Three new lightweight trail shoes have just hit store shelves from companies that historically have not been big players in the trail market: Nike and Mizuno. First, I’ve been hearing murmurs that Nike has produced some really solid trail shoes in the Wildhorse and Terra Kiger. I have yet to see either in person, but […]
Nike Wildhorse, Nike Terra Kiger, Mizuno Ferus: New Low Drop Trail Shoes
July 28, 2013 By 5 Comments
Hoka One One Conquest Preview
July 27, 2013 By 14 Comments
One of the things that I noticed while waiting to pace at the Vermont 100 last weekend was the increased number of runners (and spectators) who were wearing Hoka trail shoes compared to last year at the same event. I don’t have any numbers, but there were significantly more Hokas about, and I’d estimate that […]
Biker Nate Crushes the Vermont 100 Endurance Run!
July 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment
I met Nate Sanel several years ago in a somewhat fitting setting – he was running across the state of New Hampshire with his friend Sherpa John Lacroix. At the time I’d never run with an ultrarunner before, and the concept of running longer than a marathon seemed a bit crazy to me. John and […]
Dirty Runner: Altra Lone Peak 1.5 Review
July 9, 2013 By 7 Comments
A short time ago I received this comment posted (anonymously) on my blog about which shoe I was going to use for the MMT100: “Why is the Lone Peak 1.5 your “weapon of choice”?. The company’s customer service told me it’s not functionally different than the original, which you seemed to pretty much trash in […]
Best Low-Drop Ultramarathon Shoes: Recommendations From Nate Sanel
July 3, 2013 By 20 Comments
My perfect trail shoe would be one with a minimal upper that fits like a glove over the forefoot, a wide toe box, excellent drainage, great grip, a soft ride, 0-4mm heel/forefoot differential, and enough cushioning to run 100 miles. When talking about shoes for an ultra, I think that it’s important to distinguish what […]
Hoka One One Rapa Nui Comp Review by George Harris
July 1, 2013 By 29 Comments
Intro from Pete: Guest reviewer George Harris is a 58 year-old runner from Manteca, CA. He’s been running for 36 years, most of that as a soldier in the US Army. His first pair of real running shoes was the 1978 Nike Waffle Trainer, which cost the outrageous price of $45.00. George currently runs 70-75 […]
Recommended Zero Drop, Cushioned Trail Running Shoes
June 27, 2013 By 21 Comments
Though I enjoy wearing zero drop, barefoot-style shoes casually and while running on roads, I’ve found out the hard way that running trails in minimally cushioned shoes can sometimes be difficult, especially if pointy rocks are strewn about (a bruised foot during my first 50K made me realize the value of a good rock plate…). […]
Merrell Ascend Glove Trail Shoe Review and Six Pair Giveaway!
June 24, 2013 By 42 Comments
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to fly out to Portland, Oregon to attend an insights meeting with Merrell Footwear. Merrell has organized a meeting like this each year for the past 3 years, and they basically invite a collection of individuals throughout the running footwear world to solicit feedback on trends, marketing […]
Dirty Runner: La Sportiva Helios Trail Shoe Review
June 12, 2013 By 6 Comments
I must confess that I have never run in La Sportiva shoes before this pair of Helios arrived at my door. Although the Vertical K interested me, I read that the toe-box was quite narrow. Since I have always enjoyed shoes with large toe-boxes, I just never gave them a chance. When the Helios was […]
Documentary Video: Vibram Tarawera Ultramarathon 2013
May 22, 2013 By 5 Comments
I received an email this morning from Aaron Smart, who co-produced a the official documentary video account of the 2013 Vibram Tarawera Ultramarathon in New Zealand. The documentary was just released, and you can view it below – looks like a beautiful race, and further enhances my lean toward running a trail 50K this Fall! […]
Skechers GoBionic Trail: Photos and Review Link
May 7, 2013 By 57 Comments
Over the past few years I’ve had the opportunity to do pre-release product testing and development work with the performance footwear team at Skechers. It’s been an incredibly fun process, and getting to see suggestions that you make find their way into a shoe released on the market is quite a kick! I’ve been given […]
Dirty Runner: Montrail FluidFlex Trail Shoe Review
April 29, 2013 By 19 Comments
If you’ve read any of my past reviews you know that I have a certain ideal shoe that I’m searching for. My perfect trail shoe would be one with a minimal upper that fits like a glove over the forefoot, a wide toe box, excellent drainage, great grip, soft ride, 0-4mm heel/forefoot differential, and enough […]
Salomon Sense and Salomon Sense Ultra – A Comparative Review by Ben Luedke
April 8, 2013 By 10 Comments
The Salomon S-Lab design team partnered with ultrarunning champ Kilian Jornet to create the Salomon Sense. The team designed the shoe to be worn sockless by Kilian for the Western States 100 mile Endurance Run (which Kilian won in his second attempt – he decided to bring water bottles this time and try hydrating, good […]
Weekly Marathon Training Update: March 18-24
March 24, 2013 By 15 Comments
Last weekend I made a deal with myself. I’d get my training plan from my coach (who, by the way, just won the HAT 50K yesterday!), post it here on the blog, then update how things went the following weekend. The goal was to both keep myself honest with my training, and also to give […]
Dirty Runner – Patagonia Evermore Trail Running Shoe Review
March 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment
I recently received an email from Patagonia asking if I would like to review their new 4mm drop lightweight trail shoe, the Patagonia Evermore. I was excited at the prospect since I had spotted a glimpse of the shoe a few weeks earlier and it had sparked my interest. (Disclosure: this pair of shoes was […]
