Footwear

[Regan]

What do people generally wear for trail running?

I have Asics Kayano running shoes for road running and also a pair of New Balance cross trainers that have been
through a lot but are a little old now.

I have seen a few different brands of trail shoes but have never worn or tried a pair.

To expand on the question, would a pair of cross trainers suffice for the 100? I can't imagine road running shoes such as the Kayanos being 'too' good for the different terrain....is that a fair assumption?

Is there any brand and model anyone would recommend?

At the end of the day our feet are gonna take a pounding so would be great to give them the best platform to work on lol

Cheers for any help.

[Aaron]

Hey Regan,

The choice in footwear is hugely wide and varied. I would say the most important points to consider are comfort, durability and performance. I have heard many people wear normal road running shoes and perform fine on the day. Other people will wear minimalist shoes (Vibram Fivefingers) and most people will wear specific trail running shoes.

I personally will be running in the New Balance MT101 which is pretty much a racing flat that is purposely built for trails. It only weighs in at 220g per shoe which is extremely light, about half the weight of a normal gortex trail shoe, and has excellent build quality. I have not worn any running shoe with an elevated heel for 18 months so this particular shoe suits me, my running style/biomechanics and is conducive with a mid - fore foot strike as it has limited cushioning in the heel.

I also do weekly training in Vibram KSO's in order to strengthen my arches and the connective tissue/musculature in my lower extremeties. I find huge benefits with incorporating this training as it strengthens my ankles and knees for the trails and the uneven ground encountered. I am not yet at the stage to wear these for the entire 100km's so they remain a training tool at this stage.

As far as trail shoes go, they are the category of shoe most people will adopt for trail running and this race. They are designed with toe guards, have more advanced lacing systems and have far more aggresive soles for traction in tough terrain. Gortex shoes are an option as well to keep the feet and socks dry however, on the road, gortex shoes tend to trap the heat into the foot and therefore operate at a higher temperature. I also have a pair of Salomon XA PRO 3D Ultra gortex shoes. I use these for hiking and general outdoor use when required. I can definitely vouch for these shoes as being excellent as far as trail running shoes go. Salomon is a very reputable brand and make many other trail shoes, possibly the most models of any trail running shoe company. They would definitely have a shoe to suit your needs. They are slightly on the expensive side but guaranteed, they will not disappoint when the going gets tough. Other brands of note are:

The North Face
INOV-8
Brooks

Apologies for the ramble but more info is better than not enough I suppose!

Hope this is of some assistance.

[ranga]

hey fellow nthfacer,i ran in asics 1140's & they were fine.There is a wide variety on wiggle.com a uk bike store have a look.cheers

[Anthony]

Hey Regan,
Some great advice already given but here's my two bobs worth as well. I used both trail & road shoes last year. Trail shoes through to check point three, then road shoes to the last check point, then back to trail shoes for the last stage. This seemed to work well (which was more a fluke than good management) as there is a lot of technical stuff on the first three stages and switching back to road shoes half way for a lot of the fire trail stuff was a very comfortable option.
Regarding the type of trail shoe, I think Salomon offer a great range and I have only heard great things about them. Unfortunately I have a broad foot and found the Salomon too narrow for me so opted fop Northface Sentinal which seems to be a slightly wider fit and I was more than happy with them.
Same plan for me this year but will probably go with the Northface Single Track shoe this year as it a little lighter, combined with the current NB road shoe that I am using.
Best advise is to get out and try a stack of different brands and models, get the lightest shoe that feels good and be weary of shoes with huge toe guards, do more damaged than good i think.
Good luck

[Jaci]

Hi Regan .. .and other 'posters'  ... I have broad feet, have tried Nike, Mizuno and Asics road shoes .. loved Mizuno, and would get them again if I was getting back into road running.  

Since discovering Salomon shoes I have not looked back.  They fit like a glove and the Speedcross-2 model are light and the best ever shoe for keeping dirt and sand out due to the fabric on top.  I have had to increase my shoe size twice as I've increased my km's, but still wear all three pairs depending on which distance I'm running.  I have found them to be excellent, personally think they are way better than the Lafumas I recently bought to try.

I have just ordered a new pair to wear-in for TNF this year, but have opted for the latest Speedcross design which have Gore Tex included, but keeping with the light design.  

I buy absolutely everything from Wiggle.  I know some of TNF sponsors would be disappointed, but you really do get the best quality at less than half the price, free delivery, and within 5 working days usually ... definitely check it out

Happy running!
Jaci.

[ranga]

yeh i get my gear from wiggle or try eastbay.com also.

