has positioned firm carbon rubber on the lateral (outer) side of the rearfoot and medial side of the forefoot to create a stable platform for toe-off and added durability where you need it. (There’s softer blown rubber on the medial side

upside down, take the latticed insole out, and you can see right through the shoe. The midsole is hollowed right out under the heel, through the midfoot and under the two smallest toes, and a plastic grating is all that stands between you, the insole

fractionally more positive and stable, and the slightly narrower profile gives a smoother heel-to-toe transition.In short The new Gel Cumulus keeps its instantly recognisable soft ride, with minor tweaks to the fit and responsiveness. It’s still a good

). It’s not as soft as the New Balance shoe (not an issue for off-road running), and it shares some great qualities with the North Face: a wide base, a low, stable foot position within the shoe, and a super-secure fit with a roomy toe-box.In short

that stops your foot sliding within the shoe on unstable ground, while allowing plenty of toe space. You stay low to the ground, too, which adds to the stable and positive feel, and there’s a medial post and good midfoot shank, making it one of a small number

, with a large rearfoot Gel cushioning pad, forefoot Gel and a centre-of pressure design in the rearfoot. It’s a good example of Asics’s smooth heel-to-toe ride and flexible forefoot feel, even if its chunky midsole through the rearfoot and forefoot make

the 2069 a shoe for overpronators (they’d need Avia’s 2079, at £70).Wear-testers reported a flexible ride with a particularly smooth heel-to-toe transition. Women runners in particular seem to be drawn to the Avia brand, and should find the 2069

suggests that forefoot overpronation can be a serious stability issue; and the post helps to give a stable, confident toe-off. Not much has changed between this shoe and the original Pantera. Essentially it has a more stable upper, which now includes

VS1 pads. The Wave Foundation is just slightly more robust.The difference between the two shoes has become even less now that the Alchemy has gained a more supportive upper, a little more weight and a firmer forefoot thatprovides more stability on toe

to the midfoot to support the arch and stop the shoe twisting.The only down side of the shoe is that the softer forefoot ride means that the stability isn’t as great on toe-off as it was in the old version. In reality that simply means that the forefoot stability