Shoe Of The Week: Zoot Solana ACR

The Zoot Solana ACR is a soft and smooth fall-winter, high-mileage trainer.

Do you live in a cold climate and need a high-mileage trainer to get you through the winter? You might find it in the shoe line of Zoot Sports, a company founded in Kona, Hawaii, and headquartered in Southern California. Yes, seriously. The new neutral-oriented, all-weather Zoot Solana ACR is as supple and smooth as its summertime predecessor, except it has a new weather-resistant, closed-cell mesh upper and a grippier outsole that feels secure on wet pavement. Those changes make it a wisp heavier and perhaps slightly less breathable and warmer (and $10 more), but that’s OK for a shoe made for running in cool conditions and inclement weather.

Otherwise, it’s very similar to the original Solana. It’s almost as lightweight and just as comfortable and can handle high-mileage training in wet or dry conditions. Like the Solana, the ride is super smooth—an ideal blend of softness, snappy responsiveness and inherent stability without being marshmallowy or overly firm—thanks also to continual ground contact and a sufficiently wide platform. Our wear-testers said they thought the upper was a tad stiffer than the Solana, but not so much that it affected the flex of the shoe. It has a narrow, low-volume interior that serves up a locked-down fit enhanced by a soft, gusseted tongue and a snug heel cup with a padded collar. Like the Solana, the Solana ACR has a minimally designed upper that has a seamless, barefoot-friendly interior and an internal support web that eliminates the need for excessive overlays. The toe box isn’t very wide, but it’s not constricting either.

This shoe is for you if … you want a soft, maximally cushioned shoe for running in cold, wet, sloppy or even dry conditions.

Price: $110
Weights: 9.0 oz. (men’s size 9.0), 8.3 oz. (women’s size 7.0)
Heel-Toe Offset: 8mm
Info: zootsports.com

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