Kalenji Kiprun Ultralight Road Running Shoe [REVIEW]

I’ve been meaning to do a review on running shoes made by Decathlon, so I was wandering the aisles at Decathlon Pasig when I ran into Patrick Aquino, who is a Sport Leader for trail running and the Decathlon brand Kalenji. He said I could try out most products sold at Decathlon under their Free Product Testing program. (For obvious reasons, consumable products like sunscreen, shampoo, and anti-fog markers aren’t included.)

So I picked out the Kalenji Kiprun Ultralight road running shoe to test. Why? I have been looking for a replacement for one of my favorite running/racing shoes, and so far I haven’t found one that feels like my old pair. Because it was risk-free and I didn’t have to shell out any $$$, I took those shoes home to see if they were the right pair.

Watch my vlog review below:

Here are the complete specs of the Kalenji Kiprun Ultralight road running shoe, paraphrased from the Decathlon website (women’s shoe / men’s shoe):

For athletics and road running, suitable for athletes weighing less than 65kg who train regularly and intensively at an advanced level; best for neutral/supinated stride; may be used on road, bitumen/asphalt, parquet flooring, and athletics track; 6mm heel to toe drop; weighs 170g in size 5.5; Pebax® up’bar technology enhances rebound, with denser EVA foam at the front.

(Just a note: Kalenji shoes don’t come in half-sizes, so you’re out of luck if you fall between sizes.)

Free Product Testing is available for Decathlon members. I mentioned that there was a deposit to do the product testing because my receipt showed a deposit line of PHP 3.9 (or approximately 1% of the price of the product) — but even this was waived. All I needed to do was sign a form and show them a government-issued ID, which they photocopied. They then issued me a printout/receipt, which I presented when I came back to return the shoe.

Decathlon membership is free! Sign up online or at any Decathlon store. The perks of being a Decathlon member include:

• access to the Decathlon playground – Play football, basketball, and other sports in Decathlon’s turf and available courts
• two-year warranty on all Decathlon products
• invitation to Decathlon events
• free product testing
• one-year period for return and exchange – Return the item within a year from purchase for exchanges and refunds, subject to terms and conditions
• free shopping bag on first purchase
• get to shop online – Pay via COD or other prepaid and mobile payment methods and have your order delivered to your doorstep
• duplicate of receipt (two-year validity) – Decathlon stores your purchase records for two years so you can still claim warranty on items even if you’ve lost your receipt

Ultimately I found that the Kalenji Kiprun Ultralight was just too little shoe for me. I need a bit more cushioning and support because while my ego thinks I can use an elite runner’s shoe, my body disagrees. The Kiprun Ultralight shoe is great for race day over short distances, but if you’re looking to do some longer distances over cement roads you might want to look at the other shoe options Decathlon has.

In the video I mention the Kiprun Long running shoe as an alternative, but the Kiprun Fast also looks promising. There’s only one way to find out, and I’m looking forward to testing both kinds in the near future.