Inov8, Soloman or Brooks

Hi

 I am doing the sussex endurancelife ultra (50K) at the end of March and need some new trail shoes - previously run in Asics trebuco gel and found these comfortable but a bit weak grip wise on the fells.

I was pretty much sold on a pair of inov8 x talon 212 but I am wondering what they will be like over that distance and wether a pair of Soloman fellcross or speed cross might be more comfortable ?

I also run in Brooks pure cadance on the roads so I am tempted by the pure grit but the tread looks useless, any ideas

Hi, I had a pair of Salomon Speedcross and found them to be supportive and very grippy but not very flexible. I had to stop using them only because I had bought my normal size and should have bought bigger as they were too small once my feet got hot! I now have a pair of Inov8 245 which are pretty grippy even in mud, although not inov8's grippiest, they are supremely comfortable (like grippy slippers!)

the Salomon speedcross are quite squirmy on tarmac.

Wear what is comfortable. The course is very unlikely to require a shoe with a really aggresive sole knowing the area.

As an aside though, I run in the winter in x-talon 190 (same sole, slightly lighter than the 212) and they are ok on tarmac. I imagine they would wear out pretty quick if you do lots of it but certainly not uncomfortable.

I have just chatted to someone who did the marathon version last year and did it in inov8 x talons and said it was fine. I think you are right though WiB just wear what is comfortable

Have a look at Mizuon Wave Harriers great shoes

First thing I`d be doing befor selecting any shoes would be to search for photos from previous years events and look at the course profiles etc,etc...

Will you be pre-running any of the route in the coming weeks..

I'm in the same boat (doing the CTS in North Yorks in May).  needed to choose between Trailroc 255 or Brookes PureGrit 2 which has just come out.

I wear the Pure cadence on road and love them so went for the Pure grit 2. They feel great but haven't run in them yet. You can read my initial thoughts on them here http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/gear/brooks-pure-project-2---better-or-worse/237109.html

If they don't work out after running in them I'll have to try the trailroc

have just seen new balance MT110 which looked and felt pretty good and only 35 quid in sports direct. might buy them anyway at that price!

Roland, I generally like to do reccie runs but unfortunately I live up north and it is too far to go to check it out. although I have a friend who has run it and lives down there. doesn't sound like it is going to be muddy and boggy like the fells so I think WiB is right the course should need too agressive grips

Shoes: why the Trailroc 255 rather than 245 or 235? Have you tried them on? I'd really advise trying them on alongside your present shoes. I tried on the 235 and 245 in Lakes Runner and immediately knew I'd want the 235 - the 245 were not nearly flexible enough for me. I normally run in VB Neos and for trails, Neo trails, but I went for the Trailroc ready for Lakeland 50, because I wanted just a bit more cushioning for those rocky trails.

Debra. Good question - whilst i'm a fan of more minimal shoes and in the process of using my Inov8 Bare-X 150s for road running, I don't have the luxury of time to transition into long distance off-road running as my training for a 50k starts next week. My main priority for this race is comfort over proprioception and ground feel etc. I tried the 245 (all my shop had in stock) and they did feel comfy but was alittle concerned how my feet would feel after 20 miles etc, so tried the 255s because of the extra cusioning. They did feel fairly heavy but in the end played safe with the brookes as their Pure road shoe fits my feet really well without hotsopts and blisters. I will return to the 235/245s when not under pressure to build mileage.

Shoes: fair enough! It took me longer to progress to long distances in the Neos than it did to build up the mileage, mostly road-running - actually I think I might have been quicker to make the changeover if I'd been doing more of my running offroad - the last time I used conventional running shoes was for a road 30-miler back in early July, and I ran NDW50 in Neo Trail five weeks later.

I was -really- lucky to have the luxury of not only trying on the 235 and 245 in Lakes Runner but then taking a trial pair of their 235s out on the Ambleside-to-Coniston Lakelenad 50/100 evening recce run, so I got to try them, on the terrain I would be using them on, before buying.