Aynone with thoughts on the Zoot shoes? I have raced in Newtons the last 2 years and they’re OK. I find the price of the Newtons to be absurd and they were only so-so on the durability side. All in all, I’m on the prowl for new racers for next season. I like a stiff midsole and thought the CF shank might be good from the Zoots, or its just a marketing ploy by Zoot! I train in Brooks adrenaline or radius’s, so I may try the brooks T5 Racers too.
I race in the ZOOT Ultra TTs and love them. I do all my speed work in them and race short and 1/2IM in them and have been very happy. I got mine in Feb, did a lot of track work in them, several aquathlons and 5k speed events, and my tris. They held up wonderfully. I’m also coming off a bad injury (broken leg), and the ZOOT Ultra TTs had enough cushion for my running on bone that wasn’t fully healed.
Very durable, fit like a glove, and reasonably priced.
My training partners have used Newtons and they go through a couple of them a season. Also, ZOOT is coming ouit with training shoes in '09. I’m really excited for those. I’d expect the same level of durability and comfort in those.
My only complaint after wearing the Zoot Ultras in a Full mary and HIM cali would be that you have to wear socks.
During all my training runs sockless I would get a blister midfoot around the inside of my foot on my arch between 1-3 miles in.
TS
Aynone with thoughts on the Zoot shoes? I have raced in Newtons the last 2 years and they’re OK. I find the price of the Newtons to be absurd and they were only so-so on the durability side. All in all, I’m on the prowl for new racers for next season. I like a stiff midsole and thought the CF shank might be good from the Zoots, or its just a marketing ploy by Zoot! I train in Brooks adrenaline or radius’s, so I may try the brooks T5 Racers too.
The T5 Racer is definitely not stiff. I don’t think you’ll gain much in durability either but it is half the price of the Newton. I’d look at a Mizuno flat since the wave plate makes their midsole a little stiffer than most flats. But, once again I don’t think you’ll gain much in durability.
I loved my zoots but I did have the same issues with the blisters. Up to 5k was ok but anything more and I would need socks. I also had the brooks and the only thing I didn’t like was that they used the curved platform and my foot didn’t fit it well.
The Zoots are, bar-none, the worst shoe show I’ve ever tried. Even with the racers I felt like I was plodding around in hiking boots or something. When I reverted back to my Saucony Fastwitches I felt like I was Prefontaine.
So I guess I don’t like the stuff midsole. But if you’re into that sort of thing, give them a shot.
One the bright side they do drain well and slip on and off easily. No blister problems without socks for me. The lace-lock things broke awfully quickly for me, but I hear they’ve improved that.
Aynone with thoughts on the Zoot shoes? I have raced in Newtons the last 2 years and they’re OK. I find the price of the Newtons to be absurd and they were only so-so on the durability side. All in all, I’m on the prowl for new racers for next season. I like a stiff midsole and thought the CF shank might be good from the Zoots, or its just a marketing ploy by Zoot! I train in Brooks adrenaline or radius’s, so I may try the brooks T5 Racers too.
I was using the Brooks Adrenaline GTS for a trainer, and tried the Ultra - have been training in it now. My only real issue is that I have narrow feet, and I have to really cinch them down - no narrow size like the GTS. I did develop a callous on the tip of one big toe (after the requisite blistering!) but other than that, love 'em. I’ve run training runs up to 9 miles so far in the Ultras with literally no issues. I never wear socks in them. I bought two pairs on clearance, so not sure I’d pop the full price yet, but I may change that if nothing significant changes. I also have a pair of the race (bright yellow!) that I’ve not worn yet, but may try them with a 10k soon.
my $.02
I’ve experienced this same blistering problem on anything over a 5K. I use them only for sprint races now.
One of the lace holder tabs that Zoot substitutes for lace-holes broke on each shoe. One during a race, and the other while walking around. These are irreparable and to Zoot’s credit, they replaced them with another pair. I’m hoping they used stronger plastic for 2009 because I’m loving everything else about the shoes
They have redesigned them for 2009, with no plastic clips. They are much more durable than the 08 version.
Mike
+1 on the blister issue.
Walking around they feel great and anything up to 2 miles is fine but going beyond that I get a hot spot (which leads to a blister) right on my arches.
For reference, I wear Brooks Adrenaline’s and Brooks ST Racer’s without socks with minimal/no issues (up to 16 miles sockless).
My buddy suggested that the arch of the Ultra TT might be a bit less than that of the Ultra Tempo because it’s a neutral shoe instead of stability model. Can anyone confirm/deny?
I had a problem with a blister one time on the arch as well, I started putting Talc powder in the shoes before a race & that seemed to stop the blister issue.
I took them for a test run and they absolutely did not fit me. I have a high arch and there just wasn’t enough material there to fit without constriction. Too bad, I did like the design and concept… I have had good luck with Pearl Izumi’s shoes…I think their latest race shoe is the ‘Streak’