes that other brands have come out with and are a lot less expensive.

To very confused,

Have you even looked at let alone wear New Balance shoes? Their new models and designs are IMHO the best shoes on the market. Before slamming them why don't you take a pair for a run, I'm pretty sure it will change your mind!

Ackley wrote:

I am a big Hoka Fan but have a pair of the GoRun Ultra and they compare favorably with the Maxcushion shoes that other brands have come out with and are a lot less expensive.

I will second this. I have been a loyal Hoka wearer for over 3 years now first pair was the Stinson Evo and picked up a pair of the GoRun Ultra last year. They are really good shoes. Mine are coming to the end of their life span, but they have been equally as good on the trails as on the roads (although the roads will wear the the lug pattern quickly). Add in that the GRUs can be found for 1/2 the price of the Clifton, you have a winner.

MeHereYouWhere?! wrote:

Ackley wrote:

I am a big Hoka Fan but have a pair of the GoRun Ultra and they compare favorably with the Maxcushion shoes that other brands have come out with and are a lot less expensive.

I will second this. I have been a loyal Hoka wearer for over 3 years now first pair was the Stinson Evo and picked up a pair of the GoRun Ultra last year. They are really good shoes. Mine are coming to the end of their life span, but they have been equally as good on the trails as on the roads (although the roads will wear the the lug pattern quickly). Add in that the GRUs can be found for 1/2 the price of the Clifton, you have a winner.

You must have money to burn and enjoy ankle injuries.

Very Confused wrote:

So who's buying Sketchers??? I don't see any elites wearing Sketchers and they the shoe engineering doesn't seem the best. Possibly all casual joggers and maybe some 17 min 5kers?

Are you kidding? Skechers is the one company that's making shoes that actually fit people's feets, NOT built on some old last (tapered toeboxes, elevated heels- like Brooks and Nike). Their shoes have a nice wide toebox, they flex easily, and they're just plain comfortable and affordable. My Mom has a gazillion of the GoWalks. Kids (and their parents) love the bright colors and affordable prices. Their GoRun performance line was created by a designer who helped create the Nike Frees and a guy from Fila. They make a quality product that's affordable.

I will say one thing:

Meb has brought a lot of attention to Skechers in the running community.

Noka hoka poo wrote:

You must have money to burn and enjoy ankle injuries.

So what shoes SHOULD I be wearing? I'm open to suggestions.

I have been a footwear buyer for multiple retailers for over 10 years now, it sickens me to see Skechers have this much market share. The brands business model is to copy what other brands are doing, especially Nike. Then to proceed to market it as their own innovation/idea. The Skechers team literally reaches out to all their retailers to find out what styles the customers like the most so they can quickly get a cheaper imitation type product to the market. I suppose its a smart business model but at the same time it shows that americans do not value authenticity or integrity.

What you are saying is that Skechers likes to find out where the demand is. And create a supply for it so that they can sell sneakers and turn a profit.

Not everone has 110-180 lying around that they can afford to buy brand new big label sneakers.

Also - I agree with the poster above. Meb may not necessarily be "selling" shoes because people want to run in the same model he does. (No runner has ever been able to market his signature shoe that sells the way a basketball player has). But - Meb gives Skechers legitimacy. He has won major marathons in their brand. He has trained for years now in that brand and it has worked for him. During the afternoon of trading of the Boston Marathon, Skechers jumped in stock price because of his win.

Now Kara Goucher is running in Skechers. Again, she will give the brand some legitimacy and because she has been able to build up such a following amongst casual runners (I would argue her brand is much stronger than Shalane's in fact) - she will only help give Skechers a boost in the years to come. If she is able to make the Olympic team in 2016, that will only help.

Working in the industry for a long time here's my between the lines view. Skechers growth is happening from the GOWALK3 it's the number 1 selling walking shoe in the US. They sell themselves, you just have to get them on someones feet! As far as Skechers Performance shoes they're coming a long okay but they have hit some road bumps. Meb and Kara gave significant input on the design of the Strada, a nice training shoe that has a little structure to it. Outside of the insole being glued in it's a nice shoe. His racing flat is really good the GoMeb4. Still fighting the stigma as a "Skechers" shoe with the younger HS and college and kids.

