NorthernRunner.com Blog

The Hoka One One Clifton Edge is the latest shoe in Hoka’s road running range. It’s a neutral shoe designed to give the smoothest ride yet, even compared with flagships like the Clifton. By ‘smoothest ride’ they mean the shoe facilitates a quick landing to toe off, with most landing on their heel somewhat. The first thing that you notice about this shoe is that the midsole is longer than the shoe, with an extension at the back to form a kind of tail. This is to give an earlier... Read More

Topo Athletic is a brand designed to let your feet function. All of the shoes have a broad and rounded toe box to give your feet the room to spread on impact. This stabilises you and stretches out the planta fascia, which cushions you and springs you into your next step. In order for you to be able to land midfoot and load the foot correctly, all Topo running shoes have a low heel to forefoot drop ranging from 0mm to 5mm. The Runventure 3 is a lightweight zero drop... Read More

During lock down a new pair of shoes arrived in the post from La Sportiva. It’s always exciting when a new shoe arrives and you get to slip them on to your feet for the first time. Often you know whether they will be good or not straight away, and the Jackal was a good fit. My first impression was these shoes are designed for ultra, with plenty of cushioning. The cushioning was supportive and very comfortable and with already over 100 fell and trail miles they have quickly become... Read More

Scott Sports launched the Supertrac RC on the 8th January 2017. In the 3 and a half years since then they have become a common site on the British fells and trails. The combination of grip and cushioning, in a lightweight responsive package has made them the shoe of choice for many runners. My last ‘A Category’ fell race was last year’s Blencathra race. The distinctive yellow outsoles seemed to be everywhere, almost like every other runner was wearing a pair. At the 2019 3 Peaks Race the winner Brennon... Read More

The latest addition to the Altra Zero Drop trail running range is the Timp 2. The Timp has sat between the Lone Peak, which offers a nimble & flexible feel designed to cope with all trail conditions and the Olympus, Altra’s maximum cushioning trail shoe, designed to go the distance on firmer trails. A 100-mile shoe or the shoe for those who appreciate a lot of cushioning. The issue for many is that the Lone Peak isn’t cushioned enough to cope with road to trail and the Olympus isn’t nimble... Read More

The Hoka Evo Mafate 2 is designed to be highly cushioned for long days of trail running, yet also nimble and light enough to run quickly in. The heel to forefoot drop is 4mm, with a high 35mm stack height in the heel, to 31mm in the forefoot. For those not used to such a thick midsole you will initially feel taller in the shoes! As with all Hoka trail running shoes, the Evo Mafate 2 has a rocker. This is designed to roll you through the gait cycle and... Read More

The Topo Magnifly 3 has the same midsole and outsole as the previous version. It is is a light, responsive, zero drop everyday training shoe. The midsole comprises a soft EVA under the foot to give a comfortable and initially soft feeling landing. There is then a firmer EVA underneath to give a more responsive overall ride, great for keeping you moving quickly and lightly on your feet. The stack height is 25mm and this coupled with a good toe spring makes this a shoe that you can easily run... Read More

Off the shelf Orthotic insoles are designed to offer some support for over pronation. When your foot hits the ground your foot rolls inwards slightly and your arch compresses. This is one of your bodies shock absorbers and springs you into your next step. In a strong neutral foot the arch springs back into shape and you push off from the end of your bit toe. If your foot isn’t as strong then the arch doesn’t spring back quick enough and you push off from the inside of your foot.... Read More