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Running shoes for Cross Country
Luke Ellis 2
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in Gear
Hi, I'm going to do Cross Country for the 1st time this year in the Liverpool league. Can anyone recommend some trainers for me? Do I need spikes? Hoping I will enjoy it. Thanks Luke
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If there's any tarmac/concrete paths on the course, spikes will suffer badly!!
I ran last year( & will be running this year too) the (West Yorkshire based) PECO series
http://www.pecoxc.co.uk/index.html
Quite a lot of runners just use their trail/fell-shoes (ie; Mud-Claw/Bare-Grip/X-Talon).
Personally I use my Mud-Claw 330's (as they're very good in mud, if a fair bit heavier than spikes)
http://www.peteblandsports.co.uk/brands/inov-8/95/157/
Oooh, I'll be doing the PECO races for the first time this year! Which club are you?
depends on the terrain. I do most of my trail running in merrell barefoot shoes, but am thinking of getting some inov8's for more muddier stuff!
I would get the SP on the terrain for your races, as it differs according to region from what I can gather. If you can get away with spikes for all or most of the races IMO they're a good investment cos they tend not to be too expensive, will last you a few seasons, and if conditions are really soft and muddy there's no substitute.
If you do decide to get spikes you MUST try a few different pairs to get the best fit. There's no worries about correct shoe for pronation, etc. You want a snug fit around the mid-foot and heel, so that they don't get sucked off your feet in the mud; fit can vary a lot between manufacturers, from very narrow (NB from my experience) to more roomy (Brooks, Nike, Asics...)
http://www.ackworthroadrunnersandac.co.uk/
If you have an old pair of road shoes which fit you well, some shoe repair places will fit new soles to them, with studs (a bit like on football boots), for about £15-18.
Ie;
http://www.lancashiresportsrepairs.co.uk/running_shoe_repairs.htm
Funny picture of the 118 runners at the bottom! I'm with Wetherby Runners
I've got some Asics Gel Fuji's trail shoes which were pretty cheap and they have the grip- not tried them in the wet but they were great on a multi-terrain at Tatton Park in March. Comfortable and sharp studded shoes, not spikes, but really good grip and cushion well too. Hi by the way- it's Alex from West Cheshire, haha. Recognised the name and photo!
Was going to ask a question about trail shoes, so will leave it in here.
I run in Kayano's have done for a few years, been re-checked and still require that type of support.
Is there like for like trail shoes or close to it. I spent time getting the old race shoes done, but I am unsure when I can head over to the sweatshop in my town. 19 miles away but I trust the guy in there when and he has not let me down yet. But was wanting other opinions on what to look for incase I can not get over in the next few weeks.
Talon 212`s Luke.... one of the finest off-road shoes out there, light - flexible - stable - grippy...
And here's what should (probably...) be the course for the first race
http://gb.mapometer.com/running/route_1574953.html
The '118-118' runners (Becky & Craig) were at the last round of this years 'Trunce' series, which is always (optional) fancy-dress
Trunce = short (4 mile) very enjoyable fell-races near Penistone, 3 river crossings, steep climbs & cheap!!!!!!! £1.20 per race
http://www.undeadmonkey.org.uk/trunce/
http://www.flamingphotography.co.uk/trunce-race-9
Looked at them, but decided to stick with 'what I know' & buy another pair of Mud-Claw 330 (couldn't find any 300's locally)
Amber&Maroon.0
I wear Brooks Adrenalines which are similar support shoes to the Kayanos. I've worn Kayanos but didn't like them as much.
For cross country, I wear Mizuno Wave Ascends which are kind of a hybrid shoe in that they have plenty of support, but also have grip. They may suffer a bit in really muddy stuff, but I've never had any problem with them and have ran through all types of thicky gloopy mud. A lot of the major companies do trail versions of their road shoes (not sure if there's a direct swap for the Kayano).
You'll probably also find that you may not need as much support as you're running on a softer surface.