Trail shoes or not?

[Jesse]

Hi everyone,

Just looking for a bit of advice regarding shoes from those who have done the full event before. I've never used trail shoes before for anything over 12km and am very happy with the road shoes I use (Mizuno) and can easily spend all day in them. Also, my feet are a bit fussy and I don't really like changing shoes too much.

So, how necessary it it to use a pair of trail shoes? I bought a pair of Salomon Speed Cross 2 the other day (haven't run in them yet) purely because I thought they'd be better for grip and more comfortable on single track with the stiffer sole, but now I'm less sure.

I'm sure plenty of people have done the race in road shoes...thoughts? Suggestions?

Cheers,

Jesse.

[Joshua]

Hi Jesse,

I am a bit like you in the fact that i prefer road shoes to trail shoes.  i ran TNF100 last year in a pair of road shoes and apart from losing my big toe nail afterwards (which i think will happen anyway) they were fine.  i run in Aasics 2140's and they are fantastics for me....i guess everyone is different.

good luck

josh

[Tegyn]

Hi Mate,
I did Kanangra to Katoomba, which covers some of the off track sections of TNF100, in Vibram FiveFingers, so I reckon you'll be fine in whatever you're most comfortable in!

good luck!

Tegyn

[Peter]

Hi All,

On the topic of trail shoes, does anyone have any advice on what trail shoe brands/models are best for people with wide feet, to date I have found myself restricted to running in asics road shoes of various models, however now that I am attemping an event of this length over the type of surfaces likely to be faced I am playing with the idea utilising trails shoes this time. I know asics do trail shoes, however have heard mixed reviews about them.

Regards,

Peter

[Luke]

To All,

I mainly use asics road shoes for marathons etc and last year I purchased a pair of their trail shoes (Trabucco) and found that is was a similiar "ride". The only main difference is the stability as trail shoes tend to have more cushioning and stability and to be honest if you have not done a huge amount of trail running this can come in handy when you are attempting to run through the dark on uneven surfaces with tired feet!

I saw a lot of people running in normal road shoes, even some in racing flats but I guess it is what you have trained in and if you are confident with the strength of your joints especially your ankles to last the strain of the uneven surfaces.

My suggestion would either to get a quite stability based pair of road shoes or you can get a pair of trail shoes that are more for flat trails or road as they tend to be lighter.

I lost both my big toenails, they have only just recovered and yet I am running it again!

Luke

[Patrick]

Hi all and Peter,

I ran Oxfam Trailwalker last year in both my road shoes and trail shoes and found it beneficial in changing shoes, mainly due to comfort.

I am lucky enough that my road shoes -Brooks Adrenaline GTS- also come in a trail shoe.

Peter, I have wide flat feet and have found the Brooks Adrenaline ASR to be a great trail shoe.

Although one thing I did learn last year was the importance of having strong ankles! It saved me alot of heartache.

Cheers and good luck.
Paddy

[clinton]

gday All
generally Brooks make shoes with the widest last so best suited for a wider foot.
i have just purchased a pair of Solaman Trail shoes and will have a crack at them this weeknd on trails around redhill (victoria) so will let you know how they go

[Steve]

Hi All

Love my brooks adrenalin road shoes, but i just dont think sole is agressive enough for keeping 95kg on the trail, using North Face rucky chuckys this year, so far all my trail running in them has been great.

good Luck and see you there

www.sleepmonsters.com.au

[Stephane]

Hi Jesse

I ran the race last year with a pair of Brooks didnt want to change my shoes a few months before the race. didn't have any problems other than tearing the top of them with some branches so they were "dead" after the race. But i did have a spare pair of shoes available @ CP4 just in case - gotta have asome back-up!

I got myself a pair of Boas before Christmas and have to admit i love them..! so will run with them this year.

Good luck
steph

[Kent]

Good question Jesse,

I am holding off buying a pair of trail shoes (NF Rucky Chuckys).

If you have a pair of Trail Shoes should you restrict wearing them when only doing trail runs or are you ok to wear them on road runs?

I think at this stage that I will wear both but am trying to work out if I should start off in road shoes and have the trail shoes for the evening/night. Any feedback from experienced NF runners?

Kent

[toby]

Hey Jesse,
Am training heaps in the dandenongs (vic) in my rucky chuckys for the past few weeks and am loving it. Before that I was doing the same runs but in road shoes and wish I'd made the transition to trail shoes earlier due to grip issues on decents, toe protection etc. Not sure what I'll do on raceday, will probably start in trail shoes and have the roadies with my crew if I've made a bad choice

Cheers
Toby

[Jesse]

Just an update. I've been running in the trail shoes since January and really like them. I'll be using them in the race. Yes, I am a flip-flopper.

[Roger]

Interesting read -->  just to reply to Peter (of the wide feet)

I've got wide feet too and have tried a few brands in trail shoes. The Mizuno Harriers are really really good, if you're a neutral foot and comfortable in Mizuno. They have come out with a recent slightly chunkier comfier looking version called the Cabrakan which looks like it would be comfy all day and is a bit more supportive. Brooks (as I think someone else said) are pretty generous across the foot, but I've found the ASR's which I used a little for trail are a bit heavy and spongey and take away from the run because you notice that they're making you work a little harder. Inov-8 take a little effort to work out your sizing (because you need to order from overseas --> got to recommend ZombieRunner.com if you're doing that) but from my own experience you want a half-size (EU) up from Mizuno that you fit or a full size (EU) down from Brooks that you fit. Running trail now in Inov-8 Roclite 295s. I was recommended against them because I have a wide foot, but the way that their lacing works with the body of the shoe, they fit lovely everywhere without any imbalance - no hard squishy bits to balance saggy empty bits - and they are just really comfy and responsive. Drove to 6 Foot in them, ran for 5 hours, didn't change out of them to drive back to Sydney. Just to illustrate - Inov-8 really comfy, really fit well once you work you're size out, and happy on a wide foot.

And like everyone here says - whatever works for you is going to be whatever works best for you. Good luck with it.