Salomon Aero Glide 3 Grvl Shoe Review

I have a chronic ankle tendon injury that I manage so I’m always reluctant to try a new shoe style if the ones I’m in are holding things together. I stupidly wore carbon plated Nike super shoes a fair bit in training last summer before and between triathlons and I think it was responsible for a flare up that stopped me running for several weeks. Since, I have done almost all my running in the Salomon Aero Blaze 2 training shoes (on my 3rd pair) which I’ve used with Superfeet Pain Relief insoles and have kept my injuries largely at bay.

The Salomon Aero Glide 3 Grvl have a thicker, cushier sole than the Blaze and when I first put them on I felt like they could be giving me the same “wobbly” sensation as the Nike super shoes I had had problems with last summer. But after running in them properly found them to be much more stable, yet lighter and cushier than my training shoes. They are also unique in that they have a grippier, harder outer sole than most super shoes without adding much weight.

After running in them for an hour, with a 20 min tempo, I decided I would race in them for my upcoming 70.3 next weekend which has a decent 2 mile section of sandy, stoney, dirt, which warrants the harder trail sole. Going from Salomon to Salomon and using my previous insoles means the shape of the shoe around my foot feels unchanged so the last minute which does not concern me. And despite being designed for the trail they certainly don’t feel any heavier if at all than a super shoe or other light weight race specific shoe. Another reason to like them is the way tongue is integrated in one piece under the foot in such a way that it doesn’t slip one way or the other across the foot, a criticism I have of the Aero Blaze 2. Without being too tight across the top of the foot.

So, I wasn’t expecting to be able to feel comfortable with using what’s billed as a trail shoe in a mostly paved half marathon but it feels light and stable enough to do the job. The Salomon Aero Glide 3 Grvl retails at $160.