Running Shoe Reviews and Information

Altra King MT Review Up until the launch of the King MT, Altra’s range of off-road shoes had really been geared to harder packed, dryer trails. The King was designed to give the brand an offering for those runners who like to run on the softer or more broken ground. The shoes came out in the middle of the summer but we have delayed writing this review until the trails got muddy in order to give these a proper test! Cushioning/Midsole/Outsole The King MT is Zero Drop and uses Altra’s... Read More

Altra Torin 3.0 Review (Womens) The Torin 3.0 is the latest version of Altra’s highly cushioned road training shoe. I have owned and ran plenty in the previous two versions of this shoe. The Torin 2.0 I would describe as a very soft, relaxed ‘plodding’ recovery shoe for me. The upper was very roomy with plenty of comfy toe space. The next Torin 2.5 was a little firmer but still felt like a heavily cushioned recovery shoe. The upper of the Torin 2.5 was narrower with less volume and despite the improved... Read More

A Quick Guide to Road to Trail Running Shoes — In addition to all you regular off-road runners out there, many Northern Runner customers, once the summer is over and the weather is on the turn, start putting in the endurance building, longer runs. Most do these runs off-road.  They’re more interesting and tend to be kinder on the body. However most of us aren’t lucky enough to be able to step onto the trail from their front door! So you need a shoe that feels comfortable and avoid heavy wear on... Read More

What Is Heel/Forefoot Drop and Zero Drop? How Does It Work? Advice & More! — When Northern Runner opened its doors back in 1998 the main difference between all the shoes we stocked was how much pronation or movement control they offered, the width and the shape of the shoe. These days, two extra variables are important, namely heel to forefoot drop and flexibility. The heel to forefoot drop of a shoe is the difference between the thickness of the outsole and midsole of the shoe at the heel and... Read More

Scott Running Shoes Review Experience from Real Runs with Scott Kinabalu Running Shoes — Tech: Scott e-Ride Rocker They are very light using a cushioning material called Aero Foam but, the real key innovation in my opinion is e-Ride. Essentially the shoes are slightly curved to create a rocker. This reduces heel strike getting the runner onto their forefoot quicker. It improves posture by increasing the cadence and reducing the tendency to lean forward at the waist, which is the biggest error most runners make in their posture. The result is... Read More

Wide Shoes for Fell Running Nearly all fell shoes are narrow.. good start, I know! This is because when you are contouring round a hill or running on very broken ground you don’t want the shoe to move around on your foot. This theory is fine if you have narrow feet but, if you have broad feet then it is a struggle to find fell shoes that are wide enough. Your shoes should never be tight. Whether they are your running shoes or your everyday shoes (the possible exception is... Read More

Review & Testing: Altra Superior 3.0 My Beloved Superior 2.0 It is always daunting when a shoe you enjoy running in has been updated. Every runner knows that the ‘improvements’ that have been made to the shoe aren’t necessarily good for them personally.  The Altra Superior 2.0 is the shoe I enjoy running in most. I don’t really feel the shoe on my feet or my feet hitting the ground, which isn’t because of the huge level of cushioning but, because they allow my feet to function and do the... Read More

Why try Altra ‘Zero Drop’? To Land On Your Mid-Foot, Not Your Heel After the barefoot minimalist running craze, most runners are aware that it is better to land on their mid-foot, which is just behind the toes. Yet most people still run in running shoes that have a big chunky heel at the back and encourage you to run with poor posture and land more on your heel. To Do So Without Sacrificing Cushioning The reason for this is that if you haven’t had a problem then why change.... Read More

Altra Intuition 4.0 Review The Altra Intuition 4.0 is the newest version of this great all round women’s road running shoe.  A few of the new features are a decoupled heel, modernised, engineered mesh upper and extra rubber on the toe area of the outsole. The updated midsole has a more flexible and slightly softer initial feel from the box. Which makes the shoes hit that sweet spot with less breaking in. Women’s Altras Aren’t Just a Different Colour! Women’s feet are different to men’s feet anatomically in a few... Read More

Scott Palani Running Shoe Review — Scott have been emerging as a quality running brand for some years now and have launched the face-lifted and re-designed Palani road running model, that we’ve taken for a spin. Scott off-road shoes like the Scott Kinabalu and the Scott Kinabalu Supertrac and brand new Scott Supertrac RC have been lighting up the trail running scene for a while. On the less muddy side, their road shoes are also gaining in popularity. Customers really like the Scott eRide system, which (to quote visitors to... Read More