Merrell is slated to release its next-generation trail racing shoe in late April 2023 — the Skyfire 2. This shoe was developed for a Vertical Kilometer-style race — so it needed to be lightweight, protective underfoot, and capable of great traction on rugged terrain. ActionHub got an early look at these shoes, and after about 60 miles of rugged terrain and lots of elevation, here’s our Merrell Skyfire 2 review.

Merrell says this shoe is made for speed and is best suited for races from the Vertical Kilometer to 50k ultras. My longest run in them was about 15 miles, and the fit and feel hit home for me in a lot of ways. Immediately noticeable was how effortless it feels to move in them. At just 7 ounces, you feel like you’re almost gliding across the trails, and I was able to maintain solid ground contact and never encountered any foot fatigue.

The Skyfire 2 achieves all of this while employing minimalism in spots while still maximizing innovation and function throughout.

Instead of a bulky or plush shoe built that runners often use for longer distances, the upper in the Skyfires is generally very thin and has an almost surgical padding placement around the ankles and tendon area. The remainder of the TPU upper is durable and highly breathable, helping to add to that feeling of weightlessness. 

Below that, the dual density FloatPro Foam midsole is placed on either side of the engineered BZM FlexPlate, which provides stability and protection for the runner. In fact, a plated trail running shoe that includes 5 mm lugs and weighs less than 7 ounces is not available anywhere else on the market.

I did several creek crossings, and my feet dried out within minutes while wearing the Skyfires. And the 6 mm drop is right in line with what I’m most comfortable with from a trail shoe, feeling like I’m being propelled forward and able to have a quick turnover step after step.

I found that I had good balance of stability and flexibility, which was especially important on some of the more technical trails I run — where loose, blunt rocks along with roots from old-growth trees are commonplace.

Merrell worked with footwear maker Vibram to create a custom-webbed outsole design — where soft foam is interlaced between a grid of hard MegaGrip rubber — which unlike anything else I’ve encountered. And if you look closely at the intersections between the outsole materials, you can see exactly how unique this kind of approach is.

This is a trail running shoe that I really enjoyed having on my feet — one in which I’m looking forward to wearing during a mountain marathon next month. And while the build sets this shoe apart, I also appreciate that Merrell is adding improved sustainability elements where possible, like with the 100 percent recycled mesh footbed covers and laces.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Merrell Skyfire 2s make some lists of the best trail running shoes of 2023. This level of streamlined comfort and functionality in racing shoes is rarely seen in our market.

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Ryan Tipps is Managing Editor for ActionHub. He lives along the Blue Ridge Mountains, is an avid hiker, backpacker and trail runner and has been a part of the wilderness search and rescue community since 2005.