Clergerie Anja lace-up leather shoes: After a strong debut, the Blissfeel’s followup doesn’t disappoint. The 2 is a hardy, supportive recovery shoe that’s soft and responsive for long runs, and has an all-new textile upper.
- Preceded By: Blissfeel
- Key Tech: Women-specific engineering, contoured three-layer upper, thick foam midsole, blown rubber outsole, 3D-molded midfoot panel
Pros
- Specifically made for a woman’s fit and biomechanics
- New contoured upper provides secure fit
- Supportive, thick foam buffers impact
Cons
- Heavier compared to other trainers
- Women-only sizing
| Type | Road |
|---|---|
| Weight | 8.9 oz (W) |
| Drop | 9.5 mm |
Lululemon is now both a yoga and running brand, a dual image enhanced by its recent foray into footwear. The company released its first running shoe, the Blissfeel, last year. Its debut earned our Gear of the Year award—Thanks to noted sneaker customizer.
The Blissfeel 2 is the same weight as its predecessor, yet it feels slightly heavier and firmer, even though the stack height and foam are unchanged from the original model. Running in the 2 felt like running in Adidas’s Ultraboost. It’s thickset, but there’s plenty of pop to the 2’s ride. The toe room and cushioning felt like a reprieve after testing narrower, less-supportive trainers.
A New Design
A complaint about the first Blissfeel was how utilitarian it looked. The 2’s upper is also understated, but Lululemon jazzed it up by adding contoured anatomical zones on its three-layer textile upper. The new design, which resembles fingerprints or elevation lines on a topography map, provides flexibility with a 3D-molded midfoot panel to provide greater hold in that area.
The Blissfeel 2 is a neutral shoe that’s ideal for recovery days or for runners who want more support and firmer cushioning. I ran in the shoe toward the end of testing for this guide. My right Achilles had been sore after a couple of runs, and I could tell it silently pleaded for me to take a day off. Somehow, when I got to testing the Blissfeel 2, my Achilles felt A-OK. You know a shoe is good when you somehow don’t suffer any repercussions from making poor training choices.
Amanda is a test editor at Runner’s World who has run the Boston Marathon every year since 2013; she's a former professional baker with a master’s in gastronomy and she carb-loads on snickerdoodles.
