Jen
I’ll admit, I was a bit hesitant to agree to this review for the Hylo Athletics Impact. Mostly because I didn’t want to fake enthusiasm if the shoes turned out to be rubbish. But let’s face it – since I’m not out running ultras every weekend, it’s unlikely Kate (RunUltra’s editor and CEO) will be throwing more gear my way any time soon. So, I’ve got nothing to lose by being completely honest.
To give you some context: I’m a serial “Couch to 5K” runner. I do the classic routine; sign up for a half marathon, start from scratch with Couch to 5K, build up mileage, run the event, then promise myself I’ll keep going and get faster. Then six months go by without a single run. This has been my cycle for the past five years. Only this time, it had been over a year since I’d laced up my trainers.
I thought maybe the Hylo Athletics Impact trainers would be the motivation I needed to start again. So, with the app loaded, Sarah Millican chatting in my ear, and my Hylo trainers on, I hit the pavement.
And honestly? These are the most comfortable running shoes I’ve ever worn.
In the past, I’ve run in Reeboks and Mizunos (back when no one really paid attention to models), then moved on to Hoka Clifton 8s, and most recently, the On Cloud Eclipse. I thought the On Clouds were the gold standard until I tried the Hylo Athletics.
I have a prominent heel strike (it’s how I walk, so why would I run any different?) and the generous cushioning at the heel gives me a solid, soft base to push off from. The heel cushioning is plush, while under the ball of my foot, it feels slightly firmer – though that could be down to the fact that I naturally absorb less impact there.
I’m usually a UK women’s size 6 in wide fit, so I went with a 6.5, and they were perfect. If you’re between sizes, I’d recommend sizing up. The width was just right too – my foot actually sits on the sole, instead of spilling over the sides like in some so-called wide-fit shoes.
One thing I noticed with the On Cloud Eclipse was that they seemed to exaggerate the slope of uneven pavements, making me feel a bit unstable. The Hylo trainers, in contrast, felt secure and steady – even on our pothole-riddled roads.
And it’s not just running. I’ve ended up wearing them as my everyday “living life” trainers because they’re just that comfortable.
Honestly, I can say hand on heart that I love these shoes. I’m almost excited for the day they wear out just so I can justify buying another pair.
Pros:
- Comfortable fit with good width (especially if you size up)
- Great cushioning and support
- Stable on uneven terrain
- Made by a certified B Corp with an impressive score
Cons:
- Sadly, they didn’t magically cure my knee bursitis
Robin
When first getting a hold of a pair of the Hylo Athletics Impact trainers, I’ll be honest I was thinking, who are they? You can become so narrow-minded in running with just staying glued to the big brands. This made me even more excited to actually branch out for once. When looking at the various colourways, immediately the “Sand” option was a no brainer, a really unique shading that you don’t often see. When asking my wife which she’d chosen, she too had picked Sand, which solidified my opinion, they look great!
If I can get one thing across in this review, it’s that you must must MUST leave the main brands and be bold with your next shoe choice and yes, this should be your first step. I’ve worn many different, “top level” “every day” road running shoes. I’ve religiously bought top rated runnersworld choices, Top 5 YouTube recommendations, “Road shoe of the year” from running blogs for years. This has worked out of course, but, saddens me now after having worn the Hylo Athletics Impact wondering, how many others have I missed out on? Anyway, enough of my regrets, let’s get into what’s so great about these shoes.
Designed to rival all other everyday road shoes, the Impact just does that. In recent years I’ve worn:
- Asics Novablast 5 and 4
- On Cloudmonster 2
- New Balance 1080 v12 and v11
- Nike Pegasus 37 and 36
- Hoka Mach 4 and Rocket X
- Saucony Endorphin Speed Pro 2
It’s safe to say I’ve tried a decent variety of brands, so I’d like to think you could trust me when I say that this matches the best of these, if not betters them! No seriously.
I still have 2 of the above in rotation along with the Impact and I’ve found myself just religiously wearing the Impact on every run. Here’s why.
The cushioning – These may well be the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. Like my wife, I’ve found myself wearing them over normal footwear at every opportunity, you just don’t want to take them off! The cushioning is spread in such a way on the bottom that they really balance you out as you run, providing really great stability and reducing the likelihood of wobbling if you step on a rock or stick on the ground or if, like me, you lose concentration while trying to film yourself while running…
Responsive – Normally today if you have a really thick soft cushioned shoe, you’re sacrificing a bit of response, but there’s a great pop to these and you feel it as you run. This is most surprising because Hylo Athletics use their own biobased materials, which you’d think would fall behind the bigger brands in their return using all the over-manufactured plastics, but they’ve worked on these shoes for YEARS and it shows! To compete in this area while trying to remain more sustainable is incredibly difficult but they’re doing it which is truly remarkable.
Secure – There’s no slippage of your feet coming out of these, nor do the shoes grip too tightly around your ankle, in truth I can’t quite figure out how they’ve managed to do that. Might have something to do with the material they’re using.
Grip – Phwoar, now these things have really excellent grip, I do not know what material they are using on the bottom because when you have a look at it, it looks smooth, but wow, you really are not slipping in these ever. (disclaimer, please do not run over oil to prove me wrong).
Style – These are a good looking shoe as I’ve said, it’s a really unique colourway, a really cool design and one you are pretty smug to run around in. Definitely have the “look at me” factor.
Speed – I’ve done bits of tempo in work in these, no racing, but they’ve happily carried me to my usual tempo pace, no problem. I’d be very confident that these could handle racing, although it’s difficult to say which distance they’d suit best. Possibly marathon distance but I’ll take them out for a parkrun at some point and will put that on my Insta!
Overall these shoes are everything you could want in a daily shoe and more. I’d say they’re slightly underpriced, but then again I understand having to discount these a bit considering the name of the brand isn’t that big. What Hylo have managed to do in creating this shoe AND having a carbon footprint 37% lower than the industry average, is quite frankly astounding.
I will be shouting these shoes from the rooftops and I really hope you give them a go, you won’t regret it.
About the author: I’ve been running for about 7 years, I love all types of running road, trail and fell, 5K, marathon and ultra distances. I have a wife and two kids and my own accounting practice which often take a backseat to running. I’ve also recently founded a local running group, High Peak Runners, hoping to bridge the gap from Couch to 5K to running consistently and most importantly, enjoying it! Follow Robin here.
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