Running Shoe Reviews and Information

The Altra Escalante started life in the middle of the barefoot running craze and was very popular because it offered a broad rounded toe box and Zero Drop with some cushioning. This week we’ve reviewed the latest Altra Escalante 3. A lot of runners using barefoot shoes found that they liked the more natural way these shoes let you run, but on long runs and over months of training they were getting sore feet. The cushioning in the Escalante stopped the sore feet and therefore became the go-to shoe for... Read More

This week we’ve been off road creating our Saucony Xodus Ultra review. The Saucony Xodus started life as a heavy-duty shoe designed for distance. It was heavy and robust, almost like a walking shoe. The latest version of this shoe, the Xodus Ultra has a focus on racing over ultra distances, which has led to a considerable change in the shoe. When you pick up the Saucony Xodus Ultra it feels light. Now weighing in at 293 grams for a men’s size UK8. Compared with the previous version this is... Read More

“How Does the Speedgoat 5 Compare to the Speedgoat 4?”   Today we’re exploring the differences between the Speedgoat 4 and Speedgoat 5, before writing a dedicated review after an appropriate time to test the brand new Speedgoat 5. The Hoka Speedgoat was designed as a versatile, well cushioned trail shoe. The cushioning has a soft pillow-like feel to it, yet the shoes are fast feeling and surprisingly responsive. This has made them a very, very popular trail shoe! BROWSE THE SPEEDGOAT RANGE   Although the Speedgoat 4 is a... Read More

Incredibly popular for amateur and experienced off-road runners alike, the La Sportiva Akasha II (2) is getting a review this week. La Sportiva makes clothing and footwear for all mountain exploits, including trail running. The Italian brand has been making footwear since 1928 and you could say the focus is on making footwear and apparel that ‘does the job’. They don’t change their shoes every 6 months, like the more fashion-orientated running brands. They make shoes that work and only change/update them when there is some real improvement to be... Read More

A Swedish brand this week, Icebug, and it’s their Capra up for review. Trail running in Sweden is very similar to the UK. They have a lot of wet and muddy conditions, so even Icebug’s cushioned trail designed for harder packed trails have a good level of lugging that gives some traction on softer ground. The rubber used for the outsole always grips well on wet surfaces. The Icebug Capra is designed to work well on rougher more broken ground. Tove Alexandersson (17 World Orienteering Gold Medals, smashed the record... Read More

This week we’re reviewing the NVii (pronounced “en-vee”) Ultimate, which comes with rubber or metal studs. NVii are an orienteering and trail shoe brand from Finland. Their shoes are designed to be light, nimble and durable across very technical terrain. We reviewed the NVii Terra TT back in October 2020 here. The Terra TT is a light, nimble and surprisingly cushioned for such a flexible shoe. The NVii Ultimate is more of a soft ground trail, orienteering or fell running shoe. The NVii Ultimate upper is a sock construction. This... Read More

This week we review the Altra Vanish Carbon, Altra’s race day shoe for road running, designed to help you run faster! Like all Altra shoes the Vanish Carbon is zero drop. This means that the midsole of the shoe is the same height in the heel as it is in the forefoot. This is to allow you to run with a more natural posture and land on the ground with your feet under your centre of gravity. This promotes a more midfoot landing which loads the foot correctly. This allows... Read More

This week a somewhat less discussed style of trail running shoe, the New Balance Summit Unknown v3 gets a review. The New Balance Summit Unknown has changed a lot over the years. The Summit started life as a rival to the nimble fell shoes like the Walsh PB Trainers. This was back in the days when there were very few trail events and off road running in the UK was fell racing in the summer and cross country in the winter. The number of off-road races has increased dramatically and... Read More