Karhu Ikoni Ortix

These shoes were baffling from the start.  I'm a pretty consistent size 8, but these were too small, so I went up to an 8.5.  But those slipped around on my feet, so the sales associate helped me adjust the laces using one of those fancy lacing tricks to get the 8.5 to work.  Kinda.  I wasn't sure how I felt about having to use lacing tricks to make a shoe almost-fit, but I tried to remain optimist.

Despite the frustrating first impression, I was eager to take my new shoes out and give them a try.  They were...okay.  The cushioning was relatively comfortable (though far from the cushiness of my beloved Hoka Cliftons), and they didn't feel as bulky as they seemed.  But the fit just never worked for me.  The toe box is extra roomy - but so deep that my toes felt like they were lost in there.  And no matter how many times I would tie and untie and retie them, I could never find a comfortable fit.

I had a couple of friends who also signed up for the free-shoes race, and they had a better experience with the fit - possibly because they both have wider feet.  But while they both loved the shoes at first, it wasn't long before they were going back to their old favorites.  They said the fit just wasn't quite right - and it didn't hold up with more wear.

It was the same for me - it wasn't long before I switched these shoes out for new go-to shoes.  They're now my a-couple-of-miles-around-the-neighborhood shoes - and that seems to be a decent use for them.  But even after a couple of hundred miles, I never settled into the fit of these shoes.  I still grumble about them every time I put them on...and then untie them...and then tie them again.  They were so close to being great shoes, but they just didn't work out for me.