First look at the NEW SunGod FORTY2s running sunglasses – TRI247 Review

Since their launch in 2013 SunGod quickly became a challenger brand to watch in the world of performance eyewear. Co-founded by Ali and Zoe Watkiss, SunGod offer up a wide range of performance and lifestyle sunglasses, plus an extensive range of snow goggles. And they quite quickly became a triathlete favourite for cycling glasses after launching their Velans™ and Vulcans™ , offering premium performance and customisable designs at a relatively reasonable price point.

The latest addition to their run-specific range is the new FORTY2s™, launched soon after the announcement of their first ever UK bricks and mortar store, in Covent Garden. Featuring a slightly smaller frame and an ultra-lightweight design, these new running glasses from SunGod promise to offer style, comfort and versatility for a wide range of runners.

I’ve been putting the SunGod FORTY2s™ through their paces for the last month or so. Read on to get my verdict!

Key features

SunGod have developed the FORTY2s alongside elite athletes in their metaphorical stable, including the McClaren F1 team and elite ultra runner Tom Evans. Eagle-eyed viewers might also have spotted the likes of Anya Culling taking them for one final pre-launch road test at the London Marathon, too.

Developed with input from elite athletes	Sustainable materials: 100% recycled material frame
Ultralight nylon lens with 8KO technology	Zero bounce design with ergonomic grippers
Modular and customisable	Running-specific smaller frame size
Hydrophilic nose grips designed to grip more as you sweat	UVA/UVB protection
Cut-outs for ventilation	Weight: 28g
Height (inc. frame): 54mm	Width (including temples): 150.6mm

These running glasses are made from sustainable materials, with the frame made from 100% recycled material which SunGod say has a 7 x lower carbon impact than using virgin plastic. The frame size is slightly more petite than their typically more oversized offerings. And the lens – still made with SunGod’s proprietary 8KO technology – is made from nylon which makes them significantly lighter than a standard polycarbonate lens.

You’ve got all the usual tech specs you’d expect from SunGod – including UVA/UVB protection and a modular construction which means you can customise your lens and frame. In addition, the running-specific design has also been created with a ‘zero bounce’ frame, cut-out vents for more ventilation and a hydrophilic nose grip which is designed to grip more as you sweat. They start from £110 RRP.

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Summary: The ‘TL;DR’ overview – Lightweight, comfortable running glasses that come into their own when temperatures rise

I actually used to run in my SunGod Vulcans, but found that they were ever so slightly too heavy for longer runs and left me with an all-day long imprint on either side of my nose. Comparatively, the new SunGod FORTY2s are super lightweight and ultra-comfortable – ticking every box I’d look for in running-specific sports sunglasses.

The no bounce frame delivers – these glasses stay put even during harder efforts and drills. In cooler conditions, I didn’t get any steaming up or fogging. And even while running in hot conditions in recent weeks (got to love the changeability of spring in the UK), with sweat and sunscreen to contend with, there’s been no slipping whatsoever.

I was sent these in the limited edition Neon Blue colourway, which has a tinted lens. And if I had to try to find something negative to say about these glasses – it’s that I’d have preferred a mirrored lens. Particularly when I’m in the latter stages of an Ironman marathon, I don’t want anyone to be able to see the haunted look in my eyes! But there are several other colour options available, including the option to pick a photochromatic lens or a mirrored lens. So with that in mind, that’s every single box ticked!

Unboxing the SunGod FORTY2s

Fresh out of the box, the first thing that struck me with these glasses are just how lightweight they are. The half-frame design and smaller size gives a subtler profile, without being so small that you look like you’ve thrown it back to the ultra-small sports sunglasses of the noughties and the twenty-tens. These strike the perfect balance between on trend, and functionally small and lightweight.

The neon blue frame looks super cool. And they come with their own microfibre carry pouch, which doubles up as your lens cleaner and keeps the sustainability theme going – it’s made from recycled bottles.

I really like that the ergonomic ear grippers are only ‘grippy’ on the inside of the arms of these glasses – rather than a slide on ‘sock’ style gripper which I’ve found can often end up coming loose over time, and/or can be prone to getting tangled in my hair when it inevitably starts making a break for it out of my hairband mid-run. You also get a few different nose gripper options to find your perfect fit.

Overall, these glasses have an ultra-cool, ultra-lightweight look and feel and all the makings of a perfectly versatile pair of running glasses. First impressions had me, well… impressed. But it was time to hit the roads and the trails to see how they’d perform!

Performance

Wondering around the kitchen admiring the new SunGod FORTY2s in my reflection in the microwave is one thing (everyone does that the second they unbox new gear, right!?). But you can’t really get a feel for just how well sports sunglasses will perform until you put them through their paces in a range of conditions. And thankfully, the wildly fluctuating weather over the last month has delivered almost every condition going – other than snow! That means I’ve had chance to test these glasses out in the cold, the wet, dazzling sunshine and high humidity.

No slip, no bounce

The SunGod FORTY2s passed the major test for running glasses: no bouncing, and no slipping. For me, those are the two major deal breakers. I like to be able to dial into my inner metronome on long runs, and if I’m having to push my glasses up my snout every 2 seconds that’s almost impossible. A pair of Oakleys I used to run in a couple of years ago have been confined to the bottom of the kit drawer for this very reason.

The FORTY2s sit perfectly still – even through harder efforts. And perhaps more impressively, after making the rookie error of going out dressed all in black on my Sunday long run during the recent heatwave, these glasses didn’t slip at all even while I was sweating profusely through my SPF50. SunGod promise that the more you sweat, the more these glasses grip. And they certainly delivered.

So lightweight you almost forget you’re wearing them

Alongside staying put, these running glasses are also incredibly comfortable. The lightweight frame and lens construction means you barely notice them on your face. With other glasses, I start to find they’re creating pressure points behind my ears or across the bridge of my nose during the latter stages of long runs. So far, though I’m not quite into peak long run season quite yet, this hasn’t been an issue with the new SunGod offering. I even convinced myself I was about to get caught in a terrible storm the other week because the clouds looked so ominously dark – before remembering I had my sunnies on!

No fog

I was out on a fairly tough trail run a few weeks ago. Not only were the temperatures alarmingly close to 0 degrees, with a brutal head wind straight off the north sea. I was also running on a mixture of deep sand along the beach and sandy, hilly trails through constantly rolling woodland. That meant I had that weird thing where your extremities are freezing, but your core temp is rising fast. And my famously bad sense of direction meant more than a few ‘where the heck am I’ stops. All of which, is usually a perfect storm for running glasses to get foggy and steam up. But the SunGod FORTY2s stayed totally clear. I also like to keep my glasses on even if its raining to keep the rain drops out of my eyes. And again, on a couple of rainy runs while I was working out at The Championship in Samorin last weekend, the SunGods coped well and didn’t steam up at all.

Versatile running glasses that deliver on both style and substance

So far, it’s pretty much impossible to fault these glasses – I’ve genuinely really enjoyed running in them.

The design is cool – and the modular construction means you can customise your own pair, too. They’ve performed superbly across a range of run sessions and in a wide variety of conditions. And while the starting price of £110 means they’re towards the more premium end of the scale – the lifetime guarantee means you can be confident of getting plenty of bang for your buck. Plus, while they are a slightly smaller design compared to SunGod’s flagship cycling glasses – I’d say they still offer more than enough coverage to double up as your cycling glasses too.

Ratings

Overall, a really strong addition to the running-specific sunglasses range from SunGod and I can imagine we’ll be seeing plenty of the FORTY2s on start lines this season!