NorthernRunner.com Blog

Ready for launch day, we have our Hoka Mach X review. The Hoka Mach X is a daily training shoe designed to give a good level of extra propulsion over the typical everyday running shoe. In effect they’re offering a stable cushioned ride with the ability to easily run quickly in the shoes. Running shoes we call ‘super shoes’ are race day shoes designed to give the maximum level of propulsion. They do a lot of the work that your feet, ankles and lower legs would normally do. Although there... Read More

Have you discovered Karhu yet? As a growing brand, especially in-store when customers get to try shoes on, Karhu has been one to watch. This week we review the Synchron 2.0. The Karhu Synchron 2.0 is best described as a stable daily training shoe. Although it doesn’t have an active anti-pronation element to the shoe, it offers enough support to be used by runners who require a moderate amount of pronation support. These would be runners who currently use shoes like the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 23, Hoka Arahi 6, Altra... Read More

Did you know the La Sportiva Mutant got an update? This week is our review of the new 2023 La Sportiva Mutant. The La Sportiva Mutant has been on the market for several years and has become established as a durable mountain terrain shoe that offers a good level of foot protection for shorter to medium distances. Saying that, Sabrina Verjee used the La Sportiva Mutant when she broke the Wainwrights record in the Lake District in 2021, using the Mutant for a little longer than the designers anticipated as... Read More

This week we’re featuring the New Balance 880v13 review. The New Balance 880 is an everyday training shoe for the neutral runner. It’s designed to be your go-to shoe, ideal for your easy miles and long runs but versatile enough for some quicker running too. The midsole is made of Fresh Foam X, which is a very soft foam. The bubbles in the foam are larger in the heel to give a soft landing and get gradually smaller as you move over the midsole to toe off, aiding propulsion. In... Read More

This week we’ve finished up our very much anticipated Brooks Adrenaline GTS 23 review, ahead of launch day on 1st June 2023. We will be launching the Adrenaline GTS 23 in regular and wide width on 1st June 2023 at NorthernRunner.com and letting everyone know via e-mail. The Brooks Adrenaline GTS was introduced to the running market shortly after we opened our doors 25 years ago. In that time, it has established itself as a very popular training shoe for those runners who need some support to help reduce overpronation.... Read More

Looking to run faster on race day? Today’s Hoka Rocket X 2 review might be for you! When Northern Runner first opened its doors 25 years ago customers used to come in and joke about wanting shoes that would ‘make them run faster’. This is no longer a joke. What I call ‘super shoes’ are designed to make you run faster. Hoka’s Rocket X 2 is one of these amazing shoes. The second version of the Hoka Rocket X has been completely redesigned to make the Hoka Rocket X 2... Read More

This week, the well cushioned La Sportiva Jackal ll BOA gets our review. The La Sportiva Jackal is designed for longer distance trail races. What La Sportiva wanted to create was a shoe that had the added cushioning and underfoot protection required for running ultramarathon distance races on trails without losing the stability and feel for the ground required to effectively negotiate steep and technical ground. The original La Sportiva Jackal went some way to achieving this goal in my opinion. These attributes also made the Jackal a very versatile... Read More

This week I’ve been racking up some off-road miles for a New Balance Summit Unknown Fuel Cell SG review (SG stands for Soft Ground). New Balance now makes two versions of the Summit Unknown trail running shoe. The regular version is designed for hard packed trails and has 4mm long lugs. This length of lug will give some traction on wet, muddy surfaces so if you come across short sections of this in your trail run then these are likely to do the job for you. However, if your trail... Read More

This week we’re featuring arguably one of the biggest growing brands in both the running shoe (and fashion shoe) space. It’s our On Cloudsurfer review. The Cloudsurfer was the first running shoe that On made. This seventh version of the Cloudsurfer, which has just recently come into stock at Northern Runner in Newcastle is very different to the original shoe. Northern Runner was the first retailer in the UK to sell the original Cloudsurfer in its distinctive black and green colourway. The ‘clouds’ on the bottom of the shoes provided... Read More

The Brooks Launch GTS is a very special shoe to review. There aren’t many shoes made to run quickly in that have some over pronation support. The Brooks Launch GTS is such a shoe. The Brooks Launch GTS was previously called the Ravenna but to make it easier to identify the shoes that offer some pronation support Brooks decided to tag all of the shoes that offer pronation support with GTS eg Adrenaline GTS, Addition GTS etc. When the foot touches the floor the arch compresses to absorb the shock... Read More