Skora Core review

Background

I’m 42 years old, wear “normal” running shoes, but occasionally run in Vibram Sypridons. You can find me trail running in the foothills along the American River Parkway in Sacramento to Granite Bay as I train for the upcoming Boston Marathon and other trail races.  I run approximately 40 to 50 miles, 3 to 4 days out of the week. For my shoe I have a high arch and wear size 8.5.

Initial Impression

The Skora Core is a zero drop minimalist shoe that retails for $155…for that price this better be a pretty well built shoe. I liked the design instantly, bright colors laces and soles to match, the reflective back made me feel safer while running and caught attention as I dashed around town, breaking them in running errands or sprinting down a California Beach. They have a nice wrap around feel to the foot, and I like the quality and cutting edge look.

I was initially skeptical with the lacing as it twists down the outer side of your foot, wondering if

my socks were going to slide. Fortunately that was never a problem.

Fit/Feel

The Core is a light shoe (my 8.5 weighs just under 8.5oz). I’ve run on the gravel, rocky trails, pavement, you name it, since I’ve been wear-testing these shoes.   The response has been incredibly satisfying on flat trail and I was able to soar on hill climbs. These shoes made me want to run fast!

The Core have rounded heel cups that give me new rhythm as it allowed for a finer rotation on my stride.  Anytime I got tired and landed on a heel strike, the rounded heel helped my natural gait get me to the next stride.

The leather is tight on the top of the foot (though this model has a wider toebox than last years model) and over a few weeks it started to “mold” to my foot.  This shoe has a 100% leather upper (goat and sheep) and an 11mm stack height with the insole.

The tongue is gusseted and doesn’t slip around.

Aside from Vibrams, I’m still new to zero drops, so bounding downhill was still a bit of a shock as I attempted to take giant steps through the brush. The positive? Unlike Vibrams, I didn’t get grass and debris stuck in between the toes.

[ed note: One thing I noticed is that the Core doesn’t have the hook and loop strap on the heel that the Core and the Base did. That was an innovative and effective way to personalize the shoe, and I have no idea why they didn’t include it in this model.]

Last

The sole is one piece, pocked and banana yellow. There’s just enough tread to make it trail-worthy, but I wouldn’t wear it in the mud.

The Core has got a rounded heel so heel strikers don’t smack down on impact. It’s very interesting and something I haven’t seen before.

Final Impressions

The shoes have stayed in good shape, still clean and supple, smelling new, but they’ve got a few marks from the trail. No tears have occurred, and no stitching has come undone.  My initial concern was that these shoes have better be good to justify the price.  After wearing them for a few weeks, I do believe they’re worth every penny. I’ve also taken to wearing them around the house and out running errands, and I often forget I’m even wearing them.

This review was written by URP guest reviewer Ray Rios of Sacramento, CA.  The shoes were provided to him under no obligation to write a positive review.