I need help finding new trail running shoes. My feet have two major issues:
1. I have a very prominent heel with the heel bone "bulge" being a bit higher than perhaps normal, and many shoes give me heel blisters - especially when running/walking on a steep incline.
2. While my feet themselves aren't exactly wide, I have a massive big toe and in a lot of trail runners I get blisters on the edge of it.
The shoes I tried:
* Saucony Peregrine 14 and 15: these shoes came the closest to being a perfect trail running fit - except for the heel. While not an issue on flat trail runs, after I had to do a steep run/walk I would start getting heel blisters.
* Asics Fuji Lite 6: perfect heel fit, very comfortable even on long ascents. But my big toe would develop painful hot spots and eventually blisters even on a 10 km run.
* La Sportiva Prodigio: Flawless heel fit, pretty good big toe space - on a 15 km run, I get a hot spot, not a blister. So they are still not perfect. I also notice that the outer side of the shoe opening digs into my ankle bone when I tighten them for descents, which is a new annoyance (but not a deal breaker by itself).
Note: the shoes I use for hiking are the La Sportiva Wildcat. They fit absolutely flawlessly, I've done 16 hours hiking days in them and never had a single foot comfort issue. They just don't run very well.
I live in Squamish, BC and run in the local mountains, so the shoes should have good scramble ability.
Any suggestions on what shoes to try next?
Tecton x2 is one of my favourite trail shoes. Not a soft ride and not the quickest I have used but does everything I want really well. Is hard wearing too.
Personally I would say the tecton x3 is the quicker shoe. Much bouncier ride though does sacrifice some stability for it.
Adidas speed ultra. You dont have issues rolling ankles? You will in these shoes. Fastest shoe ive tried on open fire trail but you hit the slightest bump wrong and it tries to murder you. Definitely not for heel strikers. Fit didn't agree with me either so gave them away.
I will echo other that the prodigio pro might just be the best all round shoe I have used on the market. Not plated but holds speed just as well and handles technical terrain with ease. Sizing can be tricky with them though
Have tried the metafuji trails on and the heel felt wildly squishy and unstable. Seeing them used on trails confirmed that for me. Everyone I have seen using them collapses in badly through the heel once they get off the forefoot
adding to the gel venture point, if OP wants to go a bit higher in budget I’ll also recommend trying out Fuji lite 6
I used GV9 for almost 350kms, great shoe. Currently started using Fuji lite 6, great experience so far.
I’ve tried a few: Salomon Ultra Glide 1.5 is fast but narrow, Hoka Tecton X 2 is comfy but less quick, and Asics Metafuji Trail balances speed and traction well. Go for something light and grippy for long runs.
If the Asics fit generally works well for you then perhaps one of the faster, plated Asics trail shoes, such as the Fujispeed or Metafuji Trail, might be worth a look.
I do agree with earlier posters that the MtC H1 is a light, fast, comfortable shoe.
I have found the Superblast 2 to work reasonably well off road so long as nothing very rough or technical is on your course. I ran a 5k through a vineyard with gravel/dirt double track and grass etc. in it and didn't have any issues. Haven't tried the Megablast in a similar scenario but I have used it on buffed trails and gravel with no issues. Its geometry and outsole design is similar to the SB2's so I would think it would be at least as good in terms of grip and stability. It's probably faster than any of the other shoes I suggested except the Metafuji.
Top Trail Running Shoes on Reddit
1
Mount to Coast
H1
85% positive of 177 users
Versatile road-to-trail, but struggles on wet, technical downhills.
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