UKC

Hi

Anyone have any advice on buying trail shoes . Am doing a run later in the year which will most likely follow goat tracks over hills on not too steep , wet or high terrain. Was thinking something like the asics gel cumulus but to be honest haven't got the foggiest. Went into a major running retailer and didnt get much help and left confused ( more road based)

What do I need to think about and any recommendations ?

Thanks

In reply to kingjam: always used salomons myself.they have a great lace system and last for ages. there are expensive but if you search about you can get a good deal.

In reply to kingjam:

A decent running shop should have some runners on the staff who do some off road running. Might be worth seeing if you have a small specialist shop. Fell shoes are nice, but often overkill for most of-road running. Also if you've never worn a pair of thin soled Inov-8s or Walshes, then they're quite different. As mentioned Salomon's are good trail shoes. Personally I have a pair of Asics Gel-Trabuco's, which I really like. But shoes are very personal, so best to try different ones on in the shop. Basically you're looking for a shoe with a thinner sole and more grippy/knobbly bits on the soles.

In reply to kingjam: La Sportiva range has a good mix of cushioned and minimalist trail shoes,

www.sportiva.com

In reply to kingjam:
You'll probably get a lot of good recommendations here, and there's plenty out there to choose from. Anything from Inov8 is usually fantastic, and I also recommend the North Face Singletrack shoes as something that has the comfort of a road shoe with a plate in the sole so they'll stand up well to rough ground. I recently did a 100km trail race out here in Japan in a pair of those, pretty much straight out of the box (I'd only taken them out for a few short road runs around the city the week before the race), and they were mega-comfy and I had no foot problems at all in them...

Enjoy your race

Tony

In reply to kingjam:

Three things that might be worth bearing in mind are:
1) low heels make a shoe more stable which means you are less likely to sprain an ankle. (Off-road you won't need as much cushioning as road shoes). For me, that rules out the Salomons I've seen.

2) Get shoes that drain well. Again, this rules out Salomons: you want shoes that are easily permeable low down, preferably where the movement of your foot will pump water out. Don't be taken in by the Gore-tex myth when it comes to footwear: most water will get in over the top at the ankle.

3) If you enjoy your trail run, you may well find that you want to start fell running, so get shoes that will allow you to expand your repertoire.

I really like Mizuno Wave Harriers, though for wet rock and grass, and mud they aren't as good as full on fell shoes.

In reply to Solaris: I agree with the high heel on the salomons (esp the speedcrosses). avoid if you go over on your ankles much!

Don't over do it - it's addictive but don't think you can do too much too soon. I did and I had to lay off for aaaaages. now slowly building back up to where I was before!

In reply to kingjam:
Re the salomons. Very comfy shoe, (speedcross), but not suited to wet grass or deep mud, analthough the heel is fine on dirt paths/tracks. Despite an earlier comment I find salomons wear out very quickly, the speedlace system acts like a cheese wire on the uppers. La sportiva do some very good shoes at a similar price to salomon but are much better of road, and more comfy than they look. At entry level you want a sole with good grip, a bit of cushioning, but above all feels comfortable when you try them on.

In reply to Ridge:

Inov8 roclites, Salomon Speedcross and Mizuno wave Harriers are good all rounders. Not full on fell but more than just road shoes with deeper tread.

Go for fit and comfort over features.

Have fun.

In reply to sbrt: http://www.mizuno.eu/en/sports/running/products/footwear/unisex/trail/36238...

http://www.inov-8.com/New/Global/Product-View-Roclite-315-Slate-Azure.html?...

http://www.salomonrunning.com/others/product/speedcross-3.html

In reply to king jam: It depends if you'll actually keep it up after this race.

Inov8 and walshes are brilliant shoes, I don't rate the salomons, personally though, for a first shoe I'd go for something like the Adidas Kanadias, you can pick them up for £30 at the moment. They fit your criteria and they're cheap, if you decide you love running you'll still have a solid trainer and can upgrade at a later date, if you decide you don't like running or only do it every once in a while you'll have a decent shoe and won't regret spending £90-£100.

In reply to kingjam:

http://www.sportsdirect.com/adidas-kanadia-4-mens-trail-running-shoes-21303...

I'm sure I've seen them cheaper too.

In reply to kingjam:

Yup, Kanadias are pretty good for the money. I've also got a pair of Saucony Jazz Trails which I prefer - bit more supportive. I've been using the Jazz road shoe for ages and these were a logical choice for trail use. However, if your trail run is as you say and you road run already, I'd consider doing it in road shoes. Used my road shoes off road on paths, tracks and trails for quite a while and only got proper trail shoes to cope with mud in bad weather.