NorthernRunner.com Blog

This week, for the lower drop and rounded toe box fans we’ve got our Topo MTN Racer 3 review. Cushioned trail shoes that offer any level of traction on soft ground are hard to come by. This is one of the reason’s that the Topo MTN Racer has become such a popular shoe among Northern Runner’s customers. The outsole consists of well-spaced out 6mm long lugs made from Vibram MegaGrip. The lugs shed mud and snow well and give a degree of traction on soft ground that makes the Topo... Read More

This week we’re introducing a new brand to Northern Runner with our Hylo Athletic Impact review. The Hylo Impact is a well-cushioned neutral training shoe designed for everyday training runs, from newer British brand Hylo Athletic. Despite being a shoe designed for the everyday running, recovery miles and even longer runs with soft cushioning, the propulsion from the rocker makes it versatile enough for some quicker running e.g. ‘steady’ runs or ‘tempo’ runs. Designed with comfort in mind, it is no surprise that the knitted upper is lovely and soft.... Read More

Just in time for launch day thanks to a pair of Mach 6 sent early by our friends at Hoka, we’ve got our Hoka Mach 6 review. What’s it for? The Hoka Mach 6 is a neutral shoe designed for faster runs but with a soft enough ride and level of cushioning to be used as a daily running shoe. Mach 5 vs. Mach 6 There are a number of marked differences between the Mach 6 and the the Mach 5, including the fit and the ride. The Hoka Mach... Read More

This week we’re moving quickly over trails with our Altra Mont Blanc Carbon review. The Altra Mont Blanc Carbon is a neutral trail shoe designed for quick running on hard packed tracks and trails. Carbon plated shoes for trail running are always a bit controversial. As they need a flat, firm surface to work most effectively. There are three aspects to carbon plated running shoes that help the runner run quicker. The shoes have a low heel to forefoot drop and the midsole is curved. This encourages the runner to... Read More

This week our Altra Lone Peak 8 review explores Altra’s original running shoe! It’s the shoe that launched the brand and the one shoe in their range that has stuck to the brand’s original concepts and beliefs. Essentially the Altra Lone Peak 8 is a trail shoe that allows your feet to function naturally, whilst offering some protection from the ground and a bit of grip. Altra’s originators worked out that the running shoes of the time where restricting foot function and promoting heel striking, which was causing a lot... Read More

This week we’ve written up our experiences in one of the latest well-cushioned support road running shoes in our Hoka Arahi 7 review. The Hoka Arahi 7 is designed as an everyday road running shoe for runners that need some anti-pronation support. Overpronation When your arch compresses upon touching the ground and doesn’t reshape quick enough, it leads to the runner pushing off from the inside of their foot instead of the end of their big toe, known as overpronation. After this occurs thousands of times a mile, this means... Read More

It’s launch week for the Altra Timp 5 and we managed to get a pair nice and early for our Timp 5 review. The Altra Timp was originally a road to trail shoe. The out-and-out trail shoe in Altra’s range being the new Lone Peak 8. For that reason the Altra Timp has always had a higher stack height and a softer ride. With runners favouring more and more softly well-cushioned running shoes on the trails, Altra has gradually made the Timp more of an out-and-out trail shoe but, still... Read More

The Brooks Glycerin 21 is Brooks’ most cushioned everyday training shoe and we got a pair early to review, in time for launch day! The Glycerin 21 is available in both a neutral version (Brooks Glycerin 21) and a version that offers a mild amount of anti-pronation support (Brooks Glycerin GTS 21). The Brooks Glycerin is designed for easy run miles and longer runs. Essentially, all of your running except your quicker days or off road running days. The initial feel of the shoes is very soft and comfortable. Brooks are... Read More

The latest trail running shoe from Brooks is billed as the speed shoe for the trails, and this week we’ve brought together our experience in a Brooks Catamount 3 review. Considered the trail running equivalent of their Hyperion road running range, this description doesn’t actually do the Brooks Catamount justice. Generally trail shoes are split into two types. The soft ground shoes that can also be described as fell or cross county shoes and the hard ground shoes. The latter being designed for bridleways and other firmer tracks and trails.... Read More