MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
I've decided that I'd like to try running round the trails that I usually walk round, and maybe shed some of the lard that has accumulated. Based on recommendations here and elsewhere it seemed that Asics Trabuco Max were the ideal shoes for me, having a lot of cushioning and aggressive-ish tread, but unfortunately the sizes just don't accommodate my feet - 10 is a bit too small and 10.5 is too loose. Where should I go next? I've realised that trying to buy shoes by internet is a bit of a mug's game unless you're confident about the fit, so my choices will be limited to what is available locally.
Hokas are well cushioned and work well if you over pronate. I tend to get on well with Innov8 trail shoes too but some of them are a bit narrow for me so as you say, need to try them on ideally.
Inov8 wide are my go to
Got the trail fly speed, trail fly max, and the none wide rocllites
Plus the roadfly
Love my inov8 shoes but all depends on foot shape and sizing
Roclites are 10.5 and for sale for 40 quid plus post used for less than 50 miles
In contrast i hate Inov8 shoes, or rather they do not work for me at all.
Whwre yiu go next is a shop to find out what does fit
Two pairs of altra olymp 5s in this house, very impressive comfort and grip. Longevity is woeful though and previous hokas were the same and knackered pretty quickly.
There are a few models like la sportiva that I think I might check out next purely as I suspect they may be more robust albeit a bit heavier.
Something I've found with the massive wide soles is that they can feel a bit cumbersome on narrow rough trails, as they catch on boulders and ruts a bit more
Tricky to recommend what will suit others, but I have run in Nike Pegasus Trail for some years now (short road runs up to trail Ultras) and just get on really well with them for everything other than trying to run super fast on tarmac, which I decided to combat by not doing that anymore!
I have recommended them to 4/5 friends over the years of different heights/weights/fitness levels and they've all loved them too, so seem to be a fairly safe universal option unless it's really muddy.
As a slow, old, overweight old duffer, I have switched to Vivo Barefoot shoes. They're very different but I quite like mine, mainly because since switching to them, I've stopped ending up injured. They're slower to run in, but since I spend less time hobbling around after having fubard yet another muscle/tendon/whatever, overall they're faster.
I've been doing some research on this for a while - here and other places - cause as a long-term Asics (roadshoe) fan my Brooks Caldera just don't do it for me. I've gone with Trabuco, should turn up next week. But this website has some other recommendations - and a pretty robust testing process: https://runrepeat.com/guides/best-trail-running-shoes#best-shoes-list
The issue, as you've highlighted, is "best" is less useful than "best for you". Is there a brand of walking shoe you find particularly comfortable when walking round those trails - that could be another place to look
Another household who swears by Hoka’s. I have the Speedgoats and my wife is a fan of the Stinson OG’s You do need to have some understanding of how you run so you get the correct based on how your foot hits the ground
Normally run in hoka speedgoats of various nomclature normally get 800ish k out of them.
This time round I went for altra olympus 6 on account of anything in my size In hokas being 130+ quid time time round and these were 90 quid.
So far so good. They ain't hokas sure but they also feel good. - more important for me was that they played well with my plantar facitus insoles. Anything cushioned let's me run till that becomes an issue. When I use my vapor gloves my feet let me know long before it's an issue.
I converted to Hokas a few years back and now have a collection of them for various trail conditions (included studded Speedgoats). There's been a few in the running club also converted over the years, and a handful who just didn't get on with them too.
Hoka Speedgoats are a good start. Buy direct from Hoka and you can use them and send them back if you don’t like them, even if they’re covered in mud.
Brooks have the same returns policy and the Cascadia is a good shoe. The Ghost Trail is good for tamer stuff.
Back on sportivA. Just picked up some lycan 2’s in the go outdoors sale for £80. Mutant sold on a slightly lighter shoe, two muddy runs so far and pretty happy with them. Size up half a size.
TOPO Athletic for those in the know. Pursuit 2 has been good for 10k slop fests as well as summer hikes at elevation.