headed out yesterday for a 2hr trip to the Mark Twain National Forest. supposed to be a nice trip on a great day for a 24mile training run on the Berryman Trail . over half way there and “damn, forgot my shoes”. friend and i turn off in Sullivan, MO at Wal-Mart. I picked up a pair of Starter brand Journey Trail Shoes for $23 and a $6 pair of decent insoles. we ran the entire loop in close to 4 hours, including 2 knee deep stream crossing. i received no blisters and the shoes felt great, they have a nice wide toebox and a sturdy tread with a midsole that rivals my favorite New Balance and Adidas trail shoes. Of the 10 or so different kind of trail shoes i’ve owned, these definitely fall in midpack.
soooo, if you find yourself stranded in BFE w/o your shoes, don’t hesitate to head to wal-mart for all your shopping needs.
p.s. - i did wear them again this morning for a 7 mile hike w/ my wife, son and dogs. very comfortable.
My daughter and I came up from sunny south Texas to Providence last year for a cross race and the day before the race a nor’easter/blizzard came through… we loaded up on cold-weather gear at Wal Mart (it was the only place open) and it cost next to nothing and most of the stuff worked great!
Paid $30 for a pair of last year’s Vitruvian Proportion running shoes. 70 miles/10 runs and they are no better/worse than the Nike or Adidas I have worn in the past.