Oscarr - it's a tricky one to call. I've never used trail shoes, but from what I gather they're tough on the feet when you're running on the road. The ground was fairly frozen on Saturday and we decided that frozen ground would be similar to dry hard ground in the summer. I just had my normal road shoes on, and I was fine, although there were two or three places I slowed down for because of mud, maybe only 100 metres each. I'd say 90 per cent of the route will be fine to run on in road shoes whatever the weather. There's probably two or three places where it'll be a quagmire if there's even a hint of rain. They're maybe only 20 or 30 metres long each tho. The other ten per cent will get muddy if it's been raining the day before, but still doable in road shoes if you're sensible.
I'd probably get advice from someone who uses both road and trail shoes as they'd be well informed on the pros and cons of each. And people who did this year's run.
Speaking for myself... after Saturday's run, I didn't come away thinking I needed to go out and buy trail shoes. The other factor I have to take into account, which some people won't, is that I wear shoes to counter overpronation, which I gather you can't get in a trail shoe.
I'm definitely going to pack a spare pair of socks in my backpack tho. And take a spare pair of whatever shoes I go for so I can start the Sunday in a dry pair.
I guess your decision also depends on what your target in the run is. If you're aiming for speed, that might affect your decision compared to if you're just aiming to get round and aren't bothered about time.
