When we found out that R.A.D® had announced that they'd be releasing their first running shoe, we were like "What? The crossfitters? Making a running shoe?" To say we were skeptical would be on-the-nose.

Nevertheless, we tried to be open minded. With some early access, Jonty and Molly have been running in the UFO for a few months now, and raving about them. "Just wait, you'll see for yourselves", they told us. And wait we did.

With launch day coming in hot, the folks at the R.A.D® running department came by to Baker Street from near (Waterloo) and far (Los Angeles, California), took us for a spin and told us all about how it came to be.

Designed with versatility and fun in mind, the UFO is a self-professed Supertrainer, meaning it blends the high quality responsive foams of speed and raceday shoes with the comfort and support of an every-day training shoe. Consider it a do-it-all, equally at home at easy paces as they are at tempo and threshold efforts. Mostly though, in R.A.D®'s own words, they're designed "to build speed over distance" by reducing energy-loss and fatigue.

I can hear you all saying: "Yeah, cool, that's all well and good. But what are they actually like?" Good thing we spun around Regent's Park to get a sense of them.

First things first is that there is a noticeable sensation almost immediately as you get into your stride and that is "fun". Almost the entire team used this exact word (or some kind of synonym for our Thesaurus fans) to describe running in the UFO, thanks to its plush ride but equally bouncy feel. The curvature of the outsole profile keeps you propelling forwards in your stride, even (potentially) encouraging mid-foot striking from some unnamed (*cough* Molly *cough*) heel-strikers.

Having utilised the R.A.D® UFO for a few months, Jonty has had the chance to really see what it is capable of. A man who knows a thing or two about ultra-running, he's been grabbing the UFO for long-runs where the pace may vary between easy and fast and everything in between. As much as he enjoys them at controlled speeds, it's when the pace starts to pick up where they really shine. "They're pretty much the ideal tempo and threshold shoe" he has been heard saying on multiple occasions.

With nearly 400km of running in his pair, he reports very little difference in support and comfort, feeling that there's still hundreds of kilometres left to enjoy in them. That's backed by the R.A.D® team's anecdotes of durability, with test pairs purportedly lasting upwards of 1,000km before breaking down. Time will tell!

Similarly, Molly has been trying to beat up her pair in the short-while of ownership. It's become a staple in the rotation for her intervals, feeling that they give her the pop needed to run fast, yet cushioned enough to reduce fatigue and soreness in the aftermath of the session.

The most standout characteristic is the versatility, if you couldn't tell. Fit-wise, most of us felt it ran true to size with a roomy width yet secure lockdown, so buy your normal running shoe size.

The one debate we did have was the jeanability of the UFO. That is, the ability to wear them casually, with jeans. Raif said his pink ones were "definitely jeanable", but we'll leave that one up to you. After all, fashion is subjective.

Great for:

One shoe to do it all, genuinely. Best for long runs but at home in almost all situations.

Verdict:

Extremely fun, and potentially game-changing.

£200

Available in: Space White; Highlighter Pink; Flame Orange

Weight: 249g*

Drop: 8mm

Support: Neutral

Available in-store and online at runlimited.co/

*Weight based on a UK size 8