Hybrid shoe?

Hi all.

I'm looking for a shoe that is suitable for trail running and also capable of high road mileage. I have rather wide feet and I plan to go shopping soon to assess comfort and sizes etc but was wondering if anyone had any ideas. I've been recommended Brooks Cascadia 7's because they offer good support too ( I'm a moderate over pronator ).

I plan to use them for marathon training so they need to be able to cope with lots of miles on various surfaces.

I know the obvious answer is to buy 2 pairs of shoes but I can't afford it!

Cheers!

Thanks for the advice Lou.

The trails are quite rough and uneven, mainly loose stone actually, so I need a strong shoe to cope with this. I am currently running between 6-12 miles and increasing every week.

The guy in the running shop thought the Cascadia would be ok for high road mileage too. Why do you think otherwise?

Salomon have a series of shoes called "Door to trail":

 http://www.salomon.com/us/segment/trail-running-footwear-door-to-trail.html

Don´t know if they are availible in the UK though.

Crossmax are avilable right now but there as stiff as a board....

I use Brooks adrenaline trail shoes- on road as well as light trail- not great for really slippy/ rough stuff, butt grippy enough for slightly rougher ground. I've trained for 2 marathons so far in them, and they're nor worn out yet. I love them- they are a less controlling shoe thatn the one you mention, I think, and may be better if you are only a moderate over pronator.

Lou Diamonds wrote (see)

My preference would be to get some decent road shoes and put up with a bit of slipperiness on wet days.
But that depends on the type of trails and the distances you run.

Lou, i second that. i use my road shoes(not that i tend to do much road lately!) for ultra ,off road  and tarmac runs. they are fine , most trails of mud and wet have been fine but not sure theyd be ok on a mountain ultra thats all...

Inov8 every day of the week for this one. New shoe called the trailroc is great...as are the roclite 285s.

However the ideal solution (as you said) is for you is to buy a pair of road shoes and a pair of trail shoes...

  

I keep hearing good things about innov8 for trail running. Go Outdoors are doing the Roclite 295 for just under £40 or £36 if you have their discount card. Other shops seem to be charging about £80+

Maybe you can afford 2 pairs after all.

neilypeely wrote (see)

Thanks for the advice Lou.

The guy in the running shop thought the Cascadia would be ok for high road mileage too. Why do you think otherwise?

Thought I'd back up my advice with some hard evidence so went for a run in the Cascadia's yesterday.  Did about 5miles off road (mixture of had gravel former railway line, canal towpath, muddy footpaths and a couple of freshly ploughed fields) then about 5miles back on the road.

The Cascadia's are definitely less cushioned than my road shoes and I think slightly heavier, but that might be all the mud that I picked up over the first section of the run.

The main difference though, and I think the real reason that I tend to prefer my road shoes, is the fit.  I have high arches/instep and my asics fit very well.  The Cascadia's have a relatively flat insole, so don't give the snug feeling.  This is entirely sujective I know so might not be relavent to you.