Atreyu is a running company with a difference.

Founded in 2020, Atreyu aims to sell high-quality and no-frills running shoes at budget-friendly prices, and without the need for a middleman.

This is a refreshing niche in a running shoe market where brands are trying to constantly outdo each other with incorporating the latest innovations and technologies into their running shoes.

And for runners who really love their shoes and want to keep on getting them, there is a subscription service, whereby you can commit to receiving Atreyu shoes on a regular basis, at a fraction of the price per pair. 

With the subscription service, you can opt to receive a new pair of Atreyu shoes every one, two or three months, depending on how frequently you run and how much pounding you think your shoes will take.

Subscription shoes are usually priced at USD$75/pair, and once-off purchases at USD$95/pair. But currently there is an ongoing promotion to snag a subscription at just USD$55/pair, which is a steal. Unsurprisingly, this is selling fast.

And as well, an added bonus is that Atreyu subscribers are also the first to be notified of new colours and releases, before the mass market does.

Since hearing about the Atreyu running company several months back, I have been rather intrigued by this relative newcomer to the running shoe market and the hype surrounding them, and have naturally been curious about how their shoes will stack up compared to more conventional brands.

Fast forward to August, I finally got my hands on a pair of Atreyu shoes. They were an early birthday present. The shipping was fast; the shoes arrived about a week after the order had been placed.

Their shoes are packed in a simple plastic bag with the company logo emblazoned on it, and nothing more. This minimalist-style packaging is markedly different to most other running shoes, which come in shoe boxes.

When I first took them shoes out of the packaging, I was amazed by just how light they are, at 139 grams for the women’s size 7 and with a 6mm drop.

Mine is the blue and yellow “FEAR ONLY REGRET” model. Currently there are six different colour combinations available on their website.

The Atreyu shoes will fit true to size as long as you don’t have wide feet.

My regular size feels snug and wraps around my feet like a sock; so if your feet are naturally wide, I will recommend that you go for half a size bigger.

I can wear these without socks or with thin socks, but if I try using thicker socks, the Atreyu shoes will feel too tight. 

But what I find is that the shoes tend to be very grippy and tug my socks. While this is no problem during my running, it can be quite hard to put the shoes on and take them off afterwards due to this.

The material appears rather stretchable though, so I can see the shoe expanding as I continue to use it more.

Running with the Atreyu shoes is a very different sensation to many other shoes in the market these days. 

In order to get a good feel for the shoes, I have done a mixture of runs with the Atreyu shoes, ranging from faster sessions to slow, recovery runs. As well, I also did a tempo interval session with them.

The Atreyu shoes have some cushioning and the ride is soft. The amount of cushioning is adequate, but not plush. The shoes are neither responsive nor bouncy. The sensation of wearing them to run feels as though I am running with nothing but socks on my feet.

They also appear to be rather versatile and they are adaptable regardless of whether I am running fast or slow.

When I am running at slow speeds i.e. recovery runs, the shoes feel good and running with them feels natural and intuitive, and not awkward.

And when running at faster paces, the Atreyu shoes feel light and snappy, propelling me forward, with the feeling being similar to a slightly cushioned racing flat.

In my opinion, the Atreyu shoes can be a great racing shoe, for seasoned runners who want something lightweight yet cushioned at the same time. 

Though they are also a decent, comfortable daily trainer too for runners who do not require lots of stability, I recommend to keep them for the faster sessions in order to get the best out of a single pair, as I feel they don’t appear to be the most durable of shoes out there on the market.

That said, unless of course, you are purchasing their subscription, then you have the luxury of enjoying your Atreyu shoes on all your run sessions. No wonder the brand’s subscriptions have been selling out so fast.

Atreyu shoes are available exclusively on their website at https://www.atreyurunning.com. Currently it appears that only subscription shoes are available in limited quantities.

This is not a sponsored post.