Does this trail shoe exist?
I've been trail running in Western Washington for around 15yrs and been thru a lot of shoes. Here's what I'm looking for. I have shoes that have most of these features, but have not found one that has them all.
About me: 50yo male, 210#, 25-35 miles per week (some weeks closer to 100 during the summer), steep/technical terrain, lots of rocks and slick durt/mud
1. Super foam midsole
2. Plate (rock plate or propulsion)
3. 6-8mm of drop.
4. Good energy return
5. 4-5mm lugs
6. Grippy (mostly) full rubber sole
7. Reasonably padded tongue
8. Stack in the 30mm-40mm range
9. Handle 30+ mile days
10. Can be found for $100 or less on sale
Most recent shoes
Merrell Agility Peak 5 - almost perfect but tongue is too thin and causes discomfort when having to tighten on steep downhills, good foam, but wish it had better energy return. Love the mega grip sole.
Saucony Endorphin Rift - close to perfect. Main issue is the lack of plate leads to more rock strikes than I want. Great energy return.
Nike Zegama 1 - great cushion and energy return. Sole didn't have enough grip and no plate.
Saucony Xodus Ultra (v.1)- again very close but felt very unstable, rolling my ankle numerous times.
I have a pair of North Face Vectiv Enduris 3 to try, but I know the 3mm lugs is will keep them from being my daily shoe, but that seems to be the only thing holding them back.
Was a big fan of older Xodus series, but have not liked it as much since they switched to the Ultra series. Also less interested in the boutique brands since they are rarely on sale. Go thru too many shoes to be dropping $150+ every time.
What am I missing that's out there? The cost piece can be anticipated due to brand (e.g. Merrell, North Face, Nike and Saucony go on sale or on Sierra.com).
I used to run in a pair of Vectiv Enduris 3s and really liked them. The toe box was just a bit too narrow for me which is why I didn’t get a pair of 4s.
I probably have 500+ miles on my pair of Enduris 3s and still don’t think they’re worn out. I just got annoyed at the blisters I’d get for long runs; I still pull them out for shorter runs. They’re really fun to run in and do wish they were a bit wider. I would like to try sizing up another half size and see if that fixes my issue, but it is an expensive gamble for a problem that only pops up after I’m out for ~20miles.
I'm willing to buy shoes online from brands that I have good experience with (and I can compare the new shoe to their older model from some online review) or I need to try them in a store or ideally during some club run event. In Czechia TNF running shoes are hard to find in person.
I've tried old Vectiv model in some skyrunning expo. I had to downsize (ie. risk for any future online purchase - downsize or normal size?) and the midsole was quite unstable and harsh. I'd need to firstly get convinced by trying them out before really considering them. On the other hand from the years of running I'm comfortable with buying online shoes from many other brands, so there is no need for me to risk it with TNF.
Late to this thread, it popped up when I was searching on a release date for the Vectiv Enduris 5. I have had a couple editions of the Vectiv Enduris and the Alta Mesa 500 plus the Offtrail TR. I was among the early adopters and have been happy with any and all that I have tried so far. Engineering, technology, materials, build quality, fit, and comfort have been all on a par or better with other brands' trail shoes that I have run in through the years. I will be purchasing more going forward for as long as I run trails.
To reflect on others' comments, I tried the Arc'teryx trail shoes based on perception of brand quality and did not like them at all. They were too similar to Salomon trail shoes which I also did not like, though those have improved in recent years. La Sportiva has also come a long way and now makes trail shoes I enjoy running in. La Sportiva and TNF are probably my top two favorites at the moment. I am also liking Norda right now.
Could there be an issue with accessibility? I live in an area with above average running trail access and do not know where to get TNF locally except at the TNF store the next town over, and the trail shoes have disappeared from their inventory more recently. There is one running store, over half an hour away, where I have seen TNF trail run shoes. I know people that want to try on shoes first before buying, so if access is primarily through ecommerce then I can understand widespread reluctance. Hoka and Altra are two brands I probably see the most locally, both in stores and on people's feet.
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