The shoe comes in about a handful of colors for now: a modest khaki that feels on par with other everyday sneakers, a lava lamp-esque red-orange with trippy black accents (that’s polarized the reviews section, but is also nearly sold out), plus a cobalt blue and three other crowd-pleasing neutrals.
Color aside, running shoes tend to broadcast their designers’ intentions pretty plainly, and the Beyondfeel reveals plenty. Most noticeable is the big, bulbous heel. The shoe is clearly playing into maximalist sneaker trends, and a glance from above when you’re wearing them confirms that they come with a wide platform beneath that sleek mesh upper. I was also struck by the slime green blob on my tan pair, just underneath the ankle, called the heel clips (more on that later).
How do they fit?
Feel is what separates truly primo athletic apparel from the cheaper-made stuff, but it’s harder to nail in a shoe. There aren’t really any surprises here (the Beyondfeel fits like a lot of other everyday running shoes), but when it comes to fit, that’s actually a good thing. If I can make it to the flats that run through the horse farm near my place in a new pair of running shoes and not be thinking about the state of my feet, that bodes well.
In this case, the shoe’s name feels pretty apt. Feel, after all, is something Lululemon knows plenty about. Unlike other performance-first running shoes that have squeezed my feet in the toe box area, the Beyondfeel are decently roomy up front for wiggling (still, I wouldn’t call them wide). The seamless mesh upper also allows for some stretch.
With the shoe clocking in at 10.8 ounces, Lululemon clearly wasn’t going for something lightweight. The designers appear to have put those ounces toward comfort. The Beyondfeel has a thicker, cushioned heel collar that feels mighty supportive on my runs. The tongue is puffed up with extra cushion, too—more than most running shoes I’ve tested recently—which is great for relieving pressure points beneath the laces but does require a little fine-tuning up top where there’s overlap with the collar. (For what it’s worth, I think Lululemon could shave a few grams here and improve the shoe’s namesake feel at the same time.)
How do they wear?
Tested and Reviewed by Tanner Bowden
Tested and Reviewed by Tanner Bowden
Despite its maximalist design, the Beyondfeel isn’t another one of those squishy-bouncy, big-sole running shoes. In fact, the midsole foam, which Lululemon says is a “proprietary supercritical foam,” is quite firm. More so than I expected based on the bulge of that heel, but not in an uncomfortable sort of way. Not once did I feel as though I was clopping through an eight-miler on Burlington’s paved waterfront bike path. Once I got past that bit of cognitive dissonance, I was able to understand the shoe for what it is: an everyday trainer made for everyday miles.
I ran short interval workouts in the shoe and even longer, faster paces in it, but it performed the best on those easygoing miles. I also ran on pavement, dirt, mud, and snow, it being the time of year in New England where you can get three seasons in a single week (blame my first muddy run for why my pair looks so dirty in all of these photos). Even without a fancy branded name for its outsole rubber, the shoe handled it all.
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