I started (M/43/UK) running properly when I was 36. I had attempted it for a year or so, thinking 1-3km was a run and I’d be totally done. Started on tarmac and thought it was all about speed. Since moving to fell and trail I absolutely love it.
I’ve had many different shoes over the last few years, but my best advice would be to go to a local store like Runners Need/Cotswold Outdoor or similar and try on some shoes. If you find a pair you like, pop online to see what the best price available is on sites like Sportsshoes.com. Or, if money isn’t an issue, and you want to support local independent running store then go for it.
I’m using Asics Gel-Trabuco 13 GTX, which I love, but previously I had the Salomon Sense Ride 5’s which covered me for almost 1100km on trails/fells before I retired them.
Other shoes have been Hoka Challenger 7 ATR (more trail/road mix) since moving to trail and they were ok.
Fells can get pretty wet, with loose ground, so I’m tempted to look at some Nnormal Kjerag 2.0 or Inov8 shoes as my next pair. Something with real grip.
Enjoy the trails!
Hoka Challenger ATR 7, only pair I’ve ran my ultras in. Two 50k races and one 50 miler and my feet have fared better than the rest of my body lol. Got quite a bit of rain in the back half of the 50 miler and had no blisters.
Did you get them in an official store? This doesn't seem in line with my experience. I have Challenger 7 ATR's with 700 km without any abnormal wear and basically still good for at least 200 km, Challenger 8's with 300 km and looking brand new, bondi 8's with 300 km and looking brand new.
Could be that you got fakes or the pair you got is original and a dud.
I’m curious to hear what everyone is running in at the moment — which shoes are in your active rotation, what you use them for, how many kilometres they have, and which pair is currently your favourite.
Here’s mine:
**Trail rotation**
* **Hoka Challenger 7 – 517 km**
* **Salomon Glide Max TR – 396 km**
* **Salomon Ultra Flow – 180 km**
* **La Sportiva Prodigio Pro – 57 km**
**Road rotation**
* **Puma Deviate Nitro 2 – 257 km**
* **Mizuno Wave Shadow 4 – 424 km**
* **Hoka Bondi 8 – 163 km**
* **New Balance Rebel v4 – 136 km**
**Current favourites:**
* **Trail:** *La Sportiva Prodigio Pro* — insanely fast and capable, basically brings road-shoe speed into the trails. The bounce and responsiveness are on another level.
* **Road:** *Puma Deviate Nitro 2* — a super comfortable daily trainer that can still pick up the pace thanks to the carbon plate. Very closely followed by the *NB Rebel v4*, which is ridiculously light and fun for everyday runs.
What about you - what’s in your rotation right now, which pair are you enjoying the most, and are you currently considering buying any new shoes?
I run on exactly these sorts of surface mixes every day. In 100% dry conditions, the SL will be fine. If it’s damp, the dirt trail could turn slippery. I use the SL ATR for those surfaces when it’s damp or wet, and it’s perfect.
HOKA Challenger 7s
HOKA Speedgoat 7s (but still getting some kms out of my 6s as well)
Not a fanboy of the brand but every time I’ve gone into a shop to try on different shoes they’ve always been my favourite.
I’m on my third pair of Hoka Challengers as they’re great for the majority of what I do, with a pair of Speedgoats for harder terrain. They last pretty well too with my most recent ones going for 1,200k before I retired them and I still use them for walking.
(I’m not a Hoka fanboy but whenever I’ve been into a shop to try new shoes, I’ve still always preferred these ones).
I have a love/hate relationship with Hoka. I've had two amazing pairs of Challengers and a pair of Speedgoats but I've also had a pair of each I've had to ditch because of severe rubbing on my Achilles. Same size and fit as what I've had before so can't find any reason for it. But I've yet to find shoes I like better than those models.
I’ve had three pairs of Challengers; first two were great but the third really rubbed on my Achilles. Maybe just unlucky as I will probably get another pair at some point as the other pairs were so good.
I have Speedgoats and like them but depending on how technical/difficult a more hybrid shoe like the Hoka Challenger might be a better one.
If you can, definitely get to a shop and try some out as you never know what will be right for you.
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.
Est__1982
