![]() ![]() One downside to these wings is that they rubbed my right foot to the point where I didn’t risk running for longer than an hour in the shoe. The carbon plate in the midsole is forked under the heel and forefoot to allow for flexibility on uneven ground, and it has wings under the forefoot to increase stability. The Summit Vectiv Pro is built to help you roll through your longest runs on firmer trails, with a high stack of foam and a pronounced rocker design. The upper has been changed to Inov-8’s Cordura mesh material, which drains well and should be more hardy than the upper on the original X-Talon 210, which I found did develop small holes during the long XC season. This second version has the same outsole as the original, with the huge studs made of a highly durable graphene material that does a decent job of finding grip on hard surfaces, so you won’t slip on the short paved sections that occasionally crop up in cross-country races. I took on the notoriously boggy course on Hampstead Heath, north London, in the previous version of the shoe and didn’t slip once, despite the sometimes knee-high mud. It’s very light and has 8mm lugs that provide superb grip in all conditions. Some people will never be persuaded to use anything other than spikes for cross-country, but if there’s one shoe that we reckon could convince almost any runner to switch to studs, it’s the Talon G 210 V2. If you like to hit the trails for easy runs and would rather do so knowing that the shoe you’re running in has caused as little damage as possible to the environment you’re enjoying, the Allbirds Trail Runner SWT will suit you just fine. When it got really muddy the 4mm lugs did struggle to find grip, but on all other surfaces the shoe was fine. However, it is still a solid trail-running shoe, and I enjoyed lacing it up for easy plods through my local forest, tackling a variety of terrains including roads, hard-packed trails, grass and boggy ground. It’s a pretty heavy and firm shoe, lacking the comfort and bounce you’ll find elsewhere. Performance-wise, the Trail Runner is not as impressive as other options on this list. The materials used in its shoes include Merino wool, tree yarns and foams made from sugar, which offers a welcome alternative for runners who worry about the environmental impact of their footwear and gear. The Trail Runner is the first off-road shoe from Allbirds, a brand that uses natural, sustainable materials to make all of its products. If you plan on running on both roads and light trails, my favorite road-to-trail shoe is the Inov-8 Parkclaw G 280, which is comfortable for long stints on the asphalt but still grips like a champ when off-road.Those who want a versatile trail shoe for all kinds of terrain will be well served by the Saucony Peregrine 12.If you’re heading for the mud, my top pick is the Adidas Terrex Speed SG, which has 7mm lugs that bite into soft ground to provide reliable grip even when running at speed.It grips well on a range of terrain, is comfortable, and can handle slow and fast runs alike. The Hoka Speedgoat 5 has a well-earned reputation as one of the best ultramarathon shoes, but it’s also simply my favorite all-round trail shoe, even for shorter distances.What Are The Best Trail-Running Shoes?īelow you’ll find a range of excellent trail-running shoes to suit all types of terrain and lengths of run, though if you want the fast track I’ve put a few favorites first. I aim to run at least 50km in each shoe I review, and test trail-running shoes on a range of terrains on runs of varied lengths to see how the grip holds up and how comfortable the shoe is. Coach now publishes full reviews of trail-running shoes, so in time all our featured recommendations will have more detail about our experience with them. While all the shoes in this round-up have been tested extensively, some don’t have my own photos or a standalone review. Trips to see family in Scotland and the Forest of Bowland occasionally allow for more intense trail shoe testing on fells and (small) mountains, but living in the south of England it’s hard to recreate the mountain tracks some trail shoes are designed for. For the most part I run on well-kept but muddy forest trails, but I also spend many winter weekends plowing through mud for cross-country events. Although I primarily target road events, I do a lot of trail running during my training.
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