Think I can chime in on this one - just finished Gorge 100k in the Cascadia Elites last Saturday. Truly a fantastic shoe, never needed a shoe or sock change and felt like they were stable enough to handle really rocky sections, cushioned and soft enough for the back half, but speedy enough to carry me faster on longer descents.
I have insanely wide feed too, almost always wear 2E widths. I’m a huge Brooks fan and burned through just about every trail option available from them trying to find a racing shoe before getting my hands on the elites a couple weeks before the race. Calderas didn’t feel poppy enough, Ghost Trails felt kind of flat too. Cascadia Elites left me with almost no hot spots on my feet after 100k, which is truly unheard of for me in ultra races. Ran a 24 miler on trails with significant vert 3 weeks out fresh out of the box and they felt fantastic even then.
They’re pricey, but glad I pulled the trigger. Probably the best race shoe I’ve ever run, up there with the best shoe I’ve ever put on my foot outright. The tread could be slightly more aggressive on snowy, muddy, or other extremely technical terrain, but function really well as a moderate trail/road hybrid. Will get another pair this year. I hope they put out a 2nd.
Of course. Happy to help.
I got hooked up as a tester for the shoe way back. The 2 is a better shoe. The 1 was flat. I just picked up the Cascadia Elite but haven’t tried it yet. I think that could be a good shoe to try for you over the adidas. Feedback so far from others is good. Try the prodigo pro too. It’s a great shoe. I also run in the Zegama, which is very cushioned. It’s a little over engineered and heavy, but I think it works well.
Honestly, pick one, go full send, and don’t overthink it. You can have a back up shoe to quiet the mind, but I don’t think you’ll need it.
Brooks cascadia elites and la sportiva prodigio pro are my 2 top picks for drainage. Both happen to have really good grip too.
Speedlands are terrible for drainage and the lasportiva prodigio 2 are also pretty bad (how they get one great and one so bad is beyond me.
Hoka have been somewhat alright with the models I have tried, tecton x2 being the absolute peak for drainage there.
Keep in mind wear rates vary greatly between different people. Ive chewed speedboat 5s out in less than 300km yet seen a pair that still looked great going over 600km
Mega grip elite has shorter lug depth and a stickier softer rubber. For the vast majority of people it will wear out quicker.
My cascadia elites use that out sole and I can already see wear after 80km of purely trail use (admittedly steep and technical terrain)
Personal preference says not to waste a near $500 (aus) shoe on road use when it was meant for trails
Both Speedgoat and H1 might feel a bit faster on technical terrain, and if you run shorter distances (anything sub ultra) they might suite you better. However for long outings I much prefer the Zegama 2 to the speedgoat and the H1 (even returned my H1's after just trying them on).
If I want fast I look towards Hoka Tecton, Kipsummit Race, Prodigio Pro, Cascadia Elite
6'4 230lbs
Slow shuffler
1:05hr 10k
9:30hr trail 50k
Fit
Usually run in Brooks 10.5 ordered the same. Fit TTS I have a wider forefoot and they have good room there.
Upper
Every running shoe should have these laces. Material is light and drains crazy well. Was running in slush/snow/puddles and they drained super quick.
I'm nervous about the heel. On flat shoes felt awesome. Found a small hill and went up and down a couple times and could feel how stiff the heel counter was... Didn't blister but could feel it. I've gotten hot spots in Brooks heels before and they have been on. Hopefully these break in.
Midsole
Shuffled around at 6min km to 7min kms on icy/slushy roads park trail. Foam felt similiar to my Zegama 2s they have some squish but don't feel unstable. There's a plate in there somewhere but feels like it's there for stability.
The platform is really wide and stable. Felt like I could cruise in these and monster truck through rocks all day...if the heel works for me (need one longer runs to see)
I've been doing my long road runs in the superblasts 3 and they definitely have more bounce but they have a simpler level of stability cruisers to the cascadia elites
Outsole
The lugs don't feel clunky or super aggressive. Could run comfortably on the dry patches of sidewalk, snow, slush I came across.
To be determined
Hopefully the heel works out because I could see myself running in my spring trail marathon in these..super comfy, dry quick, and feel great for cruising in
I wish the Brooks had the Zegama heel cup/padding b/c it really works for me. Also the Brooks upper material is way better it drains quick and I imagine it'll breath really well
Underfoot the Brooks has more squish but isn't mushy. I would take the Brooks foam over the Zegama.
Have worn Brooks road shoes glycerins mostly.
Been running in the superblast 3s and have been loving them on the roads
Trail shoe I've run the most in is the Zegama 2s. Have gone through 4 pairs
Cascadia elites are very stable. You can tell there's a plate thing in the heel it keeps the shoe stable and encourages you into your mid foot/forefoot. Forefoot is flexible and feels good.
Brooks Cascadia elite. Ran a trail marathon in it two weeks ago. Unreal foam and upper, great outsole. Not the most aggressive lugsHeel cup is very stiff it can rub if you have a bony heel... If you've run in Brooks stuff before and had no issues you won't with them
Pretty cool to see. It might be good to separate series’ though (even though I understand why it’s done). Speedgoat seems to vary a lot year to year, the Prodigio Pro isn’t at all like the rest of the series and same for the Cascadia Elite.
Probably a combination of things. The x3 was my first pair and probably the most comfy step in feel I ever had, and it felt like the whole shoe just hugged my foot; side note that the x3 shreds the back of my ankle past 10km if I don’t wear a padded bandaid. Not long before getting the x3, I remember jumping over a log landing in some loose dirt and moss, and it all just fell into my shoe (I think that was the speedgoat 5). So, the added protection from that happening again is appreciated. And all three gaiter shoes I have are generally very well reviewed.
I have similar climate and terrain to the PNW.
If you’ve never had to stop to get something out of your shoe (or at least would’ve benefited from that even if you pushed on) then you likely don’t need a gaiter. I remember Dave Roche laughing at the gaiter on the x3 thinking it was stupid because he’s never once had that be an issue.
Id also add that not all gaiters are equal. The cascadia elite is the worst of the three that I have. it isn’t snug enough so there’s a small gap by my side ankle bone; some people complained about gaiters being difficult to put on (I’ve never had that issue) so maybe this was Brooks’ solution for that.
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.
adam5457
