Trail Running Shoes

stmochtas

This is a question for the mountain runners amongst us as I hope to tackle some of the IMRA events if I ever get back from injury and also the Warriors run which covers both road and mountain.

What running shoes do people recommend? T_Runner pointed me to the Salomon SpeedCross 2 shoe but I found them very narrow on my foot when I tried then on.

Just looking for ideas so I can do a bit of shopping around in the next few weeks. A shoe that would be a good hybrid for road and trail would be the best.

Apologies if this has been done before.

hunnymonster

I know what you mean. I've yet to find a pair of trail shoes with a toe box large enough. I know they need to be a bit snugger than road shoes but most are really tight. I've found salomon to be one of the better makes in this regard (but not the speedcross). I also like adidas ones (sorry can't remember the name)

stmochtas

Thanks Hunnymonster. I am sure there are IMRA people out there who will have the answers.

jeffontour

I've a pair of Puma Trailfox 2s which are a decent show for when there's a mix of road and trail. They are however very tight on the toes so getting a decent fit might be an issue.

The roclite range from Inov8 are a bit bigger round the toe area than the Puma I find but not as much cushioning for road running. They have far superior grip to the Puma offroad however.

donothoponpop

Have a look in the main imra thread, there's a lot of good advice on footwear there.

FWIW I just got a pair of the Soloman speedcross 2, and they...are...feckin'...brilliant! They are a tad on the narrow side.

Covenline

i have a pair of karrimors, run everywhere in them, on road, off road, up and down mountains

great shoe

chatoon

I use a pair of Inov8 Roclite 315 and I've found them to be really good on the mountain runs I've done - sadly the only thing they don't do is increase my speed dramatically!:)

bazman

The inov-8 talon 212 are the best out&out hill racing shoe I've come across (http://www.inov-8.com/Products-Detail.asp?PG=PG1&L=26&P=5050973028). These are light, low profile and have super grip. However they are not suitable for roads nor training as they can result in increased muscle damage (normal for racing shoes) and sole will not last long.

There is no single solution for mountain races and it depends on route and conditions. If it's good underfoot then regular road shoes are often sufficient.

In terms of IMRA races I'm normally deciding between:
- Inov-8 212: wet/rocky conditions
- Asics DS racer: dry conditions or races with prolonged road/trail sections
- Asics DS trainer: long races in dry conditions

My advice is have one hill specialist shoes (e.g. inov-8, salomon, montrail) and one set of road shoes with good grips.

For training in the hills I normally just wear my regular training shoes (e.g. Nimbus). If conditions are bad training I would probably wear my salomon speedcross.

Hope this helps

Edit: Warriors is primarily a road race, so I would go for road racing shoes with good grip and just 'survive' the little hill

stmochtas

Some great advice folks. I will use this once it comes to time to start shopping. Got some good stuff on Imra too.

EdgarAllenPoo

Am I the only one that likes the ASICS Trail Attack 4? I don't do an awful lot of trail running but they're also good for ordinary road running or even using on a treadmill. Nice and tight and I don't seem to get any ankle discomfort with them compared to other runners.

Dutchie

Hi folks i'm 'competing' in a couple of adventure races this summer.

My normal runing shoe is Asics gel nimbus 12 fitted with orthoditics (size 48)
Can anyone recommend a trail shoe of similar design, with a big toe box.

Many thanks in advance.

T runner

The Columbia Ravenous might be worth looking into. A well cushioned shoe with very decent grip. Try before buying ofcourse.

Ah_go_on

Dutchie wrote: »

Hi folks i'm 'competing' in a couple of adventure races this summer.

My normal runing shoe is Asics gel nimbus 12 fitted with orthoditics (size 48)
Can anyone recommend a trail shoe of similar design, with a big toe box.

Many thanks in advance.

I use Nimbus 12's myself which I love (size 14!) however I find the Asics trail shoes (Lahar etc) very tight around the toe box comapared to the nimbus'. I use Columbia switchbacks which I find great for adventure racing (I go up a size though), they aren't waterproof but I prefer that as they let water out - easier for those big puddles you'll find yourself in.

BananaR

EdgarAllenPoo wrote: »

Am I the only one that likes the ASICS Trail Attack 4? I don't do an awful lot of trail running but they're also good for ordinary road running or even using on a treadmill. Nice and tight and I don't seem to get any ankle discomfort with them compared to other runners.

This was a question I had been meaning to ask for a while - May seem a bit sad so apologies in advance, if the fashionista in me is battling the runner , but I am drawn towards the design of trail shoes i.e. the colours, style of the shoes are much funkier and was always wondering if there are cross-over shoes - trail shoes which are also geared towards 'normal' road running ??

sconhome

Dutchie wrote: »

Hi folks i'm 'competing' in a couple of adventure races this summer.

My normal runing shoe is Asics gel nimbus 12 fitted with orthoditics (size 48)
Can anyone recommend a trail shoe of similar design, with a big toe box.

Many thanks in advance.

The iNOV-8 319 may be worth looking at. It has the same heel to toe difference as the Nimbus giving it a more comfortable feel that its lighter brothers in the Roclite range. The toe box is spacious and well protected too.