Do Crocs Work for Run Recovery? Sure, Why Not

What You Need To Know

Introduction to Crocs Recovery Shoes

THOMAS: I resisted the first wave of the Croc footwear craze (and maybe the second wave, depending on who you ask). However, my defenses weakened when Salehe Bembury came out with his take on the now-infamous clog. It inspired me to purchase a pair of classic clogs in red, but I lost them to my oldest son before I even got to wear them.

Adults may not find Crocs haute couture, but the junior high and high school kids seem to be all over the Croc wave … no cap. Sorry, my boy would have told me that the last sentence was “cringe.” Now I have my own pair of Echo Clogs provided by Crocs, and I’ve been strict about keeping my boys away from them.

ROBBE: Fifteen years ago, I’d have bet against the family farm if you told me I’d be testing out some RealTree camo Crocs while working for a running media company in 2023. There are few other life scenarios that would have been further outside the realm of possibility.

Yet somehow, thanks to a slow simmer of unlikely ingredients in a cultural cauldron, here we are.

In the past half-decade, Crocs has essentially taken over the world. Things only accelerated when fashion rules went full cat mom during the pandemic, elevating clogs with wiffle ball holes to the same level as monk strap dress shoes.

It is shocking, and unbelievably impressive, what Crocs has done to expand its empire, from the personalization of charms to the seemingly endless collaborations, including Disney, Gucci, and Nerf (not gonna lie, a holster for a Nerf dart on a shoe is maybe the missing piece to my childhood).

So how did we — a running media company — end up receiving some Crocs for review? Runners enjoy comfort maybe more than anyone. After a 20-mile training run on a Saturday, there’s no better feeling than slipping into a comfortable pair of sweats and — if things need to be done — a laid-back recovery shoe.

We picked two pairs to review, so let’s see how they perform.

Crocs Echo Clog

THOMAS: As Robbe mentioned, there are a lot of Crocs variants to choose from. I went with the Echo Clog because, to be honest, it looks like the closest thing to Salehe’s Pollex Clog, and he creates some interesting products.

The Echo Clog is an evolution not just in design but comfort. The clog has the standard fully molded Crosslite foam, but the secret to the comfort is the LiteRide foam footbed. It’s soft, resilient underfoot, and less harsh than the regular Crocs footbed. The durable nylon heel strap has a foam pad to keep your foot locked into the coziness, and it does a surprisingly good job of keeping the shoe on your foot.

I use the Echo Clog as my go-to shoe before and after cycling, post runs, and as the official dog walking leave-by-the-front-door shoe. I haven’t found a slip-on recovery shoe that tops the Crocs Echo Clog. There are certainly other recovery slides that rival the LiteRide underfoot feel, but my kids haven’t wanted to steal them.

The Echo Clog will set you back $69, but it will probably outlast 90% of your footwear.

PRICE: $69

Crocs Classic Lined Realtree Edge Clog

ROBBE: I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard to make a selection when browsing through the Crocs inventory. After all, this is the first pair of Crocs I’ve ever owned. And boy, are there a lot of styles to choose from.

Nevertheless, as a born and bred country boy whose family thinks original camo is casual and Realtree camo is formal wear, I thought it would only make sense for me to get a new pair of dress shoes. So I went with the Classic Lined Realtree Edge Clog ($65).

Essentially a classic clog with a Realtree Edge pattern, this specific version also features a soft, fuzzy liner made of 100% polyester. If you’ve ever worn Crocs before, you know the fit and feel, but just imagine your foot wrapped in a soft embrace. And not being able to find your feet if walking through the woods. That’s this shoe.

When ordering, I was having a hard time figuring out what size to wear since I’m typically a US M7.5, so I fall between the whole size ranges generally offered in sandals or clogs. In the reviews, half the people said it ran large, and half said it ran small, which wasn’t very helpful. I’ve found that sizing down is usually the best option in these situations, especially since it’s lined, which typically means it’ll run a bit smaller. So I went with the size 7, a half-size down from what I usually wear. And… it was still too big. Not “unwearable big,” but I still have a finger width between my heel and the back, rendering the heel strap useless.

The liner isn’t crazy plush like some other recovery shoes we’ve reviewed (namely Deckers X Lab or Ugg, which both use actual wool), but … this shoe is less than half the price. And it does keep the foot relatively toasty, and it’s moderately comfortable. In the same way, the midsole/footbed is not as comfortable as the closed cell OOfoam of Oofos or the PU Max Cushion of Deckers X Lab, but I’ll repeat myself … it’s half the price. You gotta have some tradeoff somewhere.

And then there’s the style. I’m assuming Realtree took the same path as Crocs to become iconic because it’s something I never would’ve foreseen while sitting in a tree stand on the first day of buck season as a teenager. Whatever, I’m happy it’s here and that people are living their best lives. And while the camo is a hit for the cabin or campsite, it works equally well on a sidewalk if you have the confidence to carry it out.

Don’t like the camo? Well, there are a billion other options to choose from when it comes to Crocs, so I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for.

I’ve probably gone way too deep into this review because if you’ve ever worn a Croc, it’s a Croc. That’s what it is. If you haven’t, you’re getting a simple, comfortable recovery clog at a reasonable price point. And you can decorate it with your favorite Jibbitz charms — who doesn’t love that? Now if we can just find a way to turn our race medals into charms, we’ll be all set. That’s a freebie business idea for all y’all race directors out there.

PRICE: $65