A side note, Skechers stock has really jumped might be worth some retirement money in my opinion,

I´ve try all kind of shoe brands since 72 and also my runner that i´m a coach actually, but i still run. From the very first Nike, Boston, Adidas, to Asics (earlier Onitzuka and after that Tiger), Puma, NewBalance, Rebook, Kawaaru, so and so.

Sketchers is simple the best. If you want a light shoe and injury free, ther´s nothing as Sketchers.

This is not advertise and i don´t have any profit to say it.

Actually Sketchers is making some of the best shoes in market now in price per value. Great shoe for the money, comfort and quality for what you pay in the leisure walking segment. Brands walked away from this mid price area of sports footwear, they embraced it.

Technical running has been tough due to the non performance stigma they have.

UA is doing some great things and have a good new footwear team in place, they will be a factor in coming years.

Hoka, the hit a nerve with a need for cushioning, over priced and little or no new innovation , everything looks the same in their line.

Interesting story y'all...

I'm a middle school Civics and Economics teacher who has students pick stocks to track for the last month or two of the semester.

Unbeknownst reasoning to me, a few of my students chose Skechers to track about a month ago. Their stock have performed better than any stock of the rest of my 100+ students. Students have made 50% of their investment, as the stock began with a value just under $70 and $107 just the other day!

Skechers may not have every runner, but its making money, or at least making its investors very rich.

There may be valid points if the article had mentioned running shoes.

--Well, Meb wears Skechers; most everyday recreational runners I know don't. Might give them a try since the price is right. They do make super comfy sandals.

--New Balance has made headway; Zante and Boracay are fairly popular with recreational runners, and the design ain't too shabby. Adidas is still very popular but their design model has grown stagnant.

--Adidas Boost is a hit. Shoe construction can be hit and miss; odd sizing.

--Brooks: used to be solid due to the focus solely on running shoes. Some slips in production quality lately. I thought I was the only one who noticed until I checked out Sole Review.

--Hoka: growing in popularity during the minimalism rebound.

--Nike: still viewed in many quarters as primarily fashion shoes.

I'm a Mizuno fan myself.

More like the Joe Montana effect.

With Skechers you get value. A decent show for a decent price. But there is a big difference between value (you getting what you pay for) and quality. Skechers are popular with walkers and casual joggers/runners, but are far from popular with serious runners and pros. Yes they have a few pros wearing their brand, but are far from being big time with the running community.

Side note, I'm interested to know why Saucony has yet to be mentioned at all in this post. Overall, I am a fan of their shoes and gear. Y'all should give em a try.

College Sophomore wrote:

With Skechers you get value. A decent show for a decent price. But there is a big difference between value (you getting what you pay for) and quality. Skechers are popular with walkers and casual joggers/runners, but are far from popular with serious runners and pros. Yes they have a few pros wearing their brand, but are far from being big time with the running community.

Side note, I'm interested to know why Saucony has yet to be mentioned at all in this post. Overall, I am a fan of their shoes and gear. Y'all should give em a try.

Brooks and saucony are running specific definitely.

Brooks have always been fantastic for me. They may not look amazing ( I run in the ghost 6s) but I've never gotten injured and I can get over 600 miles from one pair.

Saucony has some fantastic shoes, their showdown sprint spike is amazing and their XC spikes are the best in the market.

Also, in the fashion department brooks vantage and chariots look good.

NB is coming back as a nike alternative for some people, their causal shoes look really good.

Asics are ugly as sh!t, but their shoes are okay

Adidas running shoes are very good, but very expensive. Damn good looking casual shoes too

Nike, best track spikes and in general have good looking shoes, but are very expensive. Their trainers are pretty awful unless you have ALOT of money

Skechers are for walkers. Their performance shoes do not look bad though. Everything else is awful though