I have an upcoming Olympic tri with a run leg that is essentially a cross country course–grass, trails, wood chips, short rolling hills. I normally run tri’s in Zoot Ultras, but I’m worried that that they might perform poorly off-road. I have done one trail run with them and they sucked and I bled through the shoes by the end of it. It was a pretty rough trail compared to what I’ll face in this race, but still.
I am considering using cross country spikes instead. Has anyone done this in a triathlon? Is it legal? Is it smart?
Actually, here are the arguments I can come up with:
For the Zoots:
I have never run in spikes off the bike, and the longest distance I have done in spikes is a 5K. A 10K in this race might be a little long.
There is a quarter-mile section of pavement on the course that would be great for the Zoots, and it’s flat, so I could make some time gains. If I wear spikes, I would just run in the grass alongside, but I don’t think I could attack as well in this section.
The Zoots would give me a fast T2 because of the lacing system. I would have to tie my spikes.
For the spikes:
Most of the course is rolling hills on grass and some trails. Spikes would give better traction on the uphills.
The course might be wet from the rain. Spikes would be much better if the course turns to mud.
I can attack the legs of anyone that tries to pass me on the run.
As the brilliant men in the SAS say “Who dares wins.” I say run with the spikes! You will get better traction and a lighter shoe and that out weighs any negative. Plus there is much to be said about the person who follows not the crowd but strikes out on an adventure with the mind to do what is unusual for the sake of winning the day.
Plus there is much to be said about the person who follows not the crowd but strikes out on an adventure with the mind to do what is unusual for the sake of winning the day.
Well said Mr Tibbs.There certainly isn’t enough of that kind of thinking around here.
I am assuming that you do a fair amount of running in the spikes. If you are comfortable in them, why not? If you are digging your old HS spikes out of the closet after 10 years, probably not. Remember that your running form may be less than perfect.
If it’s USAT, I would look at the rules. They seem to have some weird “safety” rules. Spikes might be the next unplugged handlebars.
unless its entirely soft ground (soft mud is my favorite) or grass, i wouldnt use the spikes.
some courses during my seeason i take out the spikes because it stresses my feet out way to much to run on gravel or a bit of pavement. plus it makes that stupid clicking sound.
i think youd be fastest in your regular shoe. i cant imagine youd gain more time from spikes than youd lose from tying them.
If It is going to be muddy, I would not wear the spikes. Cross spikes tend to be heavier than flats ( at least the flats I wear) The would cross spike I would recommend running in for a race like this would be the Nike forever ( spikeless version).
My arguments why you should not wear spikes
you said wood chips = pain in the ass if they get stuck.
I have ran plenty of cross courses in flats. Like I said, not necessary unless it is really really muddy.
traction is not really that big of an issue, how many times have you slipped on grass? unless it’s really wet, and even then it’s not often.
Cross spikes will not be any lighter ( unless your flat is fairly heavy) then I recommend buying a lighter flat like the mayfly that is 4oz, asics has a light flat as well. there are other flats out there that are pretty light.
If you really really really want to run in spikes consider making another investment.
I am a nike junkie when it comes to running but here are a few
Nike ventulus 2. this is a distance track spike but I wear it for cross sometimes. Very comfortable 4.8 oz
Nike matumbo another track distance spike that I’ll wear this year in cross. It has the same plate as the ventulus but has a lighter upper. I believe it is 3.6
Nike victory - a Mid D spike that I wear from the 800- 5k ( mostly the mile) it is more agressive some might wear it for a 10k and not have a problem, some people might wear it and their lower legs might be blown out for a few days.
I’d recomend the Ventulus 2 they feel great. fits like a sock. No joke.
you could also look into the asic trail attack, i think they are about 8.6 oz and are pretty much a trail racing flat. they work well for me and have a tounge that is sewn up to the top like your zoots. they are fairly light and would give you enough protection over a 10k course. just a thought, good luck
I am assuming that you do a fair amount of running in the spikes. If you are comfortable in them, why not? If you are digging your old HS spikes out of the closet after 10 years, probably not. Remember that your running form may be less than perfect.
If it’s USAT, I would look at the rules. They seem to have some weird “safety” rules. Spikes might be the next unplugged handlebars.
Yep, they’re my old high school spikes. I also dig out my 10-year-old Asics DS Racers now and then for road races. They don’t perform as poorly as one would think.
I think this is gonna be a race day decision. I’ll bring both sets of shoes and see what the course conditions are on race morning. I’m trying to win my division (not age group but collegiate), so I need SOME kind of trickery that my opponents haven’t thought of.
I just ran around a little bit in my spikes today. They feel fine. Much better than I expected since I haven’t run in them in 7 or 8 years. Weight: 6.9 oz. I’m using 'em!
The lighter the shoe the faster you’ll go, spikes can shave up to 15 seconds per mile so I would defintely go with them. If your using ones that are pretty old I would check how the support on them are. Like derek5stone said i would go with th ventulus or the zoom kennedy’s which are light and fast.
spikes all the way when I started racing Xterra tri’s five years ago I was racing in spikes they worked but were overkill on most of the courses so I stopped. A true racing spiked flat is soooo super light, you will love running in them on the course.
All right, the race is over, so I’ll just mention the results.
The spikes worked great…for about 5K. After that I don’t know if it was fatigue, the lack of support, or the giant woodchip I harpooned with one of the lateral spikes, but my left foot started pronating a lot and the ankle started hurting real bad. It was probably the woodchip actually. I pulled it off after 30 seconds or so, but the damage was done. I didn’t have much of a spring in my step for the second half of the run as a result.
I would say that overall the spikes helped more than hurt, especially because it gave me a psychological boost. In a sprint they would have been perfect.