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I have not run in the 9s yet as I still have a pair of the 7s that have some miles left in them. I did try on the 9s at an REI and the 9 in a wide felt substantially wider than the 7 in a wide that I have.
I am in the same boat with wide flat feet and about 200lbs. I have found the best success with the Altra Lone Peak (although I know you said you didn't want zero drop). The other shoe that has worked for me is the Inov8 Trailfly in wide. They also just released the Trailfly Max if you want a bit more cushion. Both are 6mm drop.
I just bought their trail running shoes, zero drop, and they’re way too flimsy for the technical trails I run. I can use them for walking the dog.
I don't know about Nordas myself, but about Inov-8. They quite recently brought back a zero-drop model, and they have wides available. I also get heel slippage with Altra 9+ wides, Trailfly zero has nice and snug heel. Trailfly Zero is basically same width in the toebox area, but shaped differently. Altras rub my big toe, Inov-8 squishes my little toe. For the same shoe size Altra is a bit longer and more voluminous, it could be half-a-size difference.
I have been told by my podiatrist that my feet are hypermobile and I run and hike (lots) in zero drop trail runners only (inov-8 and Altra). Never had boots for any of my adult-life serious long distance hiking. I agree that your PT should give you specific strengthening exercises for your particular issues but I see no advantage wearing boots … just heavy and hot and very slow drying. Every blue moon I roll an ankle but that’s because of tough terrain, not boots, and I’ve never injured my ankles in the process.
It's a very personal journey to find the right trail runner (and I wouldn't hike in anything else, plus I never had ankle issues etc). My favorites are Topo and Altra for hiking only but I tend to use trail runners for trail running and hiking outside of thru hikes. Inov-8 are my favorites for running plus hiking. But others swear by Hoka or Salomon, both of which don't work for me (too high; too arched). So if you can, try a few different brands and see what feels right from the get-go!
I have hobbit feet with a bone condition in one foot. I wear Altra. Innov8 trail fly in a wide are comparable as are Topo's all be it they do have a high arch. The other brands have some wide offerings but having tried most of them the above are definitely the widest in my opinion.
Inov8 Trail Fly do a wide fit for what is already a wide fit shoe. They are the only thing I have found that is wide enough comparabley to an Altra.
I run moderately technical trails in the Inov-8 TrailFly (wide) and I love them. Good traction, decent rock protection etc. They've done a lot of miles and are still going strong. I'm considering the RoadFly to replace my Kinvaras now that Saucony discontinued the wide fit.
Inov-8 TrailFly are my current wide-fitting trail shoe.
I've put 200km on my Inov8 TrailFly and they barely show any sign of wear. They're an awesome shoe: ample toebox, low stack, low drop, solid grip.
i have wide feet and i run in inov8 wide fit (i think the model is called trailfly?). not sure if they’re good for flat feet, but in my daily life i wear a pair of custom insoles that maybe could fit in trail shoes too? i personally don’t wear those when I run though
Hi, Not much of a runner (bits of trail here and there, but nothing to write home about). Just signed up for a 20km fell race so need some shoes. Will of course try them on before buying, but any suggestions? I run in either Hoka W torrent 2 size 7, or Innov8 Trailfly wide in a 6 or 6.5 With the hokas, I feel super stable, but get blisters on the outside of my little toe and big toe, within 2km so I think they are too narrow. With the trailfly, no blisters and very comfortable around my forefoot, but I feel like I’m going to roll my ankles (and do if the ground is uneven) and pronate, which has never been a problem for me in any other shoe. I have a very forefoot strike, although slightly more midfoot if tired, and other than in my trailflys, pretty neutral gait. I do have an old Achilles injury caused by pressure from a seam in a too small pair of hiking boots - it’s well rehabbed but I do get tendinopathy easily if a shoe places pressure on it (I can have shoes that touch it, just when they dig in I have no tolerance for that). I do think I do maybe slightly spin my heels out on landing (possibly landing lateral forefoot and rolling towards big toe, resulting in heel spin), because I always kick the inside of the other ankle. I have reasonable arches so do find I get numb toes if the laces put pressure in the wrong place. I have tried many, many times to find shoes that work for me, had gait analysis etc, but the best shoes I’ve found are the 2 above, which I don’t think fit well enough to take the increase in running I’m about to do (or indeed, the terrain?). It’s one of the things that puts me off running is I’ve never found shoes that feel good. Apologies for the long post - hoping if anyone has any suggestions it’ll be a starting point, otherwise I’ll be running through the mud in January barefoot 🤦♀️😬 I live in north west England
Rankings by Use Case
Top recommendations from others in the same boat
Best for Deep mud and soft ground

Top pick
Salomon - Speedcross Series
Best for Quick draining and drying for wet trails

Top pick
Hoka - Speedgoat Series
Best for Road-to-trail transitions

Top pick
Nike - Pegasus Trail Series
Best for Steep technical descents

Top pick
Salomon - Genesis Series
Best for Technical rocky terrain

Top pick
La Sportiva - Prodigio Series
Best for Ultra-marathon racing

Top pick
La Sportiva - Prodigio Series





