Allbirds just released its first running sneaker and we tested it ahead of launch — the $125 Dasher is lightweight, breathable, and perfect for everyday running

• Allbirds just released its first-ever performance shoe, the Dasher ($125).
• The Dasher is a neutral running shoe designed for short- to medium-distance runs.
• It's available in four colors and in sizes 7-14 for men and 5-11 for women, including half sizes. We recommend sticking to your usual size.
• The Dasher leverages all of Allbirds' sustainable materials into one shoe: merino wool, sugarcane-based SweetFoam, and a knit made from eucalyptus pulp.
• We tested the sneaker ahead of the launch and found it to be a great everyday running shoe — with the added perk of sustainable materials. Its cons are minimal. You can find more details below.

Today, Tim Brown is probably better known for his success as the co-founder of a D2C giant than for his years spent in professional soccer.

Allbirds, Brown's venture with biotech engineer and renewables expert Joey Zwillinger, is hard to one-up.

But as of April 2020, after years of planning and hundreds of prototypes, Brown's worlds are merging in one performance shoe: The brand-new Allbirds Dasher ($125).

The Dasher is Allbirds' first performance sneaker. It combines all of Allbirds' sustainable materials into one neutral running shoe: merino wool for internal accents, sugarcane-based SweetFoam for its soles, and a knit upper made from the company's Tree fabric that uses eucalyptus pulp.

The Dasher is available in sizes 7-14 for men and 5-11 for women, including half sizes, and in four vibrant but still relatively neutral colors: Geyser (light blue), Cyclone (light green), Flame (light orange), and Thunder (charcoal grey). Brown told Business Insider that after years of being sent loud, bright sneakers in professional sports, he just wanted to create something different. "There's a calm to the Dasher that I really like. It's what we refer to internally as 'the perfect amount of nothing.'"

According to Allbirds, the Dasher is responsible for + 9 kg of carbon emissions per pair produced. Through the company's Allbirds Carbon Fund, those emissions are offset to zero.

To make sure the Dasher would pass every test, Brown and Zwillinger enlisted a team of amateur and professional athletes — some former peers of Brown and even Olympic hopefuls — to pressure-test their prototypes.

The anatomy of the Allbirds Dasher:

The Dasher has a flexible, lightweight upper to stabilize the foot and aid in your body's natural temperature regulation. Inside, there's a contoured footbed — made out of castor bean foam — for arch support. Outside, there's a flared heel (the wide, contoured base) for better stability and to slow excessive pronation. It's made from the company's responsive sugarcane-based sweet foam. And, finally, there's a natural rubber outsole to help beef up the durability of those areas (like the heel) that see the most wear.

According to the company, the Dasher meets typical running show standards — so you should plan to replace them after 300-500 miles on average.

What the Allbirds Dasher is actually like to run in:

To see how the Dasher stacks up, I asked our health and fitness editor Rick Stella to test a pair along with me.

We tested the Dasher over the course of a long weekend and a handful of both flat and hilly miles. We found them to be a great everyday running sneaker with a sock-like upper, ample cushioning, and a smooth neutral feel. The cons, so far, are negligible.

The Dasher ($125) has more cushioning than we're used to from neutral sneakers, but it was buoyant and noninvasive (read: neither heavy nor cumbersome) while we ran. Personally, it was the first long run I've taken in neutral sneakers in my new neighborhood — replete with steep inclines and hard concrete sidewalks — without ending it with shin splints.

The eucalyptus knit upper is flexible, secure, and breathable. The Dasher is maybe a touch less breathable than my go-to neutral shoe, the Saucony Kinvara 10, but it delivered better stability and a more responsive cushion.

The Dasher's wide base is nice for a little extra stability. But, if you're not used to a base as wide, you may have to adjust your step turns to prevent clipping your opposite calf with the added material until you're used to it. Ultimately, it wasn't a big deal for us.

The downsides are minimal, though it's possible the fit may be a bit snug for people with wide feet. And, if you're in the never-Allbirds camp because of the brand's trademark designs, the Dasher probably isn't going to sway you. Personally, I'd agree that it's the "perfect amount of nothing" as Brown described it, but a few dissenters I know disliked how wide the laces were.

The bottom line

Despite a collective hesitation that Allbirds — incumbent of D2C comfort — and its natural materials would be able to execute a performance shoe with the same precision as its cozy wool runners and loungers, the Dasher speaks for itself. It's a great neutral performance sneaker.

Allbirds has used its sustainable materials to make an affordable, reliable everyday runner that performs like any good running shoe would, with the added perk of more eco-friendly materials and carbon offsetting.

The Dasher is a great option for anyone looking for a neutral running sneaker to take on daily runs. It's especially good for people who want to support sustainable business models, and for fans already in the Allbirds camp for its clean, trademark designs.