I've owned several pairs of these shoes in various colors. I've run 4 marathons and 25 half marathons in them. They are comfortable and run well - especially when outfitted with LaceLock laces.

However, New Balance is REALLY putting quality assurance aside and this saddens me a great deal.

Several times I have had to send the shoes back and purchase another pair because of a manufacturing mistake. My last pair had a small amount of adhesive dripped on to the footbed. I didn't notice it at first but had I run in them I would have had a whopping blister in just a few miles.

Every single shoe is someone's transportation, their key to successful training or simply the vehicle for someone to love or hate the sport of running. I hope that someone from NB will notice this and allocate a few budget dollars on quality control.

I've run a lot of miles and I've gone through a lot of shoes. New Balance have the shoes that seem to work best for me and they may be the best for you. Just be patient and know that you may possibly have to return several pairs to get the one that were made properly.