The salesman said the Nike Air Zoom Span running shoes would make 57 year old legs feel like those of a 24 year old. I can’t wait. So far it hasn’t worked. Ghost, Glycerin, 1080v, Zante, Kinvara and Clifton have all failed the rejuvenation test.

Men I think tend to search for the “ultimate shoe” solution. Rather then drop the 15 or 20 pounds they should to improve their running, we think saving a couple of ounces in this or that shoe will be the magic elixir to running success!

I really thought Hoka had the answer (they certainly had the best marketing). $150 dollars later though, it was close but no cigar with the Clifton. The Zante’s at $75 dollars are definitely lighter and perhaps more comfortable to run in. The Kinvara’s were excruciatingly tight. The Brook’s models were mediocre at everything, but excelled at nothing. The New Balance 1080 are definitely the cushiest, but come in at a psychologically weighty 10.6 ounces.

Odd that New Balance seems to be coming out ahead in this real world shoe test. I’d definitely like to try their Vazee Pace. Saucony for sure makes the best walking shoe in the Echelon LE, but this is about running shoes. And with Nike.com running a 25% off clearance sale, I couldn’t pass on trying the company that kind of wrote the book on modern running shoes, Air Zoom Span $72.48. I’m sure that with THIS shoe, it will cut a minute or two off my 10 minutes to River Oak Drive (if I dropped the 15 pounds I need to, I’d likely take 5 minutes off my time)!