Skechers GoRun Maxroad 6 Review: Madder Max

What You Need To Know

ROBBE: If I had actual fans, they would know that one of my favorite shoes of all time is the Skechers Maxroad 5, and definitely the most underrated shoe of all-time. Okay, so I didn’t really love the upper on that one (it was a bit saggy and baggy), but the ride was a thing of beauty. 

It was like a superball-infused rocking chair tattooed with Pac-Man pills, and as weird as that sounds, trust me– it’s a compliment. Real ones know. So when we saw what was coming in the Maxroad 6, I was obviously excited to see how the shoe evolved. And evolve it did, transforming from a “max” shoe to a “mad max” shoe. Now with a World Athletics rule-breaking 41 mm midsole stack, a much, much more comfortable upper, and a big increase in weight, the shoe is really trying to live up to its name.

Trust me, it does, but it’s almost a different shoe. We’ll get into that more, but Skechers definitely has some good stuff going in 2023, and at first glance, this one seems to elevate the performance run line even more.

As always, with all Skechers reviews, I must advise the reader to live their preconceptions at the door– ignore the ‘S’ and have faith in the tech.

CHAD: Well, this review is like deja vu all over again. One of my most recent reviews was the Skechers GoRun Ride 11, the first shoe I’ve reviewed that didn’t work for me and my mechanics. Needless to say, that made me a bit nervous to jump back into another Skechers shoe, the GoRun Max Road 6. Both on paper and in hand, these shoes appeared to be virtually identical in all regards other than stack height.

The Max Road 6 takes the stack to the max at 41mm/35mm (6mm drop), whereas the Ride 11 sits at 38mm/32mm. Being the curious soul I am, I even took out a tape measure to measure the widths of the base, and even those were the same.

The Max Road 6, just like the Ride 11, features a HyperBurst Ice midsole, a carbon-infused forefoot plate, HyperArc technology, an ArchFit insole, and a Goodyear rubber outsole. In fact, I think the upper is even the same engineered mesh material.

To put the two shoes into context using one of my favorite childhood movies, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze, the Ride 11 is the Shredder you get for the majority of the movie. The Max Road 6 is the Super Shredder after he guzzled down the last vial of ooze. All pop culture references aside, the big question for me is whether I would struggle with the Max Road 6 as much as I did with the Ride 11.

What we like about the Skechers GoRun Maxroad 6

ROBBE: I knew this shoe was way heavier before I even received it. Usually I don’t weigh a shoe until after I run in it, but I was already influenced. And I had some concerns. While those concerns weren’t totally alleviated on the run, they turned out to be less obvious as the miles went by. 

This is not the Maxroad 5, it’s a totally different shoe. Much more stack, much more weight, much more comfort. It’s a Cadillac riding on dubs with a feather roach clip hanging from the rear view mirror.

The ride is different from the 5, but it’s still pretty lovely. The HyperArc rocker kind of hits midfoot and rolls forward, which is a little weird feeling, but kind of fun. While low arch people may have some issues with the hump under the foot on the medial side, I kind of liked it.

I’ve said this in other reviews, but the Hyper Burst Ice midsole is Skechers best one yet, and they’re still better than everyone else at producing a nitrogen-infused, supercritical midsole. It’s weird that nobody can replicate it, but it’s true. It’s the perfect balance of comfort and responsiveness. It doesn’t feel soft, but it doesn’t feel firm. It just feels great.

Finally, finally, Skechers is making some decent uppers. I don’t even think they’re that fancy; in fact, I’m pretty sure they’re dead-ass cheap in terms of production costs. But they’re comfortable, and sometimes that’s all you need from a daily trainer. No issues with forefoot lockdown, and just the right amount of space in the toe box. I used to get a lot of medial rubbing on the ball of my foot/big toe in Skechers, but the Ride 11 and Maxroad 6 seem to have fixed that.

The Goodyear rubber of the outsole is generous and provides quality grip in any condition.

This shoe is absurdly underpriced at $130 and is probably one of the best values you can get right now for a new, in-season shoe. Versatility is not its thing, so it’s not quite the same level as some of the $180+ super trainers (New Balance SC Trainer v2, Asics Superblast), but in terms of performance in a long-haul shoe, it’s pretty close.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if you remove the Skechers logo, it doesn’t look half bad. In fact, if you threw a big ol’ “Hoka” on the side, it’d be front and center on the wall of your local running store.

