Running Shoe Reviews and Information

Running Shoes That Help Improve Running Form Running shoes have changed a lot since Northern Runner opened it’s doors in 1998. The biggest change in recent years is newer running companies like, ON, Altra, and Scott redefining running shoe construction and function, with a huge focus on encouraging a more efficient form. Key aspects include; promoting good posture, allowing your feet and toes to function more naturally and employing stabilising muscles (and more) in the quest for better form. Space to Move Your foot is your body’s first shock absorber. It also stabilises... Read More

Altra Zero DropTM: Origin, Useful Definitions & Tips   Useful Definitions Zero Drop Heel and forefoot are the same distance from the ground. This promotes a more impact-efficient form of running on the balls of the foot. Foot Shaped Toe Box Unlike traditional running shoes, a FootShapeTM Toe Box is wider, more rounded shape allowing for the toes to relax and spread out naturally. Gender Specific Altra do not just take a ‘unisex’ shoe and change the colour to pink or purple for women. Women’s feet are anatomically different to... Read More

How Should My Off-Road Shoes Fit ? — Trail Shoes 30+ Years Ago When I first started fell running, British brand Walsh was the dominant force. They have always been small-fitting shoes and as such, you used to buy them snug and ‘customise’ them to your foot. You would put them on and stand in a bucket of water! The upper would stretch and take the shape of your foot (they also turned your feet and socks blue!).  You did this because it was believed that you needed a tight... Read More

Considerations When Buying Running Shoes — Shopping for the right running shoes can be very confusing. We often get asked by customers ‘what are the best running shoes?’. Well despite all running shoe brands telling you their brand of shoes are the best via clever marketing campaigns, there isn’t one brand and certainly not one shoe. As every runner has different shaped feet, hits the ground with a different part of the foot & subsequent force and has very different movement patterns it makes sense that there isn’t one good... Read More

What’s new from Altra for Spring 2017? Off Road Altra King MT Altra has a new and very exciting shoe coming into the UK market place. The Altra King MT is a low profile trail running shoe with more grip. The 19mm thick midsole is made from a more cushioned material so although it is thinner than the Altra Superior 2.0 or 3.0 it still offers a good degree of cushioning. The thinner midsole makes for a more stable off road shoe. So, you have more ground feel and your... Read More

Inov-8 Roclite 290 Review by Charlie @ NothernRunner.com —– The Inov-8 Roclite 290 (together with the Roclite 305, 305GTX and 325 GTX Boot) is one the latest additions to the British brand’s trail running line up. We have been testing a pair of Roclite 290’s on a variety of terrain on the North Yorkshire Moors and Durham Dales to see if the Roclite really is the most versatile trail shoe on the market, which Inov-8 claim. The Roclite 290 has been made on a new Medium last (the foot shaped... Read More

Scott’s Racy Combo of Traction & Power The Scott Supertrac RC is set to launch in the UK on the 8th January. We are taking pre-orders here in Mens and Womens and have prepared a review with a test pair for our NorthernRunner.com readers. “..these are shoes designed for the mud , brash and scree that hammer shoes in the UK.” The new Supertrac RC adds to Scott’s existing strong trailing running line up. It’s the lighter weight racing version of the popular Kinabalu Supertrac. If you are looking for other brand comparisons,... Read More

Altra Paradigm 2.0 – Tested & Compared to It’s Younger Siblings Testing Day 1:  The important wear in! Worn indoors for two hours.   Day 2: House test (b) as before, but for four hours.   Day 4: A short 2.5 mile road/path run, followed by 8 hours indoors at the Northern Runner store and the 2.5 miles back.  Total time almost 9 hours of wearing them.  It has a great, wide foot shaped toe box like the two iterations before (and most Altra shoes).  Zero drop doesn’t mean uncomfortable–these are very well... Read More

Altra Torin 2.5 and Altra Torin 2.0 A Quick Review / Comparison The Altra Torin 2.0 was Altra’s best selling shoe, in our opinion partly due to the soft upper and the soft midsole, which makes the shoe feel highly cushioned straight out of the box. The Torin 2.5 is an updated version and supports the fact that Altra are very responsive to customer feedback,  as each incarnation of their shoes, including the latest Torin, shows it. However, we’ve decided to compare versions because we are all different and the improvements might... Read More

Inov-8 X-Talon 225 Review and Wear Test The Inov-8 X-Talon 225 is a new lightweight addition to Inov-8’s range of fell/cross country shoes. These are running shoes that are specifically designed to be used on soft muddy or broken ground. So, they have big sticky rubber ‘studs’ designed to give traction on everything from grass to wet slippy rocks. The shoe is also flexible, which means the sole will bend somewhat, hugging the ground over a larger surface area to improve traction. This flexibility also means your feet receive more ‘feedback’, helping them... Read More