Merrell Mix Master Move Glide Review

Introduced in the Spring of 2013, the Women's Mix Master Move Glide is part of Merrells M-Connect range. It is a minimalist shoe designed primarily for road or trail.

The Move's are my current Ultra marathon shoe of choice, at least until I am comfortable wearing the very minimal Pace Gloves over such distances.

I recently won the Cotswold Way Challenge in the Mix Master Move Glides. The race was 60 miles off-road, over two days. Placing 1st lady and 3rd overall, I was more than happy with the performance of the Move's on a mixed terrain course.

APPEARANCE

Available in three colours the Move's look modern and appealing. They sport the wide toe box characteristic of Merrell shoes which is one of the main reasons I wear these products. Here I have fitted lock laces which work equally as well as the originals, but without me having to worry with tying etc.

CONSTRUCTION/PERFORMANCE

The Move's have 8mm of heel cushioning and 4mm under the ball of the foot, giving them a 3.5-4mm drop. They have an EVA insole which when removed instantly gives you better ground feel within the shoe. I find this incredibly useful, depending on the distance of my training/racing.

Although advertised as a minimalist shoe, because of the 18mm overall stack height, they could, with care be used as a transitional shoe for those looking to become more minimalist in their running style.

Although Merrell describe the Moves as being designed for the road in mind, the shoe performs very well on the trails as demonstrated by my recent races. The outsole construction provides durable traction in most trail conditions.

The Move's have very little arch support which to me is a good feature of a minimalist shoe, allowing natural strengthening of the foot. They have plenty of protection for the toes and lateral foot areas due to a robust but very lightweight molded bumper.

The synthetic leather upper is also very lightweight and is supported nicely by the molded eyelets that provide structure to the shoe. The shoes can be laced quite snugly without pressure points developing. An important feature for me when running off road and especially during long steep descents.

My size 8's weigh in at 235g/8.3oz which is lightweight considering the amount of protection the Moves provide.

With the 18mm stack height you would maybe question flexibility, but as you can see below, Merrell have retained great flexibility making them a great off road shoe.

I would recommend the Moves to those wishing to transition towards minimalist running and for those looking for a little more protection than Merrell Gloves on longer distances. They are comfortable, lightweight and friendly in every way and can be worn on any running surface.

Securing victory after 60 miles trail racing in the Mix Master Move Glides.

Behind the lens... Kristof Nowicki http://kristoftrails.blogspot.co.uk/