Revel 5 Hybrid Running Shoe (Women)

I have very narrow feet, and have used various styles of Brooks over the year depending on my running and workout needs. I love the Ghost for walking/lifting and treadmill running, and the Adrenaline with orthotics for road running, but the price tag for both is higher than I would like and the toe box is very wide on both styles (and narrows are hard to come by). I decided to try the REVEL as a potential affordable, narrower alternative. Right off the bat the Rebel has an “energize” footbed, which is harder than the ghost’s “cushion” footbed. This harder footbed actually irritates my plantar fasciitis within the first few minutes of wearing. Second, the toebox is definitely narrower, but the area around the arch feels comparable, if not wider. I found myself really needing to cinch up the laces to get that “firm handshake“ feel around my arch and narrow footbed. Third, if you are needing a runners knot, as a lot of narrow-footed runners need to keep their heel in place, the tongue of Revel is not quite long enough to accommodate this comfortably. The style is made more affordable by small, but notable corners being cut in quality. The lace holes are finished poorly and the laces themselves are much thinner, and the foam sole is insubstantial and finished minimally. Two pluses to note, the weight of this shoe is light, and there is hard winged support build around the mid foot, both pluses if you are looking for a shoe with “guidance” as opposed to a neutral shoe. Not a bad tennis shoe, but definitely reads as “cheap” and is not a replacement for the pricier Brooks alternatives.

I got the brightly coloured black, blue and pink Revel 5's and they are really nice and funky. I wore the sneakers on a 5km run without breaking them in and I had no concerns or issues with them. These have no cushioning but I knew that before I purchased them. While I do prefer more of a cushion, I purchased these for both the sale price and colour options as I wanted something different to the Ghost 14's that I had also purchased. Would recommend these if you do prefer less of a cushioning feeling.