Shoe of the Week, Mizuno Enerzy
While you won’t run like Mr. Bouncety-Bounce in these cartoon-esque platforms, you will have levity aplenty and an abundance of soft protection.
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Mizuno Enerzy Review
Weight: 13.3oz M, (Unisex)
Heel-Toe Offset: 10mm
Price: $300
Top Line
Wear these head-turning kicks and you’ll feel like you stepped in a bulbous red growth and look like you ran through a kiddy rubber ball pit and got the orbs stuck to your soles. These shoes are HOKA TenNine mixed with Air Jordan mixed with bubble bath. Still, while they’re obviously designed for their looks, they deliver a protective and responsive ride.
What’s New
Everything is new! While the feel of these unusual shoes is indeed novel, the impression they gave wasn’t exactly like running on bouncy balls glued to the soles, as the appearance would suggest. Yet they are very cushioned and nicely responsive.
Mizuno trumpets the midsole material, Enerzy Core, as its softest and bounciest foam ever, and promotes it as 293% softer and providing 56% more energy return than any material the company has used. Mizuno uses the soft and resilient foam as an internal core that the foot sinks into. The shoe also incorporates a related “Enerzy Foam” in the outer parts of the midsole. That foam is purported to be more durable, 17% softer and deliver 15% more energy return than Mizuno’s previous midsole compounds.
First Runs
Although the step-in feel is über-soft, these superhero shoes provide some welcome rebound instead of simply absorbing downward pressure. The giant midsole serves to add stability, making the Enerzy a decent trail shoe, although that wasn’t its design. The outsole has a hardened plastic protective layer on some of the bubbles but not all and, depending on your running form, that leaves some of the midsole vulnerable to puncture and sheering forces. But there is so much foam that it would be hard to put a dent in these almost clown-like megashoes.
At 13.3 ounces the biggest setback of the over-sized shoe is its weight. That’s about 30% heavier than many maximalist shoes and certainly enough to take them out of any “racer” category. But, as trainers, they are well appointed for their cushioning and impact absorption, making them some of the best recovery shoes on the market. It would be a challenge to get sore wearing the Enerzy.
The knit upper body construction was flexible enough that it struggled to hold the foot securely to such a big and hefty platform so these are not the shoes for tight cornering or agility. They are better suited for straight and steady running and are more like a cruise ship or aircraft carrier.
This Is The Shoe For You If…
You’re looking for a forgiving trainer that is an expensive statement piece. The Enerzy makes a solid recovery running and lifestyle shoe that is likely to command commentary of all sorts.