UKC

Hi,

I'm looking for any recommendations anyone might have.  I have signed up for a 55 mile ultra in March and need some more cushioned shoes suitable for this longer distance.  I have low volume feet which are quite flat, and I need something with quite a low arch.  They will need to be good in the mud and on tracks.  Everything cushioned I have tried so far either has too much volume or too high an arch.  I have tried on Hoka Speedgoats, On Cloudventure, Inov8 X-Talon Ultra and a couple of others I have forgotten.  La Sportiva shoes all have a seam towards the back of the arch that chew my feet up.

The trail shoes I usually wear for short runs (about 10km) are Inov8 X-Talon 212s, and for medium runs (about 10-18 miles) are On Cloudventure Peaks when muddy or Inov8 Trailroc 285s when drier/only on tracks.  These are all comfy with no arch issues, and suitably low volume for my silly feet!

Any wisdom will be much appreciated, thanks!

In reply to HimTiggins:

How technical/muddy/fast is it going to be? Luckily you've got few months to try out and figure out what to wear.

Saucony Peregrine 10 or Xodus 10 (bit more cushioned, but same otherwise) might do the trick. They are among the best all-rounders I've tried. 

Hoka Mafate too, but I feel like I would now either choose Xodus if it was muddier/technical or something lower profile. 

I've seen people mentioning Salomon Sense Rides for ultras. As much as I like them for less technical terrain and their incredible road-like ride, I always felt like they were just a bit too harsh for me. 

In reply to PPP:

I can vouch for the Saucony Xodus 10. Got them to replace a pair of Hoka ATR Challengers that fell apart after just 300k.

Saucony’s are now on 550k of muddy on/off road running and they look like new once the mud is sluiced off. Got them for just £59 from a Spanish website. 
Great cushioned ride for a ‘do everything’ on/off trail shoe.

I’ve had a couple of pairs of Salamon Sense Ride’s in the past and these are a step up in comfort, traction and durability.

In reply to HimTiggins: Given that you get on with Inov8 it might be worth asking them if they have a suggestion

In reply to wbo2:

I’m not sure if Inov-8 has any cushioned shoes. Terra Ultra and Trailroc would probably be the most suited yet both have quite low stack height. I recall someone was arguing that Inov-8 measure stack height differently as they might exclude lugs, so 4-8mm underreported?
https://www.inov-8.com/mens-ultra-running-shoes

Highest stack is 21.5mm/13.5mm in the list. Not maximalist/highly cushioned by any means. 

In reply to HimTiggins:

Update in case it's useful for anyone. I ended up buying saucony peregrine 10s, into which I've put an extra thin volume reducing insole. 90 miles in and so far they've been excellent. Amazing grip in everything but properly sloppy mud, but it's quite a niche shoe that is good in those conditions. Absolutely no sign of wear yet, which is promising and a bit surprising as the rubber feels mega grippy including on wet rocks, so I did wonder if they might wear quickly. Due to slight injury I've not done anything further the 16.5 miles in them in any single run yet, but the cushioning feels pretty good, still has good ground feel and over longer distance the rock plate should be very welcome.

In reply to HimTiggins:

Been watching this with interest as I have similar size/ shape issues. I recently bought the fellrunning version of the perigrine, (perigrine st), which has been doing me well up to 20 miles in the bogs. Plenty of grip etc. Previously used saucony koa mud and new balance minimus, but they don’t make either anymore .

In reply to RM199:

I tried the ST too, thinking I might appreciate the deeper lugs, but they just didn't fit as well. I guess it goes to show it is so individual and you really should try a selection if you are able to. 

In reply to HimTiggins:

Inov8 Roclites? After some Solomon sense ride 2s and Saucony Peregrine 10s I was somewhat underwhelmed by their firm cushioning, but over time they seemed to get better, or I got used to them. The grip is surprisingly good in the sloppy stuff, as good as X Talons in the mud IMO. I've done a 42 mile round in the the Lakes in them