NorthernRunner.com Blog

Altra King MT 2 Review

In Altra’s trail running offering the King MT is the shoe with the most responsive, lower cushioning and the longest grips. It is designed for softer, more broken ground and yet it is still versatile enough for a bit of firmer trail terrain, with the studs still riding nicely. Like all Altra shoes, the King MT 2.0 is Zero Drop and has a broad rounded toe box, Altra coined FootShape. These are shoes designed to give your feet the room to function and being Zero Drop encourages a more natural... Read More

Altra Escalante 2 Review

The Altra Escalante has been Altra’s most popular shoe since it’s launch. The one piece knitted upper was soft and stretchy to allow the shoes to fit lots of different shaped feet. The cushioning was flexible and soft. All built around Altra’s foot shaped last. Providing a very comfortable broad rounded toe box for your feet to spread and function. So, how could Altra improve on such a popular shoe and have they managed to do so in the Escalante 2.0 ? The main gripe over the years has been... Read More

Topo MT-3 Review

The Topo MT-3 can be classed as a road to trail shoe. It’s designed to do it all. This is a tough ask as a shoe that is heavily studded and superb in the soft mud of your favourite trail doesn’t grip well or feel good on your local 10km. So, obviously there has to be a compromise. This is a compromise that the MT-3 does well. This is the type of shoe that I use a lot. Most of my runs are a mix of tarmac, hard packed tracks,... Read More

Altra Kayenta Review – Zero Drop Road Running Shoes

Most of Altra’s range of shoes are unique. So, to say that the Altra Kayenta is a unique shoe is nothing unusual. Like all Altra shoes the Kayenta has a foot shaped , rounded toe box too allow the feet to function inside the shoe. The shoe is zero drop, which means that the height of the foot inside the shoe is the same at the heel as it is at the forefoot. This promotes a more natural mid foot landing and allows the runner to run with a better... Read More

Altra Torin 4 and Torin 4 Plush Review | Extensive Testing!

Altra Torin 4 and Torin 4 PLUSH Review World Record Breaking Road Test! John O’Groats to Lands End —- Yes, you read correctly. Friend and ambassador of Northern Runner, Sharon Gayter reviewed the new Altra running shoes whilst completing a new world record from John O’Groats to Lands End! The Torin 4 Plush did 507 miles and the Torin 4 did 319 miles! – Previously I had only worn the Altra trail shoes, so these were my first trial of the road shoes, but I have been wearing Altra for... Read More

scott_kinabalu_rc2_review 14/08/2019

Scott Kinabalu RC 2.0 Review | Cushioned Trail Running Shoes

Scott Kinabalu RC 2.0 Review — For those who have been wearing Scott running shoes for a while, they will see the new Kinabalu RC 2.0 as the return of the Scott Trail Rocket. Essentially this is a fairly minimal trail shoe designed for racing or training (for those that like a lighter shoe) on firmer trails.  Scott have taken the midsole material from their popular Supertrac RC and reduced the length of the lugs to make the shoe more responsive and nimble on firmer tracks. The heel to forefoot is 3mm... Read More

19/07/2019

Altra Escalante 2 Review | Part 1: Introduction

Introducing the Altra Escalante 2 — The Altra Escalante has been one of Altra’s most successful shoes since it’s launch. So, the launch of the up dated Escalante 2 is eagerly anticipated by all those runners who love these shoes. Despite being such a popular shoe there where a few issues with the Escalante. The main one being that the super soft and stretchy knitted upper didn’t hold the foot onto the shoe when cornering at speed. For some runners this isn’t an issue but, for other is was a bit... Read More

12/07/2019

Hoka Clifton 6 Review | Max. Cushioning Road Running Shoes

Clifton 6 Review — The Hoka Clifton is the shoe that changed Hoka from a niche Ultra Runners brand to brand for all runners. The original Clifton was a very light 220 grams with a 29mm heel and 24mm forefoot stack, had tonnes of bouncy soft energy and a fast feel due to the rocker increasing the runner’s cadence. However, is felt unstable and wore out quickly. Over the years Hoka has tweaked the shoe to get more life out of it, made it a touch more stable and last... Read More

torin_4_torin_4_plush_review 27/06/2019

Altra Torin 4 vs. Torin 4 Plush Review | Zero Drop & Foot Shape Road Running Shoes

Altra Torin 4 vs. Altra Torin 4 Plush — Intro Last season Altra launched the Torin 3.5 road running shoe in a mesh and knit version. These were essentially the same shoe, just with different fit and feel from the uppers. The Torin 4 comes in two completely different models. The ‘regular’ or ‘original’ model Torin 4 comes with a lightweight mesh upper and the sister model, Torin 4 PLSH or Plush, has an engineered knit upper. They also differ in cushioning (stack height) by 2mm. The Torin 4 stack... Read More

21/06/2019

VJ Sports VJ Maxx Review | Cushioned Trail Running Shoes

VJ Sports VJ Max Review I was very excited when the VJ MAXx arrived in the post because I’ve grown to really enjoy the VJ Shoe brand with the VJ Irock2 being super aggressive and great for racing fast on the Lake District fells and the VJ XTRM with a wider toe box and slightly more cushioning being a favourite for longer fell races and sky races. Slipping the VJ MAXx onto my feet, I knew they were going to be a good fit for my feet. My initial impression... Read More