Product Review - The Mizuno Wave Rider 17

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Mizuno and their running shoes! I had the opportunity to run in my very first pair of Mizuno shoes last summer with the debut of the Wave Sayonara! To date, that is still one of my favorite shoes! Light, fast, comfortable, and vivid colors! Take a trip back in time and see my review of that shoe here. Today, I want to talk to you about one of the newest additions to the Mizuno shoe arsenal of tools! The NEW Wave Rider 17!

This shoe was released in early December 2013, the 17th generation of this bad boy and let me tell you, it is not a disappointment. I received my box and opened it to find that I received the Olympian Blue and Cyber Yellow option for the shoe! My initial reaction was "WOW she's a beauty!" I couldn't wait to get these bad boys on my feet. I laced them up and slid my foot inside, and what happened next was magical! I experienced that same connection with these shoes, that I did with the Wave Sayonaras. The shoe literally felt like it had melded and became part of my foot. The comfort was absolutely incredible. This may have been due to the upgraded sock liner in the shoe!

The Wave Rider 17 is available for men and women and is classified as a high mileage neutral trainer shoe. I agree. What that means is you can comfortably use this shoe for racing or training. I have done both and have had absolutely no complains. It's adaptable and versatile! The mens shoe weighs in at only 9.2 ounces! The Wave Rider 17 has a TON of Mizuno exclusive technology built into the shoe, which gives this shoe it's unique design, feel, and experience. Such technology includes the Mizuno Wave, which is meant to disperse impact and forces it away from your foot, and is intended to be lightweight, compact, and responsive. One of my favorite components of the shoe is the incorporation of the Smooth Ride technology which creates a smooth transition from heel to toe.

The graphical elements are crazy on this shoe I LOVE THEM! The blue and yellow are stellar colors! I absolutely LIVE for the peeled paint effect that goes toward the back of the shoe on the side! There is even some pearlized detail on that area so as the light hits it, it shimmers and turns different colors! A really sexy touch! I also appreciate the Wave Rider 17 patch which is located toward the rear of the shoe near the ankle. Now let's talk performance.

I wanted to put these shoes through the ringer. I gave them a few test runs before I headed out to Walt Disney World to participate in the Dopey Challenge. I brought the Wave Rider 17s as my primary racing shoe, and the Wave Sayonaras as my back up in case something went wrong while I was product testing. I ran ALL 48.6 miles in this shoe! Not one blister. Not one cramp. Not one problem. The shoe literally adapts to your foot and the ground. I honestly felt like I was running on the waves. The ride was comfortable and light. I felt the area near my heel was heavy at times during the marathon, but that may have been due to poor form from dipping and dodging positions on course. After some time, this subsided. This shoe performed exceptionally well. When I took the shoe off, it held up amazingly to the stress. No rips, no tears, no faded graphics, just an amazingly well made shoe! Well Done, Mizuno!

Crossing the Walt Disney World Marathon finish line in the Wave Rider 17s

All in all, I am very satisfied with the shoe! It is a great neutral shoe that looks great, feels great, and performs beautifully. Give the shoe and good look! If not the Wave Rider, perhaps another shoe in their catalog! Mizuno is probably one of my favorite running shoe brands. I've yet to be disappointed with the quality and performance!

Thank you Mizuno for the chance to review another shoe!

Disclaimer/Legal Stuff: Mizuno provided the Wave Rider 17s in exchange for an honest review of their product. The above review is 100% honest is only influenced by my thoughts and experiences. Opinions and views expressed are that of See Sharp Run and not Mizuno USA. See Sharp Run believes in providing honest product reviews with the highest level of integrity.