CHAD: Everything that I listed as pros of the Ride 11 is applicable here. I really enjoy the comfort and plushness of the upper, and the outsole rubber is awesome. I also generally enjoy the feel of the squishy HyperBurst Ice midsole during my runs. I’d done a leg day workout the day before a run in the Maxroad 6, and my muscles were feeling it bad. However, the gentle cushioning of the Maxroad 6 was very kind to my legs.

Don’t ask me how or why because I’m not a running shoe scientist, but the Maxroad 6 felt slightly more stable than the Ride 11, despite the higher stack height and basically the same geometry and components. I don’t know if perhaps I was more focused on my mechanics because of concerns regarding stability, but I didn’t notice quite the same ankle soreness in the Maxroad 6, despite the fact that I know I had some medial roll-in with it.

What we don’t like about the Skechers GoRun Max Road 6

ROBBE: There are a couple issues I had with this shoe, though I’m not sure any of them would keep me from recommending it. 

As much as I love a comfortable upper, the Maxroad has always been known for its warmth (the Maxroad 4 was legitimately the hottest shoe I’ve ever worn, my feet were toasty in 20F-degree temps in that thing). The Maxroad 6 isn’t that hot, but it is hot. It’s the trade-off for comfort, so I’m not gonna complain too much. Just thought you should know.

For how high of a stack there is on this shoe, there isn’t a ton of ankle stability. The heel does sit down a little bit, but the sides of the ankle collar are slung pretty low, so there is a bit of heel slippage, or at least a general concern for lockdown.

Now, you won’t be going fast in this shoe, so maybe it doesn’t matter. And the reason you won’t be going fast is because this shoe is also maxed out on the weight– almost 2.5 ounces heavier than last year’s version. That’s a huge difference, and likely the reason that fans of the Maxroad 5 will stay away from this shoe. Where the Maxroad 5 was more versatile and even able to pick up the pace when necessary, the Maxroad 6 is just a pure comfort cruiser. That’s fine, just know that’s all it is.

Skechers keeps touting its forefoot carbon-fiber H-plate, but I really don’t think it’s necessary in almost every shoe that it’s found in. Sure, it sounds cool, but I don’t think it matters.

The laces are super soft, but super cheap. They started fraying just from my fingernails trying to untie them.

CHAD: While I found the shoe slightly more stable than the Ride 11, the Maxroad 6 is certainly a neutral max-cushion recovery shoe and not one for people with stability concerns. Between 41 mm of soft midsole foam and a narrow midfoot, medial roll-in is real in this shoe. I also don’t know why this shoe needs the carbon-infused forefoot plate, which I think might be overkill and add unnecessary weight. I tried picking up the pace in this shoe during my second run, and it was damn near impossible, given its weight and the softness of the foam. It’s just very clunky to try to run fast in.

Also, my same complaint from the Ride 11 also applies, in that the lockdown was not great, given the insane plushness of the foam around the heel cup. I definitely felt my heels moving around quite a bit.

Skechers GoRun Maxroad 6 Conclusion

ROBBE: I really enjoyed this shoe overall, I think it’s essentially a budget version of something like the New Balance SC Trainer v1. The stack height isn’t too insane, it has a great bounce, and it rolls right along. It only has one use, which is long miles in pure comfort, but is that really the worst thing ever? I don’t think so. Fans of the last version should opt for the Ride 11, which is basically a better Maxroad 5. This is something different, but still something good.

CHAD: If the new line of Skechers Performance shoes works for you and your mechanics, the Maxroad 6 and Ride 11 would make pretty great training companions (Ride 11 for daily miles and Maxroad 6 for recovery days). The HyperBurst Ice midsole foam is soft and responsive, and the shoe has a nice upper. For me and my need for some semblance of stability in my running shoes, they just aren’t for me.

You can pick up the Skechers GoRun Maxroad 6 for $129 at Running Warehouse (featuring free 2-day shipping and 90-day returns) using the buttons below.

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