Running Shoe Reviews and Information

The Altra Superior 4.5 is Altra’s most minimally cushioned trail running shoe. It is designed for shorter outings than the Lone Peak 4.5 or Timp 2 and has a faster, more responsive feel. The stack height is 21mm, which is nearly the same as the Altra Escalante Racer… so a kind of Escalante Racer with grip! The Altra Superior range has been on the market for some years now and we have many customers who find them to be the perfect combination of feel for the ground, cushioning and protection.... Read More

NVii (pronounced NVee) are a Finish orienteering brand. They designed their shoes for racing through the undergrowth in Scandinavian forests. Their shoes have to be tough enough to cope with all the abrasion from thick under growth, whilst being light and flexible enough to ride over the rough ground. It goes without saying that the outsole needs to grip on a large combination of surfaces from wet rock, wood and mud to drier loose and dusty terrain. The current bout of wet weather has made the trails perfect to test... Read More

The Inov-8 Terraultra G 270 was launched in the UK in July 2020 and replaces the Terraultra G 260. Like the G 260, the G 270 is a zero drop trail running shoe designed to be used for even the longest ultramarathon distances. A lot of the features are the same. The Terraultra G 270 still has a broader and rounded toe box, which along with the zero heel to forefoot drop promotes better foot function and good posture. There is room for your foot to spread on impact to... Read More

The Jackal is the latest edition to La Sportiva’s range of mountain running shoes and is designed for off-road ultramarathons. As John Kelley’s recent Pennine Way Record would testify, the Jackal does this job well! Northern Runner Ambassador Kim Collison has written a review on our blog telling us what a great shoe the jackal is for this mixed off-road type of terrain. You can read it here: https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/la-sportiva-jackal-review/. However, most of our customers don’t buy a shoe for only one type of running and want a shoe that will... Read More

The Hoka One One Clifton Edge is the latest shoe in Hoka’s road running range. It’s a neutral shoe designed to give the smoothest ride yet, even compared with flagships like the Clifton. By ‘smoothest ride’ they mean the shoe facilitates a quick landing to toe off, with most landing on their heel somewhat. The first thing that you notice about this shoe is that the midsole is longer than the shoe, with an extension at the back to form a kind of tail. This is to give an earlier... Read More

Topo Athletic is a brand designed to let your feet function. All of the shoes have a broad and rounded toe box to give your feet the room to spread on impact. This stabilises you and stretches out the planta fascia, which cushions you and springs you into your next step. In order for you to be able to land midfoot and load the foot correctly, all Topo running shoes have a low heel to forefoot drop ranging from 0mm to 5mm. The Runventure 3 is a lightweight zero drop... Read More