adventure race shoes

[jbell]

I just completed my first Tough Mudder and have located several other similar adventure style races in my area. I am planning on running as many as I can but I need to improve my gear. I was happy with light nylon shorts and no shirt but I used some old running shoes thinking that would be OK and it was just that OK. They just left me looking for something better, they didnt drain water well and were heavy during the swim. I do have and run in Vibram Five Fingers and thought about wearing them but am glad I didnt b/c they would not provide the impact protection I would need when running flat out down a ski slope. I have bruised my foot before in the VFF trail running and dont want that to happen on a 10+ mile adventure race. So I am looking fo new shoes, and would like some suguestions from people with experience. I have found the Merrell WaterPro Manistee and like the looks of them, but any further input would be appreciated. I would also like to hear of any other options. Remember they need to have plenty of impact resistance, be tough, drain water well, and keep as much rocks and debris out as possiable. I am going to tape them to my feet and up my ankle to prevent debris from getting in through the top but I dont want a path for big crap to get in from the sides.

 

[jps24]

Re: adventure race shoes

Hey, I would highly recommend Inov-8 shoes. They have every shoe for any type of activity you can think of. They have minimalist shoes for gym workouts, trail running shoes, and gortex waterproof shoes. I just competed in the Civilian Military Combine yesterday and wore my Roc-Lite 285's for the running portion. We ran up and down ski slopes with obstacles, water, mud etc. They were great for that type of trail running. I used their F-Lite 195's for working out in the gym. Honestly, they have a shoe for anything you want to do, check them out online.

 

[Mr. Outdoors]

Re: adventure race shoes

I have run in a variety of shoes. For tough terrain i wear one of three shoes. The salomon speed cross is good for muddy, loose dirt smallrocks, wet grass conditions. The La sportiva crosslite is very similar but can be used in additional conditions of med to large rocks and roots. The rubber on the crosslite is very sticky, lots of additional traction because of the rubber compound. The La Sportiva Raptor is a good shoe in dry condiditions, small,large rocks, roots, gravel single track trails. Im a trail runner and have run many miles in these three shoes.

Mr. O.

 

[KACstealth]

Re: adventure race shoes

for trail running look at Saloman, they are great quality

 

[ironman23]

Re: adventure race shoes

I run off road ultras (50k to 100 mile) & have tried many different shoes. I keep coming back to Adidas, but that's what works best on my feet. Find a trail running shoe that works for you & use them. A trail shoe will work better than an adventure racing shoe, since all you are doing is running. The adventure shoes are built stiffer in the toe & mid-sole to help with the biking sections. They are not nearly as comfortable or as forgiving on your feet over longer distances - voice of experience here. Another thing - don't tape them on to keep debris out of them! Seriously - there are some really good mini-gaiters out there that are made to do that very thing & work great. Currently I am using a pair of Outdoor Research Flex-Tex gaiters - love them, but they do run a little big around the top (so unless you have monster sized calves, go with the small size).

 

[jbell]

Re: adventure race shoes

Damn good idea on the mini gators. How do they stay in place in very nasty thick mud over your ankles? Also how and where did you get into the off road ultras? Im intrested.

 

[Wanderlust]

Re: adventure race shoes

Not sure if you've seen these yet:
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-SpyridonLS-Mens.htm

Molded nylon "rock block", midsole is a little bit thicker than a Bikila.

 

[jbell]

Re: adventure race shoes

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Wanderlust</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Not sure if you've seen these yet:
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-SpyridonLS-Mens.htm

Molded nylon "rock block", midsole is a little bit thicker than a Bikila. </div></div>
Thanks I will check them out!

 

[ironman23]

Re: adventure race shoes

If the gaiters are sized correctly, they stay on your feet in anything I have ever been through. I put on a couple of races (one coming up this weekend) & we were test running the course last weekend. I went through one of the water crossings (more like a swamp crossing) & actually had mud up to my waist during 40 to 50 feet of it. My gaiters stayed in place & kept the crap out of my shoes. I have been in many muddy sections of race courses & seen people run right out of their shoes. I've never lost my shoes when wearing gaiters.

As far as getting in to off road ultras - I started doing them as an alternative to Adventure Racing. I got up to doing 36 hour adv races & that killed off all my racing partners. With a good enough race resume, you can enter adv races as a "solo" entrant. I needed more races to build up my race resume, so trail ultras was my choice to go with. Turns out I do pretty good at them & have a lot of fun, so I have been doing them for 9 or 10 years now. I have 16 or 17 ultras that I have done, along with a few shorter races. You can check out the race schedule in Trail Runner magazine for races in your area or do google searches. There are tons of races out there! My next race will be Dances With Dirt in Hell, MI. It is in September. Check it out - if you want to make the drive there, I'd be happy to help you out for the race. I plan on doing the 50k for that one.

 

[jbell]

Re: adventure race shoes

Thanks so much for the info. Im going to look into it for sure

 

[5hans5]

Re: adventure race shoes

I haven't done a mudder, but I've done about 5 obstacle/trail/mud races so far. I use Adidas Kanadia trail shoes and really like them. They have a good tread to shed mud, good gripping. I haven't lost them yet and I've been in some races where you often see people feeling around for a shoe in a muddy puddle (even saw the sole of a shoe floating in one once).

I just tie them up firmly, lace them to the top eyelet, and double knot them. Good luck.