NNormal - Kjerag Brut

I have the same problem as you and the shoes that block my heel best are the NNormal Kjerag and various Salomon models such as the Genesis

The Normal Kjerag Brut has a fantastic outsole for muddy and wet slopes but you should expect premature wear if you run on more abrasive surfaces. The La Sportiva Mutant are a good compromise but not as light as the Kjerag

As always it’s very personal depending on how well the shoe fits my feet and the terrain I’m running in (technical mountains, mud, rocky). I like sky running races around 20-30k and VK’s. Sometimes short road races from 5k to Half Marathon. Current rotation: - Merrell Long Sky 2 Matryx. Great allrounder. - VJ Ultra 3. Cushion. Great for easy and long runs. - NNormal Kjerag Brut (mud) - Salomon Aero Glide 3 (road and treadmill) Recently retired shoes: - Nnormal Kjerag 1. Fast but too small lugs to have good grip in mud/loose debris. Too little cushion for me. Kjerag 2 has more cushion but same outsole. - Nnormal Tomir 2. Great allrounder but didn’t fit my feet (too little big toe space). A bit heavy when wet because the insole keeps a lot of water. - Salomon S/lab Genesis. Great allrounder but worse grip on wet rocks than Vibram Megagrip and VJ. - VJ Maxx 2. Really good allrounder. But didn’t fit my feet (too little big toe space). Shoes I’m considering next: - La Sportiva Prodigio Pro - Merrell MTL Adapt Matryx - Merrell Skyfire 2 Matryx

I live in the UK and haven’t had too many issues finding places to try them on. The Tomir is a decent do it all shoe, capable of doing any trail run and some light fell imo. I don’t like it for rougher fell terrain as I find the stack really high (and the lugs are not that deep). I’m hoping the new Kieran Brut may be a bit better there (need to try them on) but I was saddened to see only 6.5mm lugs and seemingly a high stack. Points for durability. Would I take the Tomirs over my La Sportiva mutants as a do it all shoe, or my VJs? No, but I do like them quite a lot and those shoes I’m comparing them to set the bar very high.

Haven’t tried the Tomir, but the Nnormal Kjerag is money 🤙🤙

Nnormal Kjerag is my main shoe right now! Love them, can’t wait for the Kjerag 2 this summer 🤙

I’ve been using the Saucony Xodus Ultra 2 for the muddy PNW trails this winter. Love em, but the grip is terrible on wet rocks. You kinda have to choose between one or the other. I just picked up a pair of the Nnormal Kjerag and the grip is phenomenal, although the cushion and tread is fairly minimal. I have a half marathon and a 20 mile race coming up I’ll use the Kjerag for… but I think anything longer than that I may snag the newer Kjerag Brut that has more cushion and larger lugs.

I have the Kjerag, great shoes. I’ve put about 200 miles on them and the tread barely shows any wear. I use them for everything in the PNW (US), with the only downfall being swampy conditions due to smaller lugs and poor ventilation. They run a little hot, and the stack is pretty low, but they’re extremely light and nimble - a great speed/race shoe! The Kjerag 2.0 comes out in July and should be better ventilated with a touch more stack.

I have a pair of Kjerags, the cushion is minimal and I personally wouldn’t go over 50k with them. The Kjerag Brut has an extra 6-7 mm of cushion and larger lugs (available through REI), and the Kjerag 2.0 will be released in July with more cushion than the current version. I think it’s a fantastic shoe!

I have a pair of Kjerags, the cushion is minimal and I personally wouldn’t go over 50k with them. The Kjerag Brut has an extra 6-7 mm of cushion and larger lugs (available through REI), and the Kjerag 2.0 will be released in July with more cushion than the current version. I think it’s a fantastic shoe!

I also have extremely narrow, long, and low volume feet. Finding shoes that fit length wise, but also fit volume wise has always been a struggle. I finally landed on the Nnormal Kjerag and I add a thin insole to help fill in some of the extra volume. The shoes fit like a glove! I’ve ran a handful of 50ks and half marathons with nothing but happy feet 🤙

Yeah, probably best option for the conditions we’ve had so far

Kjerag Brut has 6mm lugs and midsole is supercritical EVA. Very nice on muddy downhill, the toebox is not narrow but not as wide as Altra/Topo. You need to get 1/2 size down from your normal size. Also Norda just released 001A with TPEE foam and 5mm lugs.

Mafate Speed 4 is still great. Big fan of the Nike Zegama 2 these days too. Both are on the heavier side but are very protective and have great grip. I feel a bit more nimble in the Mafate though. I have a Kjerag that I really like but I guess I have poor footwork because I think I need more cushion. I really hurt my foot landing on a root in the last race I wore them on. Mafate Speed 4 Lite is very cool but I want to see some reviews from trail runners. Hoka is positioning it as a lifestyle shoe which I think is odd and is causing it to be looked over by real runners (I think).

VJ MaxX2 and Arcteryx Norvan SL3 are my current go-to for northeast trails. Nnormal kjerag is a good option that sort of splits the difference between those other two, but isn’t as good as either one.

Here’s my contribution. I haven’t done controlled tests like you did, but I run a lot of rocky vertical terrain and have put lots of miles in all these shoes. Trying to focus here on wet rock grip from the outsole and ignore other shoe attributes (fit, lock down, flexibility/stiffness, weight, cushion, etc) that also come into play with their overall ability to do the job on wet rock 5: VJ Maxx 1&2 VJ Spark Arcteryx Norvan VT (limited mileage) 4. Arcteryx Norvan SL 1, 2, &3 Salomon s/Lab Sense 7&8 Nnormal Kjeraq 3. La Sportiva Helios SR La Sportiva Vertical K & VK INOV-8 F-Lite 195 2. Whole bunch of older inov-8 x-talon and RocLite models NB minimus Salomon s/lab ultra 3 Salomon s/lab sense 7SG 1. Old Nike Terra kiger Salomon s/lab sense 1, 2, 3 For spiked shoes, I actually think they suffer quite a bit on rock because they don’t stick instantly like pure rubber soles. 4. VJ Devil 4 3. VJ bold race, VJ ice hero, INOV-8 ORoc 280

There is a new version coming out. I don’t think the changes are substantial though.

Yeah, the kjerags are a good option. I have a pair, but prefer the norvans for steep and technical stuff. Norvans are lighter and fit my feet much more precisely. Kjerag upper is a bit sloppy on me so my foot isn’t as secure as I’d like for rocky downhill stuff. Kjerags definitely have a little more cushion and “pop” to the midsole, which is nice, but not enough cushion or outsole grip that I’d reach for them over my preferred all-arounder: VJ maxx2

My recommendation would be the VJ Maxx2 I also really love Arcteryx Norvan SL3 for steep technical uphill stuff, but these are maybe a bit too minimal for a lot of people’s taste and I think they’re discontinued. Bought a pair of Vertex Speed Low to try as replacements? But they’re not really the same. You could also try Nnormal Kjerag. This kind of splits the difference between the two shoes I listed above. I found the upper to be a bit too sloppy (foot will move/roll relative to the sole on off camber stuff) compared to the other two though, so I don’t trust them at speed in serious technical terrain. That’s pretty specific to my foot though, otherwise I think I’d be a big fan.

I don't know about hybrid shoes, but for trail I've settled on Nnormal shoes. I have the Kjerag and love them. They also do a softer model, the Tomir, that I'm eager to try. I would highly recommend having a look at them.

Im ~85kg and found that i prefer firm and responsive when running (short) races, with a not-too-stretchy upper. I think the brooks catamount could be a good option - they feel fast, stable and sturdy (i have the 2’s). The kjerags works well for me too i must say.