Old Love (Sarah)

“What I thought was fire was only the spark.” 

That song snippet has always spoken to me (it was one of my high school yearbook quotes), and it completely applies to I feel about Topo’s Phantom running shoe now that I’ve run in the updated Phantom 2: The original was great, but the new version is en fuego!  

Two of my favorite updates revolve around the tongue of these shoes: Topo describes it as “reinforced security through the midfoot,” which translates as the tongue being attached to the upper on either side by stretchy bands of mesh fabric and the innovative laces being made from a fantastically dynamic material. Both features allow me to snug the shoe comfortably around my bony foot without feeling any pinching—and my forefoot and toes can still enjoy expansive freedom thanks to Topo’s signature wide toebox.  

For the foam midsole, clever Topo designers added 3 millimeters more of cushioning (33 mm under the heel, 28 mm under the forefoot). I love the cushioned-yet-responsive ride it provides. My stride feels lively (especially on push-off), even in the usually sluggish first miles of a run.  

New Love (Adrienne)

I’m a total Topo newbie, mostly because I dislike change and my usual brand of kicks has been good enough for years. But I couldn’t resist giving the Topo Phantom 2s a try, if only because they weighed next to nothing when I pulled them out of the box.  

Given that lighter-than-air first encounter, I figured there was no way that there would be enough cushion to keep my aging joints happy. I was wrong. The ZipFoam core (probably the only zip I have on my easy runs!) kept my foot nestled while also adding a bouncy buffer between me and the road. My toes loved the wider forefoot, which gave them room to spread out.  

I’m a convert: the Topo Phantom 2 will be in my shoe rotation for those days when I need a lighter-and-roomier ride.