Cushioning
The light, flexible Fast puts a twist on minimalist speed shoes. Designers placed a block of stiff foam in the front of the heel, with softer foam fore and aft, that encourages runners to land lightly on their midfoot, as opposed to riding their heel. It works like a fulcrum, and our speedier testers loved the forward lean it demands. But for slower runners, or those with a heavy heel strike, that underfoot structure felt awkward. Check fit: It’s a higher-volume shoe, and we noticed some heel slipping and bunching in the toe fabric. 10.6 oz;