There’s a shoe for you wherever you care to venture and they all offer the latest in cushioning and traction for trail running adventures
VJ – MAXx2 – £149.00
Trails
With a new nitrogen-injected midsole, a trail shoe featuring ‘the best grip on the planet’ now has one of the best cushioning materials. Nitrogen-infused midsoles are being used by many leading brands and offer light and highly responsive cushioning that’s also very durable.
The brand has the stack height pitched perfectly for a trail model, with 31mm under the heel and a 6mm drop for a feel that works well on uneven surfaces.
VJ MAXX2
Of course, the brand’s familiar and highly accomplished butyl rubber compound provides traction and gives a ‘sticky’ feel on a wide range of surfaces.
A one-piece, breathable upper has an anatomically shaped fit and provides both a durable and supportive fit while helping to keep the overall weight of the shoe to just 240g, giving a light and nimble feel to this off-road super-shoe.
Salomon – S/Lab Pulsar 3 – £190.00
Combining the features required of a fast-moving off-road shoe with the cushioning to allow daily trail running, the Pulsar 3 is the evolution of the brand’s premium off-roader.
Lightweight and dynamic, it offers a locked-in fit and great traction on any terrain.
Salomon SLab
Weighing just 205g, the shoe is race-day light yet doesn’t compromise on cushioning, giving a smooth and responsive ride.
The 4.5mm lugs are spread evenly across the base of the shoe and their chevron shape helps both when descending and climbing, adding confidence to each step.
The Matryx upper material is very durable yet super light and breathable. Its one-piece design stretches neatly over the foot for a secure hold and the familiar quick-lace rounds off the neat design.
Once on the foot, it offers such a close and reassuring fit that it feels like a natural extension of the body, connecting you to the ground for fast and confident running.
Saucony Peregrine 14 – £135.00
One of the most popular and longest-running trail running shoes on the market, the Peregrine always delivers. The latest model stays true to the formula that has helped it gain a reputation for being a trusted trail partner, great grip and reliable cushioning.
A new, slightly softer PWRRUN foam midsole helps smooth out the terrain in this update and with the deep, 5mm lugs, there’s plenty of grip for most surfaces that you’ll encounter on a day-to-day basis.
Saucony Peregrine 14
The upper is breathable and soft around the foot, with added protection for durability where required. The midfoot support incorporated into the lacing helps secure the foot and gives a little extra stability to the shoe on uneven terrain.
It’s a nice update, improving the shoe in terms of cushioning and overall feel but leaving the great grip untouched for a winning formula.
Merrell – Morphlite – £100.00
Offering great value, this road-to-trail model could be a great one-shoe option for those wanting a versatile shoe for all their running this summer.
While it does offer good grip for light trails and gravel paths, it’s not going to work in deep mud, but that’s not an issue here as the Morphlite can handle a few road miles, making this a suitable shoe for those ‘door to the trail’ type runs.
Merrell Morphlite
The cushioning is good too, with enough ‘spring’ for the road without being too soft for the trail.
The simple upper is a one-piece construction and holds the foot well with a neat and durable design.
This is a no-nonsense shoe that performs very well for what is nowadays considered an ‘entry-level’ price point.
ASICS – GEL Trabuco 12 – £140.00
Now featuring a FFBlast midsole, the latest version of the brand’s best-selling Trabuco model has a soft, plush midsole that offers a responsive toe-off.
The shoe has a softer feel yet retains a rock-plate for protection and the familiar ASICSGRIP outsole that works well on any surface in any conditions.
ASICS Gel Trabuco
The Trabuco has a road shoe-like feel thanks to the great, lightweight cushioning yet at the same time durable enough to tackle the trails.
The upper too has a road shoe-like fit and feel, but with the addition of protective overlays in key areas of friction for added protection and durability.
The Trabuco is a perfect trail trainer, capable of many miles off-road providing comfort, grip and protection with every step.
INOV8 – Trailfly – £130.00
This new, everyday trail training shoe from Inov-8 is designed for firmer and rocky trails, providing cushioning and grip from the brand’s premium technologies.
The Graphene-grip outsole is proven to provide excellent traction in any conditions and this configuration offers grip wherever you place your foot thanks to the multidirectional stud pattern.
Inov8 Trailfly
Cushioning comes courtesy of the brand’s POWERFLOW PRO foam, a soft and springy midsole that excels on gravel tracks and fire roads giving a cushioned feel previously unheard of in a trail shoe. Additional cushioning comes from the BOOMERANG footbed, a soft insole which does exactly as its name suggests!
The upper is a one-piece design of engineered mesh with reinforced overlays and comes in regular and wide fittings, meaning most foot shapes and sizes can be accommodated comfortably.
Arc’Teryx – Sylan GTX – £210.00
Somewhat of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, this unassuming-looking trail shoe gives a surprisingly fast and high-performance feel when on the move.
The deep stack of cushioning means it is more at home on less technical trails, but on gravel paths and tracks, the rocker geometry and ‘InFuse’ midsole feel as fast and propulsive as a high-end road racing model.
Arcteryx sylan
A Vibram Metagrip Litebase provides performance-proven traction and the Gore-Tex upper ensures a water-proof fit for all-day comfort. (a non-Gore-Tex version is also available).
The brand is better known for technical trail and mountain equipment, but this trail running shoe is fast becoming my go-to choice for any off-road running.
Adidas – Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra – £200.00
This range-topping off-road race shoe takes styling elements from the brand’s Adios Pro 3 road shoe and takes them to the trail.
A 42mm deep, Lightstrike Pro midsole takes care of cushioning and wraps around Energy Rods to give a responsive and propulsive toe-off. This combination works alongside a deep forefoot rocker for a trail-running sensation unlike anything else. It simply feels fast from the word go and engages you in a fast and progressive manner across a variety of terrain.
adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra
The shoe really does feel very different from most other trail shoes and is very much like a trail version of a road running supershoe.
It’s not just at speed where the shoe excels. The cushioning feels adequate for all-day adventures while comfort and feel are second to none.
On – Cloudsurfer Trail – £150.00
Taking the popular road shoe, the Cloudsurfer and giving it a little extra grip is the formula here. And while this shoe isn’t a mud-plugger, for light trails and summer off-roading, it’s great.
The ride from the Cloudtec cushioning is equal to that of the road version and that’s one of the best from the brand. The cloud elements run the length of the shoe and offer a very smooth ride thanks to the Helion foam and CloudTec Phase arrangement of the elements.
As always, the upper is typical On, so that means very well made, neat fitting around the foot and with a nice level of padding in the tongue, ankle collar and Achille area.
For summer trails, this is a smooth riding shoe with just enough traction for dry paths and tracks.
ON Cloudsurfer Trail
MORPETH 10KM WINS GO TO JAKE RIDDING AND JENNIFER BERRY