Merrell

MTL Long Sky 2 Matryx Trail Running Shoe - Men's

Wish they felt as good as they look

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

8.5

Height:

5' 5"

Weight:

140

I was super pumped to try these when I got them (look great, lightweight, breathable). Opened em, put them on, and tossed the box. Walked around the house and at the time I’d give them an 8/10 comfort rating. I have a trail race coming up in 2 weeks so I wanted to get used to running in them. 10 mile out & back run. Got through 3 miles and right foot started blistering on the heel. Sucked it up and kept going. About a mile later, the same on my left. I have “Bauer bumps” on my heels from 20 years of hockey skates, so blisters aren’t uncommon when I wear dress shoes, but I have not once gotten a blister from running shoes in that same place. I lace with a heel lock, there was definitely no movement from that perspective. I suspect it’s the construction of the padding on the heel where it transitions from the body of the shoe to the padding - it hits right in the wrong spot for me and isn’t a particularly seamless/smooth transition. Unfortunately, these aren’t the shoes for me. Not even sure if I can return at this point - otherwise just a paid lesson learned.

Golf shoes that grip

I bought these to be my golf shoes. Absolutely love them. They grip the ground and are so comfortable that it almost feels like I'm not wearing shoes.

Great, high performance shoe, slightly too narrow

So far I have put 50 miles of technical single track on my Long Sky 2 Matryx. They are amazing shoes for technical trail running, if they fit (more on that in a minute). They have near perfect specs for me - stack, outsole, upper material - these are all fantastic. The midsole foam is a perfect density with just the right amount of cushion to take the edge off of sharp terrain without losing ground feel. In addition to amazing grip and outstanding ground feel, the upper functions better in rain/wet conditions than any shoe I've had. The Matryx material drains water so fast creek crossings are not a problem and the ventilation keeps my feet cool in hot conditions. They have one downside though, at least for me, and as a result I can't really use these for runs longer than 10 miles or so. The midfoot is just too narrow. The shoes have nice vertical volume in the toebox and the heel retention/lockdown is outstanding, but they just squeeze my metatarsals so much I end up with achy feet if I wear them for too long. My feet aren't exceptionally wide or anything either. The shoe itself runs a half size too long, but I couldn't size down because they were way too tight across the midfoot. It's a total bummer because otherwise I think this is one of the best performing technical trail runners on the market and I've tried all the competitors. Merrell, if you're listening, please offer these in a wide fit, or build them on a more anatomical last, or just expand the platform width at the midfoot (I've compared it to a couple other well known, high end shoes and these are noticeably narrower). That would make them nearly perfect.

Former years were significantly better.

New materials and lack of padding in the heel Cup.