[Closed] Trail Running Shoes

I’m ~100km in to a pair of sportiva mutants. Liking them more than the brooks cascadia’s they replaced.

I got some Sauchony Peregrines a month or two ago and have been using them on a mix of road, trail and forest tracks.

Finding them really comfy, supportive and they don’t feel too heavy.

I previously had Brooks Calderas that I didn’t get on with and ended up selling.

Inov8 Roclite 290 v2, I have these but I also have a pair of Inov8 Roclite G345 GTX for hiking, so far I have done just under 600km in them with hardly any wear. Both of them have the same sole, seem to grip on any surface you throw at them.

I have;

Sauchony Peregrine 10 - very comfortable and good grip. Most recent pair sent back under warranty as hole developed over little toe. The 11 looks a better design.

Inov8 TRAILROC 270 - Fits the foot really well, great grip but have little padding. Only done 45km in them so far and am waiting for the knees to start complaining.

I have:
Nike Pegasus Trail - great all round shoe, the gravel bike of running shoes. Not great in proper mud but about as good as it gets for an all rounder.
Nike Terra Kiger - bit more aggressive than the Peg, and a little less cushioning. Quite a tight toe box if that worries you.
Kalenji XT7 - cheap Decathlon specials. Brilliant grip in the mud, surprisingly fast. A bit narrow but the upper is quite supple.

Recently traded up from Salomon Speed Sense 3 to Speedcross 5 GTX. They are superb, so comfortable even after 20 days running on the trot. Tread is aggressive but they are working well in the Tweed Valley for me so far

La Sportiva Akasha ... I’m on my third pair and think they’re fabulous. Run all over the NY Moors in them and wear them for all my trail runs .. short runs, marathons/ ultra ...never given me any bother at all.

Ha! So that's about recommendations to go on... 🙃

I have a pair of Topo MTN Racers. Great on muddy, hilly trails. Bit rigid and aggressive for extended fireroad.

Inov8 Trailroc was an old favourite of mine but little arch support and cushioning made them brilliant for proper fells ie lakes and north Wales but not great on the stuff op describes.

I tried Saucony Perigrines and disliked them. Cheap nasty trainers sold at big money. No stability in the foot, and retain water. Take the insole out and there is another 2nd layer of polystyrene that you can pull out. Stones poke through.

My latest have been Hoka Speedgoats. They are quite platformy so going over on an ankle could be an issue. But the build quality is up there with Inov8, and they feel responsive. The grip is brilliant too apart from mud where to be fair they are a bit lame.

Personally would be Hoka for me

I’ve gone off Hoka One One - last few pairs have been noticeably poorer quality / worn out quicker than expected and I’m not a heavy runner that trashes shoes. The lace eyelet also ripped through on some Speedgoats, rendering them useless as it was the top one - rubbish for a trail shoe where you need to keep the shoe firmly in place. Currently trying out some Altras which feel nice for fireroads/ non-technical and some Scott Supertrac for more technical/ mountain runs as whilst I’d like to try some of the new Salomons, the price is getting silly - wait for summer discounts when the next model arrives.

Currently using Mizuno Wave Mujin 7 - lots of padding but they're very wide and I can't get them properly anchored on my (fairly wide) feet, however tight I lace them. Not recommended.

Salomon Sense Ride 3 / 4 are very nice

I have Innov8 Roclites, I really like them and they’ve not fallen apart considering I’ve not cleaned them since they arrived.

Both my boys have Salomon Speedcross and they love them. Been considering a pair for when my Innov8’s give up.

I'm also using the Decathlon Kalenji XT7, on mixed trails of grass, woodland, heathland, fire road and asphalt up to 10km distance and they are serving me very well, best £40 i've spent in a while.

If you like Speedcross stick to them. Bearing in mind they're high at the heel and don't have very much forefoot cushioning changing to some of the suggestions here is going to be a big, and not necessarily positive change

On the basis of recommending what you've got I've gone from mostly Hokas to mostly Innov-8 Terraultra 270's. Despite a dodgy back I'm not really missing the cushioning in the Hokas, probably because they seem to lose their initial bounce very quickly. The Innov-8s seem to be lasting ok on terrain that's recently been mostly mud and despite my scepticism the graphene-grip sole seems to do its job on slippery trails and roots. The Hokas on the other hand have not always worn well and can be an acquired taste on uneven gound - imagine trying to run on cobbles wearing platform soles and you'll get the idea.

I'm not a big runner but I used speedcross 3s then 4 wides.

I'm now in Altra Lone Peak 4.5s and loving them. The grip is nowhere near what the speedcross had. The speedcross made me lazy with foot placement in mud as they gripped well. The altras are wide.

I picked up some Decathlon Kalenji XT7 for £30 just before Christmas because I was slipping about in the mud and they are great in the mud but what really surprised me is how great they are on hard dry tracks as well. They are my go to shoe now

every body has different fit, the speed cross just don't suit me. on the other hand the saucony peregrine are perfect. i'm on my 4th pair. i use them for trail/gravel runs as they have a bit of comfort on the hard stuff, and used them today on a 20k open mountain run. i find them virtually as good a grip as the mud claw or iroc on the proper mountain terrain.

Like you I’ve used speedcross, but given that some of my local trails have become a bit more gravelpath/fireroad, I found them a bit on the thin side for the harder surfaces. Just bought a pair of s/lab ultra 3’s - mega light, comfy out the box and have more of a road shoe springy feel on the hard stuff. They’re still mega grippy on mud/forest loam and grass. Obviously not quite as good in clag as the speedcross but mighty impressive.

Of those mentioned, my ha’penorth:

Kalenjis are a great shoe but I found the toe box too wide, so the way the shoe moved on technical trails would leave me with blisters on the inside of both big toes.

Inov8 Roclite great for typical uk fells if not too muddy. But if you’re in the habit of poking holes in your socks with your big toe, your toes will burst through these in weeks. Trailrocs better for that as the have a toe bumper, good on harder packed stuff.

Nike Pegasus - bought these for those runs that are 4 or 5km pavement to get to and from trails. I’ve done 25k road runs in them too. Been brilliant - the fashionable duck-arse heel is bad for catching on steps when running down steps though. Also using the Wildhorse for harder packed stuff.

X-talons for really minging runs, finally I’ll also dig out the Walshes if it’s really boggy but there’s so little cushion on those, for the trails I do they can be quite painful