NorthernRunner.com Blog

This week it’s the latest trail running shoe from one of our most popular brands Brooks and their Catamount 2 review. The Brooks Catamount 2 is Brooks’ first ‘real’ trail running shoe suitable for a variety of terrain like we are blessed with in Britain. The outsole grip is not necessarily designed for the most extreme of conditions, but the Catamount 2 offers a flexible ride with a good balance between ground feel and foot protection. It rides well on the unsurfaced footpaths that criss-cross the countryside in the UK.... Read More

If you haven’t discovered Karhu running shoes yet, our Karhu Ikoni 2.0 review is a fantastic introduction. The Karhu Ikoni 2.0 is best described as a neutral shoe that has a degree of guidance. That makes it a suitable everyday training shoe for those that need no pronation support or a little bit of help. They are designed to be well-cushioned and durable enough for everyday training. The go-to shoe for regular mileage, good enough to be your only running shoe or within a rotation of running shoes. What is... Read More

This week a trail shoe we’ve been enjoying from outdoor heavyweight Scarpa. It’s the Scarpa Spin Infinity review. The Scarpa Spin Infinity is a trail running shoe designed to go the distance. The midsole is 26mm in the heel and 22mm in the forefoot to give a 4mm heel to forefoot drop. Made of a dual density EVA, the midsole not only supplies ample cushioning but offers a good level of protection from the terrain. The low drop allows for a midfoot strike, reducing the breaking force you get with... Read More

A lesser-known brand this week, but a brand we’ve been enjoying for a little while—it’s our 361° Centauri review. The 361 Centauri is a neutral everyday training shoe. It is a little different from other neutral shoes that 361 has made. Designed from the ground up it has a brand-new midsole material and offers more forward propulsion than previous models. The heel counter is made from a supportive plastic heel cup which holds the heel firmly in place as you move through the gait cycle. The heel cup is nicely... Read More

Need that extra bit of protection on your trail runs? This week’s Hoka Speedgoat 5 GTX review is for you! The Hoka Speedgoat has been one of our best-selling trail shoes for several years. It offers a soft feeling cushioning and a versatile grip that works well on a variety of terrain. The Speedgoat 5 came out in July 2022 and had a significant change to the fit of the upper in comparison to the previous version here is a link to our comparison: HOKA Spedgoat 5 vs HOKA Speedgoat... Read More

We have a large contingent of Brooks customers at Northern Runner that will be happy to see this it’s our Brooks Hyperion Max review. The Brooks Hyperion range is all about helping the runner go faster. The range consists of the Hyperion (which was Hyperion Tempo), Hyperion Max and the Hyperion Elite. They all use Brooks’ DNA Flash midsole, which is a nitrogen infused foam midsole. These are designed to offer a firm and responsive ride. They also all have a curved rocker type midsole which Brooks calls Rapid Roll... Read More

Coming in hot after its recent release, this week it’s our Hoka Torrent 3 review. Hoka made its name making shoes with a thick midsole made from lots of soft foam. However, not all Hoka running shoes have this ‘pillow-like’ feel. The Torrent 3 is a shoe with a more snappy, responsive feel and a lot more ground feel than other Hoka trail running shoes. Trail running shoes need to be able to respond to rough tracks and trails in such away that you don’t get thrown around by the... Read More

Right on time for release, we have the Hoka Clifton 9 review. Hoka entered the running market back in 2009. Their shoes had a rocker to help improve running efficiency and a thick, soft midsole. They looked and felt very different to other running shoes of the time. Now we’re running in the Hoka Clifton 9, a whole 14 years on, and a lot of running shoes use rockers and have a high stack height just like Hoka. This illustrates the effectiveness of their technology, which increases comfort, speed of... Read More

This week at Northern Runner we’ve taken the latest CloudTec running shoes for a spin and created our On CloudGo review. On running shoes have developed a lot since their inception in 2010. Originally the ‘clouds’ on the bottom of their first shoe the CloudSurfer were designed to stimulate the feet to function. A thin plastic plate within the midsole was designed to mimic your planta fascia by stretching when loaded and springing you into your next step. The On CloudSurfer was designed to work with your feet rather than... Read More