UKC

I posted a little while ago about plantar fasciitis, and am very grateful for all the advice and good ideas. I would say my PF is 99% gone, after some determined calf-stretching, new orthotics, and (to my surpriase) acupuncture. I entered a 30 mile race a few days before PF steuck in October, it's in March, I am (foolishly) hoping to recover enough fitness and distance capacity to run it.

And for that race I need some new trail shoes. I am wedded to Hokas for the support, but am disappointed in Speedgoats because their lugs are not that good and the uppers wear through very quickly. Anyone tried the Hoka Mafate? Any alternatives, maybe even (softly be it spoken) not Hokas but similarly supportive?

I have used Hoka Mafate for years great shoe and support.Did not like the Speedgoat

I love my Speedgoats but also find the grip not great and the lugs wear quickly. I've not done it yet but I'm considering getting them resoled as the midsole has loads of life left. https://keycobbler.co.uk/collections/vibram-repairs/products/hoka-resole 

Few different tread options here which look better than the originals. 

If you are looking for better traction I don't think the Mafate will impress you.

If you want to stick with Hoka the Torrent may be a better choice.a

Not tried them, but the Nnormal Tomir look pretty interesting.

Torrent are fast and grip is a little better but not as cushioned as the Speedgoat (in my opinion). In a way they're more stable as they have less stack height though. Good for shorter runs but I don't think I'd want to do 30 miles, particularly if any significant part of it was on rock, hard packed trails, tracks or paved sections.

All my most comfy shoes are rubbish in the mud though! I love Hoka Challenger or Scott Kinabalu Ultra RC but they'd be sliding around quite a bit in poor conditions.

This is a tricky one really. All my grippier shoes are basically too stiff for me to enjoy running in them. I do remember a very old pair of Innov8 Roclite being excellent in the mud whilst still feeling light and flexible.

Nnormal Tomir 2.0 ( make sure its v 2.0 and not the original, the midsole foam was changed and is now better in v 2.0 )
Great outsole, definitely better than the Speedgoat, and the whole shoe is bombproof.

The trail shoe I'm most excited about is the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro - comes out in Feb/Mar and is getting rave initial reviews. Being called a supershoe, but without a plate

I find the scarpa spin series to be quite speedgoaty (fairly stiff, rockered). I would guess the spin infinity is most like the speedgoat but personally use the speedgoat for trails and the spin st for more traction. Not sure if you'd get orthotics in the spin st though, you'd need to try.

The 1.0 are fine. Over 600km on my pair and about to get them resoled. 

Brooks cascadia. on my 10th pair

Merrell Peak 5. Didn’t get on with Hoka for the same reasons. 

Salomon Speedcross 5 are still my first choice for.long alpine races, sadly I cannot get the Speedcross 6 to lace tight enough to be a good fit and I can only get the old 5s from America now.

The Dynafit Ultra 100 is a really.nice shoe but I have not tried them on a longer race yet and I find it necessary to go up a full size to get the right fit which is tricky when you are stuck with size 12.feet.

I have a pair of Spin Infinity but they get little use. I find them very stiff and harsh on my feet after the first 5km or so

Have you tried the solomin thundercross? Just moved over from speedcross 6s (which I found ware out so quickly) a fair bit lighter and quite snug. Worth a punt at 80 quid.

I've been tempted but haven't tried them yet.

I imported 2 pairs of Speedcross 5 from America a couple of months ago and they should keep me going until 2027

This is my worry with grippy trail shoes for long distance (say over 20 miles). The bulk and stiffness. Do you find the Speedcross to be soft/forgiving on hard surfaces (even a bit of road) but grippy in mud and fairly light/flexible? Asking for a lot here I know!

Huge thanks, lots of very helpful ideas here. Will post feedback when I've decided!

I wore then for 15 years. The plus they last and are (were) bomber. I find them OK on hard services. I have to run two miles in the road before I get to the hills and never have an issues. But they are not light and I feel they have poor grip on almost everything except snow and forest track.  They are pretty hated in this forum but I like em, they last and are always less then 80quid. Even won a few races in them.

I don't think many people agree with me but the Speedcross just work for my feet, they don't feel soft or forgiving on first acquaintance but I've never had a problem with them.

Last year I used the same pair for the UTS 100k, Snowdon Skyrace, 160km of mountain terrain at UT4M and 220km up to my retirement at Tor des Geants. My feet were perfect and pain free throughout apart from some abrasion to the soles due to the boggy ground at UTS.

When racing i only use anything different for winter XC and shorter fell races with steep/fast slippery descents.

Similar user case I have ended up using the Saucony Xodus for about 5 years. I get around 600km out of them and keep a stock.

I like the Speedgoat but I found they wore out very quickly.

I used to use Speedcross but the fit is very narrow and the uppers have always split where you flex your toes.

Was reading with interest to see if there were any other gems being unearthed.