TopoAthletic has once again delivered a great shoe.  Here’s a recent review we did of the new lightweight ST-2 running shoe.

The ST-2 is the second generation of a lightweight running shoe that is geared for speed work, tempo runs, and any fitness training.

After 3 months of running in this size 8 woman’s shoe, here’s what our tester found.

In comparison to running in the Magnifly by TopoAthletic, the ST-2 produced a much lighter feel with “less” of a shoe than the Magnifly.  There’s a much closer feeling to the ground and the midsole feels softer.

The forefoot has plenty of room and is plenty wide.  There is mesh with an incorporated printed material that adds some strength.  I do know that my previous ST tore in between these areas of the mesh and material, but I’m still running in them with over 1000 miles on the shoes!

Not much to mention about the tread pattern other than no complaints of rocks getting stuck in the grooves.

The sole and midsole are very flexible and pass my “role-up” test easily.

The footbed is removable allowing for third party insoles to be inserted.

There’s a flexible heel counter that does not irritate the heel.  Contrary to the old belief that heel counters need to be rigid and “cupping”, we know this is no longer true.  There is no need to control heel motion in a running shoe with a stiff heel counter.

Most importantly, this is a zero drop shoe.  The heel height remains the same as the forefoot height producing elevation of the heel allowing for a nice flat ride and no encouraging of heel striking.  I’m sure you could still do it, but with flatter shoes with less cushioning, you’re easily reminded.

This female shoe that was tested was a size 8.0 which weighs 5.75 ounces.  Pretty light!

Overall

The TopoAthletic ST-2 is a great lightweight shoe that is designed for racing and speed work.  We like it as an everyday running shoe that can be used for 5k to marathon running.  It’s not too “minimal”, as it still has cushion, yet it’s not too “heavy” with the amount of cushion that is there.  Our runner preferred it over the Magnifly simply because it was a bit less of a shoe.  Here she is coming into the finish line at the Akron Marathon’s Half Marathon run last weekend.  She loved the shoes!

We would recommend this shoe for anyone who likes a low drop running shoe with just enough cushion that you don’t have to worry about what’s below your foot.  It’s extremely light and flexible with a  wide toe box and very comfortable fit.  The price? $90.00. Much lower than many of the other branded running shoes out there.  We would advise trying out TopoAthletic shoes if you haven’t already.  The ST’s are our favorite.  As a side note- just ran a half marathon last weekend in my over 18 month old ST-1’s which have over 1000 miles on them!! A bit ripped up but my body is used to them!!  And they brought me a PR!!  Thanks for reading!!