Tackling the Gravel with the Salomon Aero Blaze 4 GRVL

“Nothing new on race day” is a pretty solid piece of advice, but I’ve been running so much lately that I was ready to take a chance on the Aero Blaze 4 GRVL shoes after trying them on for the first time. These gravel shoes, made by Salomon, felt great right out of the box and I had a half marathon on Leif Erikson coming up in a week. Leif Erikson is almost entirely on gravel and I figured it was meant to be.

To be honest, I’d never even heard of gravel shoes before these came my way. Gravel is one of the only surfaces I run on that gives me blisters anymore, so it’s probably my biggest nemesis. I was stoked to test these out!

Looks & Fit

These shoes come in both women’s and men’s sizes in two colors. There’s a basic all black or the Vanilla Ice/Black /Burro color, which is what I got. I really love the color, though they will of course get dirty fast. No worries, that’s just the mark of time well spent running and adventuring.

The reviews I read said that these fit on the large side, but I got them in my typical sized-up 9 and found the fit to be just fine. I think that the unique lacing system helped a lot with sizing, as they were very easy to cinch up once I got them on. They are considered a regular width and they fit well despite the fact that I have a bit of a wide toebed.

Function & Construction

The first thing I really noticed about these was the cushy heel. This is really not surprising, considering their purpose: trekking over gravel like a champ. The gravel-bike inspired tread does a great job hugging the terrain, with Chevron lugs designed with deep penetration and multi-direction grip.

They feature a Gravel ContaGRIP outsole which ensures superior traction control from gravel to paved roads in all weather conditions. It would be easy to slip and slide around on gravel but I felt that these shoes had great control on the trail as well as some nice bounce.

Some other great features of the shoes are the optiFOAM² midsole, which offers a smooth and lightweight ride, and the molded OrthoLite sockliner which molds to the contours of your foot. There’s also an internal sensiFIT construction, which cradles the foot from the midsole all the way to the lacing system.

As mentioned previously, the lacing system is a bit unique, with a quickLACE neo system. They basically have a bungee system, which makes them easier to get on and off and locked down to a precise fit. If you like your laces tighter, it’s easy to adjust them on the go.

The best feature ever is the breathable GORE-TEX membrane, which makes them waterproof. Just in time for the wet season ahead in the Pacific NW!

Overall/For Consideration

The gamble paid off! Wearing new shoes on race day turned out well for me. My feet felt stable and I had a nice return of energy in every step. My feet felt refreshed and I made really good time on my race. Even better – no blisters. That’s worth its weight in gold on the gravel trails!