Topo - Specter TASPM1, TASPW1

My most recent race shoe purchase is the AP4. Haven’t run a full in them yet, but have done some shorter races. Previously, I’ve raced halfs and fulls in the Clifton 8, Vaporfly 2, Alphafly 1, Endorphin Speed 2, Adios Pro 3, Zegama 1, Topo Specter 1, Endorphin Trail, Endorphin Pro 3, Endorphin Speed 3, and Tyr Valkyrie Speedworks. AP3 has been my favorite of those. Ran 2 halfs and 2 fulls in them plus an ultra and then put a lot of miles in them as a daily trainer. Great shoe. AF1 was great too, but I did a lot more daily miles than races in those.

Topo makes shoes from low 20s to mid 30s stack with zero to 5mm drops. Various models (primarily Cyclone and Specter) have been my go-to now for the last three years. I came from Hoka and Saucony where the widths and lower toe boxers were hard on my feet especially during longer mileage weeks.

Oh dear.... Let's see what I can name from memory... 1. Track spikes 2. Carbon racers 3. Altra Vanish for speed days 4. Mizuno Vista for fast long runs 5. Asics Nimbus for cushioned easy runs (won these in a raffle) 6. New Balance something for cushioned easy runs (bought these because they're cute) 7. Topo Terraventure - favorite trail shoe 8. Saucony Peregrine - cute trail shoe 9. Altra Olympus, and 10. New Balance Leadville - trail shoes I just don't wear much but are in too good shape for me to toss 11. Saucony Endrophin, 12. Topo Specter, 13. Adidas Adizero - these were all the Boston themed shoes, and I wanted them all. I've only worn the Saucony so far. They're all tempo shoes. 14. Brooks Ghost - fun print, given to me as a gift. 15. Brooks Revel - Christmas pattern, so I save these for Christmas runs 16. Nike Zoom Fly - tempo, won these in a raffle 17. Altra Escalante Racer - don't love these, but they're small, so they're solid for when I'm traveling and need a shoe that doesn't take up space in a suitcase. 18. Altra Escalante - These has 355 miles, so I can probably toss them. Um. I have a problem...

Or the Topo Spectre / Cyclone for real Pebax foam. Both comfortable while still having great energy return and some ground feel.

I’d wear whatever your long run shoe is, at those paces. Don’t overthink it. Comfort is gonna be king for 5+ hours on your feet. I ran a 4:27 last year in max cushion Altras, then a 3:55 in the spring in Topo Spectres. Still haven’t talked myself into a super shoe. Maybe once I’m pushing for 3:30.

Topo Athletic. Specter or Cyclone. Love them.

Topo has a whole line of wide toebox shoes. The Atmos is great for easy, long miles, the Phamtom is the daily trainer, the Cyclone for speed work and the Specter for longer speed efforts

They actually narrowed the toe box in the Bondi this year so you may have to go with a wide width. It’s a lot firmer than I remember, but that may make it feel more nimble while running, enabling to go at different paces. I second the Topo recommendation. They have the Phantom for daily training, the Cyclone for speed work, the Atmos for recovery runs and the Specter for longer marathon training runs.

Agree, also generally wear a women’s D width and the Specter and Cyclone has been very enjoyable to me. For OP, if you want something with a little more stability, the Topo Ultrafly might be a shoe you can look into, but for trails, you could try the Vista specifically comes in wide width, though you might not actually need a wide in Topo. I got my dad into the Vistas and I haven’t seen him take them off since he got them, he’s on the trails a lot for a 72 year old and he just loves them.

Most of the shoes recommended are 5mm drops so should be fine. The Specter has a lot of extra foam extended from the heel that gives some added protection for heel strikers without having to increase the drop. I didn’t really notice a difference when I went from 8mm to 5mm. You can use the Topo website to try to find a dealer near you. There is only one running specific store that stocks them in my city and then some outdoorsy chain stores that have a small variety of shoes, mostly trail, and I only live in a mid-size market in Canada so I’m optimistic that the website will be able to direct you somewhere local that has them.

Another huge Topo fan and would also recommend the Ultraventure (I’m on my second pair lol). I wear the Ultraventure and Mtn Racer for trail and Atmos on road. I did try the Specter for road but they were too narrow for me. On that note their customer service is really good and I landed on Atmos after they told me that is their widest road shoe and Specter is the narrowest.

You could give Topo Scepter a try. I find them very padded under my forefoot and a little springy. Max run in them so far is 10mi, no complaints from the feet.