I have it in my silly head to run a 50K trail run next spring. The terrain will be crazy, probably involving mud and water, as well as climbing and slick rocks.
For the past seven years I’ve run in Kayanos (happily), but I’m thinking I might need something more for this race.
With it being time for new running shoes anyway, and with winter coming on, I thought this might be the time for making the switch.
Any suggestions for trail shoes similar to the Kayanos? Or will I be okay in standard running shoes?
You want something with LESS cushioning than a road shoe and lower profile. The more “technical” the course, the more the shoe should DEPART from the road shoe feel.
I wear Asics (20xx/21xx/DS trainer) on the road and have used their Gel Trabuco (now up to model IX or X) and Gel Eagle on the trail - both are pretty good. The Eagle, at least in the model I have used, is a little softer, maybe a little wider stance. The Trabuco has a bit more support and is a bit stiffer. It works pretty well for mixed surface, eg. some road on the way to the trail. I haven’t run in the Kayanos - my first thought would be that the Trabuco would be most similar because it’s got the same motion control feature, but Roadrunner lumps the Eagle V and the Kayano both into “Stability plus” vs. Trabuco just being Stability…so maybe the Eagle has more structure now in the V model than in the IV which is the one I have. At any rate, you might want to try one or both of those.
Having pointed you to those two Asics trail models, John’s right, you do want a nimble shoe that’s not going to bog you down or trip you up or leave you unable to feel and react to the trail. You don’t want low cut “hiking boots” strapped to your feet while trying to run fast. If there are rocks, the main thing you need that a light trainer doesn’t have is a protection plate in the forefoot and at least some toe protection. I’ve raced a fair bit in a no-longer-made Montrail model (Masai) that’s pretty light and minimalist but does protect where needed. Anyway…this isn’t to backpedal on the Asics, I like them on rough terrain, just to reinforce what John is saying, which I think is that you don’t want to necessarily put a fortress around your feet.
I have Kayano’s/Mizuno Wave Nirvanas for road, and the Asics Trail Eagle IV’s for trails…absolutely love them. They grip like cleats, but fit very close to the Kayanos, with incredibly good heel/ankle hold. Perfect shoe IMO.
Not to rain on Ascics parade (I think they make outstanding trail shoes), but the sole on my previous Eagle was not working at all on rocks and pavement in wet conditions. It was like ice-skating. You might want to solicit some comments about this for the latest model year.
Does anyone have experience using the Salomon DCS pro’s? I’m a bit concerned that the big vents will let my feet get too cold. I haven’t done much trail running, so maybe that’s a stupid thought. Maybe the vents will be better than fabric if I run through a stream or something.
I just got a pair of Saucony Grid Labyrinth trail shoes. These are built low to the ground, not overly bulky and have an excellent tread design. I have not put enough miles on them yet to confirm, but they look to be a good choice for your application.
I myself have run in Kayano’s for several years. I purchased the Montrail Hardrock and love them. I would not use them on the road at all but they did great in a race with 6-8 inches of snow and slush. Not waterproof though. The Salomon XA Pro were not stable or supportive enough I felt. Not to say the Montrail’s arent fast but I was going to try the Cascadia’s for faster/shorter courses.
Ditto with Vasques for heavy technical stuff where the ankle can use some protection (especially in later miles). For shorter stuff I run in the Brooks Cascadia’s. They are extremely ugly but a very good shoe. Both were recommended as ultra options to me from a very accomplished long distance runner and podiatrist.
I’ll second the recommendation of brentl above. I run in the asics gel attacks ii for most of my trail runs. They’re low to the ground, light weight, provide sufficient foot protection from rocks, etc, and fit well. I’m currently marathon training and have been doing most of my long runs (up to 22 mi.) on the trails in these. One of the trails I run regularly has a 2 mi. stretch coming and going on the asphalt and the shoe doesn’t have any issues there either.
The only downside depending on what you need is that it deosn’t have any motion control/stability devices if you think you need them.