Second this, with trail you have to factor in the surface & elevation in terms of it slowing your pace but also increasing your HR. I dabble in both road & trail, they are both quite different but great.
And just like in the road sector, trail shoes have been evolving over the years. I started with 2x pairs of Salomons (speed cross for the mud/snow & Elevate GTX for everything else). Eventually got the 1st gen Brooks Catamount for when it was dry/events. Now got a pair of ASICS Trabuco 14 GTX that I absolutely love. A hydration pack is helpful, you can often find them cheap in the middle aisle in Aldi or decathlon is a good shout. And if you get into the longer distances then you get to eat actual food, which is nice.
I also loved the old Inov8s and run in Brooks road shoes. Someone on here recommended Brooks Catamount Agil and I love them. Drain brilliantly, really grippy but also good over rocks. I used them on the OMM in the lakes last weekend. Very happy with them.
You might have luck with Brooks Catamount or Cascadias! They both are fairly narrow and have a protective rock plate. I also love Topo Mtn Racers- they have a wider toe box but are narrower everywhere else, and they have vibram soles with great traction. As a general heads up, I have narrow feet too and swear by heel lock lacing- it’s been a game changer and prevents a lot of heel slipping!
I used to like the Brooks Adrenaline GTS series until they changed the design so i’m using the Brooks Catamount line now for trail runs, no complaints.
I have a broad forefoot and a narrow heel. Brooks has been good to me as well as La Sportiva. Prodigo Pros and Caldera 8 is what I am working with now. For faster nimbler shoe I have been using the Catamount. Not sure about this latest version, haven't tried it.
Hello. I come from the same issue. I had major issues with Plantar Fasciitis after running in the Speedcross and S/Lab Speed for many years.
My first shoe was the Hoka Speedgoat Evo. That was an epic shoe, but sold out everywhere so quickly I only ever ran in one pair. Since then I’ve tried many similar shoes, looking for great grip, soft and bouncy ride, but good stability as I over-pronate, plus I recently developed osteoarthritisin my big toes.
So, I really rate the following:
- Hoka Mafate Speed 4. Good all rounder
- Salomon S/lab genesis. A little narrow and unstable but speedy and shed mud quickly
- La Sportiva Prodigeo Pro - great foam and good grip, lightweight.
- Saucony Xodus Ultra - 1 and 3 are pretty good, ignore the 2.
- Hoka Tecton X 3 - my go-to race shoe for hard packed trails and gravel
I like the Speedgoat, Catamount, Fuji Lite, Ultra Glide too but they all have compromises that the shoes above don’t have in the same way.
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.
bedevere1975
