TAYLOR: The sizzling is unmistakable. You can hear them coming from across the room: fajitas. They’re hot, full of flavor, and popping right out of the skillet.
Skechers has been the proverbial fajitas of the shoe game in recent years. Dang near everything they are schlepping out is on fire. Their first attempt at a trail shoe with the GOrun Speed TRL Hyper was a complete surprise to me – technically sound, innovative technology, and a responsive ride.
For a couple of years now, I’ve been licking my chops waiting for a second helping of Skechers trail goodness. I’ve known for awhile that a Razor trail shoe was coming, and finally – the Skechers GOrun Razor TRL is here.
Built off their wildly successful road cousin, the Razor, this is an attempt at a lighter and faster trail shoe for both general running and race day. Best way to describe it: it’s a better Brooks Catamount.
MATT: Any remaining skepticism I had about Skechers legitimacy in the run game was demolished last year with the arrival of the GOrun 7+ and the Razor. After piling up the road miles in both of those models, I fell in love with the Hyper Burst midsole.
You can imagine the jaw-dropping reaction I had when I saw the announcement for the Razor TRL. I had visions of Skechers adding some grippy lugs and slapping some toe protection onto the road shoe and letting it rip. After some manic porch watching, the shoes arrived just in time for weekend miles and I couldn’t have been more excited.
TAYLOR: The Razor TRL quickly sends me into daydreams of ripping down sweet smooth singletrack in summer. As far as trail shoes go, these things are a glorious mix of featherweight, protective, and speedy design.
Right out of the box, the airy mono mesh/polyester upper and thin racing style tongue provide a light but secure fit through the forefoot. The engineered mesh is very breathable and durable. As for the toe box, it’s got just enough room for your foot to splay, which is something I appreciated in the Speed TRL Hyper. The rearfoot finds equal lockdown with a molded heel and moderately cushioned heel collar. Overall, the fit is pretty solid.
Now that we have the boring stuff out of the way, let’s get to that Hyber Burst. This midsole is more lively than a rabid raccoon in a rat trap. It bounces through each stride and is easily the most responsive foam I’ve experienced. The snappiness was really highlighted on smooth hard-packed trails, which is the kind of terrain this shoe seems designed for. However, it handled moderate to technical trails pretty well, but not as supremely as something like the Merrell Skyfire. More on that later.
The amount of nitrogen-infused Hyper Burst cushion makes the Razor TRL a more viable long-distance shoe as compared to the Speed TRL Hyper. A 32-28 mm stack allows for a decent amount of softer cushion, ideal for general trail runs and shorter races. Even without a rock plate, I didn’t have any issues with underfoot protection.
M-Strike (rockered midfoot) promotes a very clean foot strike and toe-off by encouraging midfoot striking. Combining M-strike with Hyper Burst translates to a hyper smooth ride – like homemade biscuits with honey butter kind of smooth. It’s a glorious sensation on buffed trails, fire roads, gravel, and even pavement.
To top it off, this versatile trail runner weighs just 9.1 oz for a men’s size 10.5, making the whole package pretty gossip-worthy.
MATT: Picking these out of the box was a “Wow” moment because of how light they felt. My men’s size 10 came in at a smidge under 9 oz. With the beefy slice of Hyperburst foam and the outsole, this is an impressive feat.
The upper has a thin and ventilated construction that certainly helps keep the weight in check, but it’s also ideal for warm weather as it dries quickly. I love that Skechers kept the razor-thin (get it?) but soft tongue, as it has an identical feel to its road cousins. The upper comes together with comfortable wide and flat laces that provide a secure fit. The toebox and mid-foot are snug but not too constricted.
The highlight here is of course the Hyperb Burst midsole, and when combined with the M-Strike rocker, you have a magical ride on the trails. It brings that same bounce and spring that had me swooning over the Razor and GoRun 7 on the pavement.
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TAYLOR: Durability is lacking in the Goodyear rubber outsole. The 4 mm studded lug pattern grips well on a variety of surfaces but they’re pretty skimpy. I found that the forward most lugs were showing significant wear for the type of terrain I’d been running. The rear ⅔ of the outsole stood pretty tough though. I’d urge Skechers to beef up the lugs a bit in order to make this shoe a little tougher.
I was really hoping for the heel lock system that was found on the Speed TRL Hyper. It provided a very unique and incredible anchor system for the foot. The Razor TRL lacks some security as my midfoot and heel did slide noticeably on technical uphill segments. There’s not a lot of structure provided or added tech to really secure the foot. Technical downhills were a similar story but not quite to the same degree. I was able to maintain speed but didn’t have 100% confidence while rock rambling or around tight turns.
Lastly, where are the lights? The wild stripes? These are Skechers right? The Razor TRL still brings more flare than most to the trails, but it doesn’t quite hit the Skechers “standard” I was hoping for. I’d be down with some trail Zebraflage for sure.
MATT: The outsole uses Goodyear rubber along with a pattern of small triangular lugs that can’t be even 4 mm. I didn’t have any issues with grip while testing, and I hit windy, root-filled single track, along with a few stream crossings. The outsole kept me upright and secure. I just think that for this shoe to be the total package, it needs to gain a tiny bit of weight in favor of sturdier and stickier lugs.
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TAYLOR: If you want to spice things up in your trail life, check out the Skechers GOrun Razor TRL. These are pretty much what dreams are made of. Fun, fast, and they offer a decent amount of protection all wrapped into a light and comfortable package. I could definitely see myself using these as a daily door-to-trail trainer. I’d also pick them up for shorter trail races up to 50K if the terrain isn’t too wild. The Razor TRL is ready for a trail clackin’, mile stackin’, straight up record snappin’ summer.
MATT: The Skechers GOrun Razor TRL is a winner. Skechers is really on to something here and I think with the right adjustments to the outsole, we could be looking at a best trail shoe contender. The Razor TRL is everything I hoped the North Face Vectiv line to be. With the lightweight race feel, and spring in each step, this shoe will make Skechers fans very happy.
You can pick up the Skechers GOrun Razor TRL at Running Warehouse (featuring free 2-day shipping and 90-day returns) in May 2021 by using the shop link below.
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