[Chris]

Checked out wiggle today. Looks fantastic.
What are peoples thoughts on trail running in vibrams or similar barefoot style shoes??
Obviously this has taken off in the last few years but I'm still skeptical of putting in serious km's with something like that on. I've suffered a few niggling foot issues in the past 18 months and after going through 4 pairs of shoes and 2 sets of orthotics I'd had enough of sore feet n started running in $20 slip on shoes from cotton on. A few months on and myfeet feel great but I'm in the process of increasing my km's (hopefully in training for TNF100 if I can get a spot) and am unsure how far to take this before going to a light weight trainer of some sort.
My thought are if there's no pain etc with this 'no support' approach then why not keep it going.
Any ideas?

Any thoughts?

[Glen]

Ive adjusted to VFF's relatively quickly, but then ive always been barefoot any chance i get day to day or jandals if i must (thongs for you aussies!) - so think i already had strong feet. Im up to running regular 50ks a week incl runs of upto 25km on the *road* in them.
I have zero pain, no sore calves or anything from them - and LOVE running in them. My uphill running ability/strength increased markedly.

BUT..... Im still not sure about 'serious' trail running in them. The TNF has long stretches of gravel roads - which arent the best to run on in barefeet (or VFFs)..... Otherwise i think id be %100 starting in them. As it is now, im about %75....

The "problem" i have now, is that shoes feel weird to run in, and it takes me a little while to adjust on a long run. The biggest thing i notice is that shoes feel heavy!

And the other thing to be warned about VFF's is after a few decent runs, they absolutely stink!!!   

[Andrew]

Hi Regan and all

Here is my advice for what it is worth. Kayanos are made for an oiver pronator so if you are running in them on the road and find them comfortable then it is probable that you are an over pronator and need something that supports you in a similar fashion in a trail running shoe. I use the kayanos on the road and asics trabucco on trails. I suppose in the end of the day everyone is different and what works for one doesn't always work for the other. Best advice would be to get fitted out in a store and find the shoes that you feel comfortable in, then order on Wiggle.
Personally,even if I walk for too long in a pair of thongs I have dramas in the calves. hope you get it sorted out soon mate.

Andy

[Alan]

My tuppence

Am now a full barefooter (VFF) road but not trail; saw a few in last years TNF100 and they took a lot of strain, one broken toe even I heard. Ran last years (pre Barefoot tryout) in some Asics trail shoe, was fine, no real discomfort but pretty heavy after 70k. I am looking at Inov-8 x and the Merrell Footglove to trial now as both are minimalist and apparently as close as you can get to trail runinng barefooot not using VFF's. Similar to one of the guys above, I'll run all road(ish) in the VFF and all trail in either of the other two.

[Dean]

Another tuppence worth,

Have run trails in Salomon - Speed Cross and Speed Cross 2, XT Wings 2 and LaFuma.  Speed Cross 2 by far the best.  Have new Speed Cross XT on order (Gore-tex), so will see how they go before the day.  Training now mainly in Speed Cross 2, but now back to walking too, due to knee pain (not due to shoes).  Best trick is to try different shoes if you can and try to pick a combination of light, good ankle seal, variable lacing and waster resistance.  Last thought - nothing worse than getting an 'all-singing-all-dancing' shoe that becomes a lead weight when wet.

Good luck all,

Dean

[Adam]

I was fitted years ago for Asics Kyanos. Nice shoes and wore them up to and including v16. Recently I thought I should get professionally fitted again.

My new shoes were Mizuno Wave Inspire 6. All of a sudden- no knee pain! I'd been assuming my knee pain was due to my longer runs- over 20km each weekend, but it turned out I was wearing the wrong shoes....... I loved the Kyanos, but for me (maybe not you) the Mizuno's totally rock!

Second story- we were training for Trailwalker 2010 and I had bought some well respected trail shoes. I had hideous pain all over the bottom of my foot. Off to a shoe shop and I bought some Salomon XT Wings 2. Wow, what a difference! I've had to modify these with some Superfeet inserts but they were great for a 6 hour run last weekend.....

Best advice- get professionally fitted. Do not go to a chain store like Athlete's foot. Go somewhere that has video cameras and a track and can actually study your style.

[Chris]

Definately agree with the comments advising going to a proper running shoe shop to be fitted properly. If you're in Sydney my vote is 'Running Science' in Roselle. Great staff who actually run (at least one staff is an ultra runner) so I trust the advice.

Has anyone tried the Brooks Adrenaline ASR trail shoe? I've found the normal adrenaline a pretty good platform in the past and am considering trying the trail version. Also on that note, anyone tried the cascadia?

[Paul]

Re the Brooks cascadia - I discovered this shoe a month or two before TNF100 last year. I thought it was ideal and wore it for the race. I had spare shoes in each of my drop bags but didn't need them - the cascadias were great.

[Sharene]

Run in whatever you normally train in.  I have done 3 North Face 100k runs now, all in VFF, but I always either run in them, or barefeet.  I would not be able to run in anything else.  I've done numerous other 100k runs in them too, so really, make sure you're comfortable.... and enjoy the ride