Ok, to cut to the chase, these shoes saved my ”butt “ this winter. I am 10 days away from Marathon des Sables and without them would not have been able to train effectively for the last five months. I can’t handle a treadmill I needed a shoe that could get me through one of the more brutal winters in years here in Moscow. The Sacony Razor did not disappoint. From my perspective the key is the outer Vibram shell. Leading up to Christmas I had a self imposed cut of temp for running outside at -20c, as such I missed a few days. Post holidays the temperature rarely got above -20c, my limits changed accordingly. Not the temperatures to acclimatize for MDS but I had to get the mileage in. My coldest run was a 20k at -26c, start to finish. I wore one pair of heavy Fox River socks and that was it. My feet never got cold, not even the ends of my toes. Other long runs, up to three hours at -20c yielded the same results. I could not have gotten the same outcome with any other shoe/sock combinations.
In addition to the warmth these shoes are water proof. This past weekend we had a fresh 30 cm snow fall followed by a “flash” spring. A total “slush fest” . Near ankle deep freezing water and slush in my jaunt through Gorky Park. No issues though, my feet remained dry.
Now the traction is good, have seen equivalent or better on certain trail shoes, and they are a bit heavy, which is what expect, but the bottom line is they keep your feet warm and dry, and in the dead of winter that’s what you need.
These are a “must have” anywhere there are winter conditions, I assume that means most of Canada.
I too brought these for winter running, I used them for the resolution run in toronto and had them up to the week before ATB. I live in Collingwood and run next to and up the mountain, and on the waterfront in Toronto. i brought a treadmill as I thought I would not get out much for winter, I am still to stand on the treadmill. i have little comparison as I have only been running for 8 months but for winter shoes these did not disappoint once, only problem i had was wanting to wear them when the weather got warmer, my feet started to sweat and I got a few blisters, but once I changed back to my normal runners the problem resolved, they are packed away waiting for next winter.
I just returned from Marathon des Sables, a race across the Moroccan Sahara. Interestingly enough there was several runners I met that who were wearing the Razors on this event. They helped keep the sand out without wearing gaiters . I thought they would have been far too hot but those I spoke to said that wasn’t an issue for them. Surprised me