Lululemon is a Canadian fitness brand which has been a staple in the athleisure and yoga community since the late 1990s. Since then, they have become a global brand that supplies fitness wear for runners, hikers and athletes.
So when I found out Lululemon had begun producing trail shoes, I was mindblown. My expectations were low due to my mind aligning Lululemon with yoga pants.
Upon receiving the shoes, I was worried firstly about the colour. While white is a classic colour for shoes, I thought it was futile, especially for shoes battling against UK trails.
The Lululemon Blissfeel Women’s Trail Shoes are described as a ‘women-centric fit and cushioning style’ from four years of research. This sounded promising, as I feel this research is better for the athlete than just pushing out shoes to grab a new demographic.
Luckily, I had the Snowdon24 coming up, which would be an excellent way to see how well they would hold up. I had done a few shorter runs to break them in but found them incredibly comfortable from the first wear.
The neutral-to-trail shoe has moulded heel support and decent-sized lugs that hold up incredibly well under pressure.
I wore these shoes for around 30 miles with around 3000m of elevation over 15 hours and put them through the ringer. They were comfortable, with no pinching around my toes or heel.
I didn’t get any blisters and wore them with different sock densities and found the shoe was adaptable. The shoe has a mesh topper, so it isn’t fully waterproof, but diametrically, the inner is thick, so I found my socks were wet with sweat after a few hours.
Luckily, I could change my socks for the race regularly, but the shoes, even though light on my feet, would struggle in wetter climates.
Nevertheless, for the race, which was a dry one, they maintained incredibly well, and I was able to race without feeling uncomfortable or irritated.
When it comes to trail shoes, I want them to withstand terrain that may be unstable and slippery and keep me on my feet. The lugs on the Lululemon Blissfeel Women’s Trail Shoes were excellent in this regard.
On the descents, I got reasonable cushioning from the shoes, which is to be expected from a neutral trail shoe. However, I didn’t come away with bruised toenails and only a few minor impact blisters on the soles of my feet.
While cushioned, I could still feel the ground beneath my feet, and the shoes were solid against the rocks. While not carbon plated, they were flexible from the outset and didn’t buckle or split with the rocks underfoot.
The Lululemon Blissfeel Women’s Trail Shoes weren’t a struggle to put on once I resumed running, but they seemed to mould to my foot quickly. Again, I can’t express how comfortable these shoes are.
While running, I did fall (due to my own fault) and ripped my knee open. So finishing the lap, the white shoes soon became a lovely shade of pink. However, Lululemon gives you care tips on their website, and a cold wash has removed most of the blood.
Lululemon has done its work with these shoes, which pays off. These shoes are an excellent fit for women approaching higher levels of trail running.
While not a competition shoe, this is a great training shoe that can withstand shorter distances at high impact rather than intense endurance races over different terrain.