Ultraventure Series

Road shoes or a road to trail shoe. I rain a similar timed event with similar terrain wearing Topo Ultraventures a couple weeks ago and they were great.

Topo Ultraventure is a solid alternative. Nike Zegama also similar.

Topos are the best for larger people and wide feet. I have tried all that are listed above and have found the topo ultraventure to be the best!

Topo does the wide toe box. My Ultraventures have a 5mm drop, Terraventures have a 3mm drop and there is also the mtnracer model as well (haven't tried that one yet).

They are very comfortable and roomy for me with good lugs. They feel a little weird walking on pavement so mud, gravel, rocks, roots, and sand are all good but pavement is a no unless you enjoy suctioning to the pavement. If you need them to do pavement as well, look at the Terraventures which are bomb proof in durability as well. I think my husband has about 800 miles on his Terraventures with the outsole still intact. I have a lot less on mine but it should be well over 300 miles on mine and still waterproof. Terraventures come in waterproof and non-waterproof, fyi. The Ultraventure is a lot cushier than the Terraventure but both do a good job of protecting your foot from the rocks and roots. I can not speak to durability on the Ultraventures yet as I have only put 100 miles on them but so far they are still looking like new other than the inside heel. As to the inside heal, I have to use stickers in all my shoes as my heels always rub through all shoes there so that doesn't count against them in my book (Haglunds deformation is obnoxious but the stickers are a cheap fix).

Topo Ultraventure is where it's at!!

I made the switch the opposite way. I hated the Ultraventure. They felt like marshmallows on the bottom of my feet. Soft, sloppy, and too high - like wearing platforms. That said, I'm on trail only during approaches mostly. I love the Lone Peaks and just bought another pair. It's true, though, that you can blow through soles quickly. Have you considered the new Lone Peaks with the Vibram sole? I was going to buy them, but took advantage of an Altra sale and got Lone Peak 8s for $80. Just my 2 cents.

One more YES for Lone Peak. Are you used to shoes with a bigger toe box? If so, they'll be great and you should be fine on rocky terrain. I find the Topo more smurf-like than the Lone Peaks. Too marshmallow-ey for my taste. I think the switch to 0 drop is minimal. I wouldn't over think it, but you'll know.

I went from Topo to Altra. The Topos were too squishy for me - like walking on marshmallows and not appropriate for anything off trail. The foot doctors against zero drop seem misguided to me. Zero drop definitely improved achilles issues for me and also shin and knee discomfort. Why would you put the foot in an unnatural position?

If you are looking at Topos, just know that the MTN racer has a narrower toebox than the ultraventure. Mtn racer didn't work for me but ultraventures do.

You could get a road to trail shoe like the Topo Ultraventure. That's my trail shoes right now and I use my novablasts for road only.