AZANI Rapid Racer Minimal Running Shoes | Barefoot Trail and Road Running Shoe - Fitness, Athletic Zero Drop Sneaker-Red

I'm an amateur runner & was so far using an Adidas shoe with some cushion, but had started developing some pain in the arch of the foot. So, I bought these shoes a day before running a half Marathon & wasn't sure how it would pan out for me since I had not practiced in it. Product was delivered on time and quality was as expected. The run was fantastic & I couldn't be happier with the performance - its super light & almost felt like running barefoot. I'm looking forward to use it in all my runs - hopefully it is durable enough.Only thing to look out for is the size. I bought a UK 9, based on my foot measurement (which is 27.5cm). However, UK9 for this shoe is 29cm. Though I did not feel it was oversized - I'm guessing because of the padded socks & also that there some inevitable swelling in the feet during a long run.All in all, worth the spend.

1) Regular runner. Usually, run in Asics.2) Thought of switching to minimal shoes. Merrell/vibram are not easy to get hold of in India. So, was very excited to see an Indian brand.3) RETURNED. Primary reason is the toe box is very narrow and uncomfortable to the point that you are aware of it just standing in them. Not that "oh it would be good to have bit more room" - it just was very narrow.4) Additionally, overall, poor material quality.5) Had tried their Sonic shoes in 2016 and had to return because they make loud, irritating noise on every step.6) Makes me wonder if there is a significant room for improvement in Azani's design and QA team?7) Would it be a good idea, if, Azani connects with some runners before designing and releasing the shoes?Disappointed.

Fit was decent - pretty much as expected. Reasonably comfortable, though the toe box needs to be wider. I had to tape my little toes to prevent blisters, but after a week or so the shoe opened up. Fits pretty well now. A definite downside is that the sole on both shoes is coming detached in some places. This was also easily fixed with a bit of shoe adhesive, but still annoying. Shouldn't really be happening with a new shoe. Overall the build quality is not what you would expect for the price.On the positive side, given the cost of other barefoot brands, it's not a bad introduction to minimalist shoes. Once you get used to the less arch support and zero drop, it's a pretty comfortable shoe. The sole is pretty good and provides a decent amount of feedback for a first-time minimalist experience.TL;DR - a few issues with build quality and toe box, but overall a decent intro to minimalist shoes.

Edit Sep 2020A bit of disappointed as the shoes got torn just by medium usage in 1.5 years time.Would have expected more durabilityI got this, gaining inspiration from "born to run" and wanted to experience barefoot running. I am not a pro runner but have used several renowned brands ( Nike, Asics etc)Looks - I think they look great , I got the blue color and happy with it, can be paired with casuals tooDurability - Been using frequently for a year , on all surfaces. No sign of damage yetBarefoot experience- Amazing, I can literally feel the burn in those muscles which I have never felt otherwise. Will take a bit of time getting used to , but works good in long runI think this is the only one in Indian market at this price point that does the job. Merrel/Vibram/Xero are sadly not available locally and way too expensive as a result.

My mileage with these shoes are about 200 kms since purchase. Comfort level is quite good. The only issue I faced is durability which you can see in the pics. The sole is getting apart, it is poorly attached and the prime reason for low rating; otherwise these shows are great. Hope the manufacturer makes a note of this.

Azani does not have shoes for females. picked the smallest size available since the hyper glide fit well. The toe box has little extra gap, since it is designed for males.Hence will not comment on fit, will state it does a good job even for a female foot, if you fall within a measure of the smallest size.This however is an excellent shoe. My daughter tried it too and has ordered a pair for herself.

Good product as a minimalist running shoe. Greatly improved my performance. But very poor quality. Am shocked at the rapid rate at which the shoe has given way! Very disappointed and saddened that i couldn't use it on my runs in the mountains of lUttarakhand within months of purchase and hardly any use.

The toe box is a little bit narrow, even though the shoe size ordered is correct. Makes sense for the company to expand that a wee bit. My little toe is still slightly brushing against the shoe edge( from inside the shoe), irritating it. Otherwise the shoe is solid and perfect for long distance runs as well and the sole quality is good. I took it out for one whole week(75 km ) and no other issues overall. I would have to wrap something around my little toe before going out for runs now until hopefully the shoe expands a bit naturally. Lets see.UPDATEAfter using it for a month, the toe box expanded and the experience is good now. The shoe could be a wee bit lighter though, with a little bit of compromise on the sole. Sole is too think for a barefoot shoe.